Top Goal Scorers For Italian Football Team All-Time: Italy has a strong connection to football history. The country is famous for its solid defense and determined players, which has made Italian football legendary. Over the years, many great players have represented Italy, becoming national heroes and some of the best in the sport’s history.
Top Goal Scorers For Italian Football Team All-Time
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the top goal scorers for the Italian national team of all time. These players not only excelled in the national team but also made significant contributions to their clubs, leaving a mark in football history.
1. Gigi Riva (Luigi Riva)
- Career Span: 1965–1974
- Matches: 42
- Goals: 35
- Average: 0.83
Luigi Riva began his international career in 1965 against Hungary, although Italy lost that match 1-2. Despite breaking his leg before the 1966 World Cup, he was selected for the team but didn’t get to play. Italy struggled in tournaments until Ferruccio Valcareggi became a coach and put Riva in the center of the attack. Italy won the 1968 European Championship, with Riva scoring a crucial goal in the final against Yugoslavia.
Riva’s best moment came in the 1970 World Cup qualifiers, where he scored seven goals, leading Italy to the finals in Mexico. Although Italy was a favorite, they lost to Brazil in the final, and Riva couldn’t outscore Gerd Müller, who became the top scorer.
In 1974, Riva played his last major tournament at the World Cup in Germany. Italy was disappointed and was eliminated early. Riva, dealing with injuries, played only twice and didn’t score. He made his final appearance for Italy in 1974 against Argentina, ending his international career. Remarkably, Riva scored 35 goals in 42 matches for Italy, making him the team’s all-time leading scorer with an impressive average of 0.83 goals per game, a record still unmatched today.
2. Giuseppe Meazza
- Career Span: 1930–1939
- Matches: 53
- Goals: 33
- Average: 0.62
Giuseppe Meazza might not be well-known to modern football fans, but in Italy, he’s remembered for his significant role in their first two World Cup victories in 1934 and 1938.
Meazza was a versatile attacker, skilled in various positions. He had a reputation for his excellent passing, shooting, dribbling, and heading abilities. He scored 33 goals in 53 matches for Italy, making him the second-highest scorer in the team’s history.
His impact on Italian football, especially at Inter Milan, is immense. The stadium shared by Inter and AC Milan is officially named Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honor. In fact, many Italians have even compared his skills to those of Pelé. This remarkable legacy earns him the second spot in the ranking of the Top Goal Scorers for the Italian Football Team of All Time.
3. Silvio Piola
- Career Span: 1935–1952
- Matches: 34
- Goals: 30
- Average: 0.88
Silvio Piola holds the 3rd position in the Top Goal Scorers for the Italian Football Team of All Time. His records, even from the past, are still significant today, highlighting his incredible talent.
Piola scored goals both for Italy and in the Italian league. He is the 3rd highest scorer in the history of the Italian national team. He played a key role in Italy’s World Cup victory and was a notable figure in the final against Hungary.
Moreover, he holds the record for the most goals ever scored in the Italian league, an impressive feat with 290 goals to his name. His contributions to Italian football are truly remarkable.
4. Roberto Baggio
- Career Span: 1988–2004
- Matches: 56
- Goals: 27
- Average: 0.48
Roberto Baggio is undoubtedly one of the greatest Italian strikers ever. His exceptional vision, creativity, passing, and finishing skills set him apart during Italy’s football dominance in the 1980s and 1990s.
Baggio, with 27 goals, is the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the Italian national team. He was a versatile player, known for his outstanding game awareness and technical abilities.
In recognition of his talent, he received the Golden Ball and FIFA Player of the Year awards in 1993. Baggio’s unique style of play inspired an entire generation of Italians.
5. Alessandro Del Piero
- Career Span: 1995–2008
- Matches: 91
- Goals: 27
- Average: 0.30
Alessandro Del Piero is the joint 5th-highest scorer for the Italian national team, with 27 goals in 91 matches. He participated in several world and European championships starting from the 1996 European Championships. In the 2000 European Football Championship, Italy reached the final but lost to France in extra time with a golden goal.
