{"id":1212089,"date":"2022-11-14T15:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T15:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1212089"},"modified":"2023-11-14T15:51:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T15:51:11","slug":"serie-as-greatest-foreign-import-famous-players-who-could-have-represented-italy","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/serie-as-greatest-foreign-import-famous-players-who-could-have-represented-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Serie A’s greatest foreign import? Famous players who could have represented Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a consistently hot topic of conversation in Italy regarding their national team and former manager Roberto Mancini even reignited the issue back when Inter Milan were employing him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Italy national team should be Italian,” he said. “Maybe we find some players in the Italy squad who are not Italian but only have some relatives here, but this is only my opinion. I think that an Italian player deserves to play in the Italian national team while those who were not born in Italy, even if they have [Italian] relatives, don’t deserve it. We do so much to bring through young players and then we go and call up the foreigners [who are eligible to play] for Italy.”<\/p>\n

His opinion has understandably changed. Emerson, Rafael Tol\u00f3i and Jorginho, all born outside Italy, were part of the Azzurri’s championship-winning squad at Euro 2020. But there are, of course, exceptions. Footballers who could have played for Italy (either through birthright or parentage) but chose to represent another nation. Here are seven notable examples.<\/p>\n

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Edinson Cavani<\/strong><\/h2>\n