Italy’s side that lost in the final of the European Championship 20 years ago is one of the best who never won the competition.
Many of them would continue to redeem themselves with a World Cup win in 2006, but the missed opportunity at Euro 2000 still ranks with many of an Azzurri persuasion.
Their run to the final allowed them to concede just one goal under Dino Zoff, while a star-studded array of attacking talent set fire to the continent with some of the finest counter-football ever seen.
Here, 90 minutes takes a look back at the 22 players, and what happened next in their respective careers.
Toldo was Italy’s starting guard / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Francesco Toldo – With Gianlugi Buffon shaking hands just a few days before the tournament opener, Toldo took the gloves off for the rest of the tournament and performed admirably. He has kept a low profile since retiring with some media work in Italy and made him tip.
Christian Abbiati – Abbiati was one of the best at its peak in the early 2000s, but was almost always the second choice for Italy. He only managed four internationals for his country, but remains a major figure in AC Milan, where he now works as a player.
Francesco Antonioli – Never managed a roof for Italy and was pulled in as a late replacement for Buffon. Now goalkeeping coach at Cesena in Serie C.
Cannavaro with hair – a scary sight / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Fabio Cannavaro – Captured his country for the 2006 World Cup, won the Ballon d’Or and retired as Italy’s most equalized outfielder of all time. A good career. Enjoy a formidable coaching career in Asia and have been running Guangzhou since 2017.
Paolo Negro – An underrated but highly respected member of the squad in 2000, despite the fact that he only managed eight international matches for his country in total. The defender was a fixture in Serie A for almost two decades and is currently the youth coach at Cragnotti FC in Serie D.
Ciro Ferrara – The former Napoli and Juventus defender was on his way to the end of his career in 2000 and retired from international service shortly after the tournament. But he won two more Serie A titles with Juve, before deciding on a steady coaching career, and in particular started the cancer charity Fondazione Cannavaro Ferrara with his former teammate Cannavaro.
Alessandro Nesta – Generally regarded as the best tackler ever, Nesta just reached his peak in Euro 2000. He continued to sign for Milan in 2002 and managed Frosinone until his dismissal earlier this year.
Nesta meets a fresh face Thierry Henry / Graham Chadwick / Getty Images
Mark Iuliano – Enjoy the peak of his career at Juventus between 1997-2005 and broke into Italy’s squad at the height of it. Managed three teams in Italy and is currently Luca Gotti’s assistant at Udinese.
Gianluca Pessotto – A match in the Juventus backroom since retiring in 2006. The energetic winger is remembered as a quietly important part of the Italian squad despite his low 22-cap return.
Gianluca Zambrotta – Since 23, Zambrotta had only played four matches for Italy before Euro 2000. It did not last long. Ended his career with almost 100 matches, played in 2006 and has since coached a lot in Switzerland and China.
Paolo Maldini – Starred as a left-back for his country at Euro 2000 when he introduced the world to a completely new defense brand. Retired from international two years later, but spent seven more years running the show at AC Milan, where he is now sports director.
Antonio Conte played heavily in the group stage / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Demetrio Albertini – One that often flies under the radar when talking about the big Milan and Italian teams, but Albertini was a fixture for both throughout the 1990s. Known for his intelligence and discipline, he is now head of sports at Parma and vice-president of the Italian FA.
Angelo De Livio – The nickname Soldatino (the toy soldier) for his stiff running style up and down the right flank. He was known for his energy and versatility, but he was 33 when Euro 200 came and withdrew from international action soon. Last seen coaching at Roma Youth Academy.
Antonio Conte – More known for his extensive leadership career and winning titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter than for his contributions on the pitch nowadays. Currently without work after leaving Nerrazurri, but it is difficult to see that it will last long.
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@ La @Vivo_Azzurro batte 2⃣-0⃣ il Belgio a EURO 2000: il secondo gol, firmato de Stefano Fiore, è un authentico gioiello? pic.twitter.com/Kuvdqgpb9s
– UEFA (@UEFAcom_it) 14 June 2020
Luigi Di Biagio – Di Biagio did not really deliver the potential he showed as a youth in Lazio, but retired with a respectable 31 international caps for Italy and was short duty manager in his country in 2018. Without work since his short life as head of SPAL 2020.
Massimo Ambrosini – Would succeed Maldini as AC Milan captain and have had a legendary career at the San Siro. Went down Jamie Carragher route of punditry over coaching and he is now a fixture at Sky Sports Italia.
Stefano Fiore – A cult hero among all those who paid attention to Italian football in the 1990s. He was known for his work frequency, physicality and creativity and played in as many as 13 different clubs, but it is actually not clear what he is doing today. We hope he lives his best life.
Del Piero receives Peter van Vossen / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Filippo Inzaghi – ‘Pippo’ is a beloved figure in Italian football and is widely considered one of the best out-and-out strikers of his generation. Retired with 25 goals in 57 internationals for Italy and now manages Brescia in Serie B.
Alessandro Del Piero – He was only 25 years old then and had much more in mind after Euro 2000. Famously made winning penalties in the 2006 World Cup final and has now owned Italian restaurants in LA and Milan after retiring in 2014.
Vincenzo Montella – The former Fiorentina, Sevilla and AC Milan manager was a prolific goal scorer in Serie A but managed only three goals in 21 internationals for his country. Has not returned to the lead since a failed second spell in Florence.
Francesco Totti – Appointed man of the match for his performance against France in the final, but injured problems limited his international career to a shadow of what it may have been. But he remains AS Roma’s best player of all time, won the Serie A player of the year a record five times and has been a director at Roma ever since.
Marco Delvecchio – Currently an expert on Italian radio, Delvecchio was a highly respected player whose peak came in ten years in Roma between 1995-2005.