In subsequent tournaments like the 2002 World Cup, 2004 European Championships, and the 2006 World Cup, Del Piero often played as a substitute. He scored crucial goals, like the equalizer against Mexico in 2002 and the decisive 2-0 win against Germany in the 2006 World Cup semi-finals. During the 2006 World Cup, although he didn’t start, he made a significant impact as a substitute, notably scoring in the penalty shootout in the final against France, leading Italy to victory.
After a brief hiatus, Del Piero returned to the national team. However, he faced challenges under new coach Roberto Donadoni. Despite strong performances, he was not consistently nominated. He made a comeback for the 2008 European Championships but Italy narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to Spain. Del Piero’s final international match was on September 10, 2008, in a 2-0 win against Georgia.
6. Adolfo Baloncieri
- Career Span: 1920–1930
- Matches: 47
- Goals: 25
- Average: 0.53
Adolfo Baloncieri, one of the top goal scorers for the Italian national football team, scored 25 goals in 47 matches. He participated in three Summer Olympic games, leading Italy to a bronze medal in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He also won the 1927-30 Central European International Cup with Italy.
His 25 goals place him as the sixth-highest scorer for Italy, sharing this position with Alessandro Altobelli.
Notably, Baloncieri holds the record as the highest-scoring midfielder in the history of the Italy national team.
7. Alessandro Altobelli
- Career Span: 1980–1988
- Matches: 61
- Goals: 25
- Average: 0.41
Alessandro “Spillo” Altobelli, born on November 28, 1955, in Sonnino, Italy. Due to his slim and wiry build, fans nicknamed him “Spillo,” which means “needle.”
He represented Italy in the 1980 European Football Championship and was part of the team that won the 1982 Football World Cup in Spain. In the final against Germany, he scored a goal in the 3-1 victory. Altobelli also played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, where he scored four out of Italy’s five goals (the fifth goal was an own goal by South Korea).
He concluded his international career at the 1988 European Football Championship in Germany.
8. Filippo Inzaghi
- Career Span: 1997–2007
- Matches: 57
- Goals: 25
- Average: 0.44
Filippo Inzaghi made his debut for the Italian national team on June 8, 1997, playing against Brazil in the Tournoi de France. He participated in several major tournaments. In the 1998 World Cup, Italy reached the quarter-finals, but Inzaghi, although playing twice, didn’t score any goals.
In 2000, Italy became European runners-up, where Inzaghi scored two goals in four games.
However, he faced setbacks due to injuries. In 2004, he couldn’t play in the European Championship due to knee surgery. In 2006, Italy won the World Cup, with Inzaghi scoring a goal in the group game against the Czech Republic. Despite his injuries, he managed to score 25 goals in 57 international matches, ranking him 8th on Italy’s all-time top scorer list.
9. Francesco Graziani
- Career Span: 1975–1983
- Matches: 64
- Goals: 23
- Average: 0.36
Roberto Graziani was a part of the Italian squad during the 1980 European Football Championship hosted in Italy. In 1981, he transferred from Turin to Fiorentina, where he played alongside midfield director Giancarlo Antognoni. His strike partners included the 1978 Argentine world champion Daniel Bertoni and the young Daniele Massaro.
Graziani was once again called up by national coach Enzo Bearzot for the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Italy struggled in the preliminary round, managing only three draws. Graziani scored a crucial 1-0 lead with a header in the final group game against Cameroon. Italy advanced to the final round, where they improved with victories over Argentina and Brazil. They eventually became world champions in the final against Germany, marking their first victory since 1938.
Graziani played in all of Italy’s games but was injured in the final and was substituted after just seven minutes by Alessandro Altobelli, who later scored Italy’s third goal. Graziani made 64 international appearances for Italy and scored 23 goals during his career.
10. Christian Vieri
- Career Span: 1997–2005
- Matches: 23
- Goals: 49
- Average: 0.47
Christian Vieri represented the Italy national football team from 1997 to 2005, making 49 appearances and scoring 23 goals. Interestingly, he could have also played for the Australian national team, where his brother Massimiliano played.
Vieri participated in one European Championship in 2004 and two World Cups in 1998 and 2002. Despite his goal-scoring prowess (five goals in 1998 and four in 2002, totaling nine games), Italy was eliminated from both World Cups during his tenure.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t play in the 2006 World Cup due to a serious knee injury.
