Hottest Italian Soccer Players, Part II

I put the first version of this list together during the 2008-09 season’s holiday break, when I was suffering from a severe case of soccer withdrawal. My first list of the 10 hottest Italian soccer players was already up (and I still stand by it, especially since My Boyfriend is on it), but there’s no harm in expanding the list of good-looking Italian men, is there? I didn’t think so.

Every one of my 2008-09 picks has since hung up his boots, so each entry below now says where he ended up. After them come ten more for 2026, Italian players who are in their prime (or just starting) right now. As always, in no particular order.

>> For the national team as it stands in 2026, see my 2026 World Cup edition, and for the other side of the story, the Italian WAGs.

The 2008-09 picks

Marco Borriello (AC Milan)

A Naples-born striker who had a standout 2007-08 season at Genoa and moved to AC Milan that summer. His first season at Milan was rough, but even off form he was very pretty to watch, and at the time he was with the model Belén Rodríguez. Borriello has since retired.

Mattia Cassani (Palermo)

A Palermo defender, born in a town northeast of Turin, so a long way from home. I found his photo on what I assumed was a modeling agency’s website. It turned out to be his agent’s. If that’s how they sold his athleticism, I wasn’t the only one who noticed him. Cassani has since retired.

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)

“Totò” Di Natale was also a Naples-born striker, and he’s often described as “diminutive,” which is a polite way of saying short. I held his missed penalty against Spain at Euro 2008 against him for a while, then forgave him. He was one of the players in the second round of Dolce & Gabbana’s underwear ads, and he spent most of his career at Udinese. He has since retired and gone into coaching.

Paolo Cannavaro (Napoli)

If the name looks familiar, it should. Paolo is the younger brother of 2006 World Cup captain Fabio. Both were defenders, both were born in Naples, and Paolo captained Napoli, which made him a hometown hero. He has since retired and works as a coach.

Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal)

Rossi was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, to Italian parents, and chose to play for Italy. In 2008 his club was in Spain but his heart was obviously in Italy, and he was downright adorable. He has since retired and is now head of soccer and vice chairman of the New York Cosmos.

Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma)

A Roman midfielder playing for one of the two teams in Rome, who had just been called up to the national team. Roma fans called him “Il Principino,” the little prince, for his resemblance to Roma great Giuseppe Giannini. He has since retired and is head coach of Sassuolo.

Andrea Barzagli (Wolfsburg)

A Tuscan defender and one of the lucky men in blue who won the 2006 World Cup. In 2008 he left for Wolfsburg in Germany, and I thought we’d all be happier if he came back so I could look at him watch him play more often. He did, signing for Juventus in 2011, and he has since retired.

Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Another 2006 world champion, rescued from Barcelona by AC Milan in 2008. He was born in Como, on Lake Como, and was one of the players in Dolce & Gabbana’s famous post-World Cup underwear shoot. His move meant three of the five models from those photos were at Milan, which should explain why Milan was my team. Zambrotta has since retired.

Gennaro Sardo (Catania)

Sardo nearly made my first list, so he was a shoo-in here. Tall, dark and handsome, born in Campania, a defender for Catania. There was very little about him online, but I suspected that if you looked into those eyes long enough you wouldn’t care. Sardo has since retired.

Cesare Prandelli (Fiorentina)

An honorable mention for the man who would have won Most Fashionable Coach in Italy, if there were such a prize. A former player, he started coaching in 1990 and was managing Fiorentina when I wrote this. He never appeared on the sideline without the team colors, purple zip-up sweaters, puffy down jackets, even track suits, usually with a turned-up collar or scarf, and he made all of it look good. He went on to coach Italy from 2010 to 2014 and has since retired from coaching. In a country where style is almost a condition of citizenship, that’s saying something.

Ten more for 2026

Italy’s World Cup absence (see part IV for that sad story) doesn’t mean a shortage of talent. These ten aren’t in my 2026 national-team list, and every one of them is worth watching. Clubs are as of September 2026.

• Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese): From Massa in Tuscany, the son of a former pro, and the most dramatic career on this list: Roma star, two serious knee injuries, then Galatasaray, Aston Villa and back to Italy. Udinese signed him permanently in June 2026, and he’s back in Mancini’s first squad.
• Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio): Lazio’s captain, from Cesena. His first goal for Italy was the stoppage-time equalizer against Croatia at Euro 2024 that sent the team through to the knockouts. He’s married to influencer Chiara Nasti, who you’ll find on my WAGs list.
• Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma): A Roman who joined Roma’s academy in 2007, left for Sassuolo, and came home in 2017. As a youth player he had to overcome a heart arrhythmia to be cleared to play.
• Federico Bernardeschi (Bologna): Nicknamed “Brunelleschi” after the Florentine architect, for his technique and elegance. He won three straight Serie A titles at Juventus, spent a few years with Toronto FC in MLS, and is now back in Serie A with Bologna.
• Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna): A left-footed winger from the Ascoli academy who helped Bologna win the 2025 Coppa Italia, the club’s first major trophy in 51 years.
• Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur): A left-back from Hellas Verona’s youth system, now in the Premier League with Spurs.
• Samuele Ricci (Como): A defensive midfielder on loan at Como from AC Milan for 2026-27. Como, with Lake Como as its backdrop, might be the prettiest place in Serie A to watch a game.
• Daniel Maldini (Cagliari): The third generation of soccer’s most famous Italian family. His grandfather Cesare and his father Paolo both captained AC Milan. He’s on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta for 2026-27.
• Francesco Camarda (AC Milan): Born in 2008, he became the youngest player ever to appear in Serie A, at 15 years and 260 days. He was called up to the senior national team for the first time in June 2026. Remember the name.
• Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta): A center-back born in 2003 who came up through Brescia’s youth system and played in Atalanta’s 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final.

>> Can’t get enough? Go back to my first list of the 10 hottest Italian soccer players (home of those infamous Dolce & Gabbana ads), or read our guide to going to a soccer game in Italy and see them for yourself.

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original photos: Di Natale from here, Rossi from here, Zambrotta from here, Sardo from here