32 best Serie A players of the 90s

Football fans of a certain age will have fond memories of tuning into Channel 4 on a Saturday morning to watch all the week’s action from Italy.

Close your eyes and you can hear Gazzetta Football Italia now, the tune that made you want to get out of bed and kick a ball around in the garden.

And there was the excellent James Richardson, too, the anchor who flicked through the sports pages outside a little cafe before teeing up highlights of the next big match. “Coming up after the break…” 

If you’re reading this, James, how does this list of the best Serie A players of the 90s look?

32. Diego Maradona

Strictly speaking, Diego Maradona shouldn’t be on this particular list – but we couldn’t leave the great man off. He was at his peak in the 80s when playing for Napoli, where he marked himself out as one of the best, and most notorious, footballers of all time. He left Italy in the early 90s in controversial circumstances.

31. Faustino Asprilla

With his silky skills and pace, the gifted Colombian caught the eye playing for Parma in the early 90s, after which he departed for Newcastle. “Tino” became a fan-favourite on Tyneside, but it was during his time in Italy where he picked up his silverware, including the UEFA Cup.

30. Hernan Crespo

The Argentine striker got off to a rocky start when he arrived in Serie A from River Plate in 1996. However, once he discovered his shooting boots for Parma, the goals started to flow, and he helped the club to win both the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup. The goals didn’t quite come as regularly when he left Parma, but he was a fine finisher. 

29. Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne’s spell in Italy is probably best described as a whirlwind. Who knows what he could have achieved had it not been for injuries. When he was fit, he gave Lazio fans a lot of joy and never failed to get people off their seats. The Biancocelesti fans will always remember him fondly for the late equaliser against Roma in 1992.

28. Ruud Gullit

The man with the iconic dreadlocks left a lasting impression on Italian football. He was in integral part of the AC Milan team that won back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990. His athleticism may have been fading by the time he left for Sampdoria in the mid 90s but he could still turn a game with a moment of magic.

27. Cafu

The Brazilian was far more than a great defender – he could produce the skill and creativity of a winger. The World Cup-winning full-back joined Roma in 1997 and immediately won the hearts of the Giallarossi faithful, earning the nickname “Il Pendolino” (The Express Train) due to his explosive darts forward down the right wing.

26. Rui Costa

Fiorentina were a dangerous side with Portugal’s Rui Costa pulling the strings in behind Gabriel Batistuta in the mid 90s. There was a swagger about the number 10 with his slicked back hair and rolled down socks, which made the playmaker a Serie A icon. No defence was ever safe when this man was on the ball.

25. Christian Vieri

Christian Vieri played for several top Italian clubs, including Juventus, Lazio and Inter Milan. He didn't always hang around for long enough to reach club legend status, although there was one notable exception. After a brief spell at Lazio, he joined Inter Milan, where he became one of the most feared and respected strikers in Serie A.

24. Roberto Donadoni

Michel Platini once described Roberto Donadoni as “the best Italian footballer of the 1990s.” As more of an anchor player, the classy midfielder didn’t always get high praise such as this, but he played a key role for the decorated AC Milan teams of the late 80s and early 90s.

23. Zinedine Zidane

“Zizou” arrived in Italy from Bordeaux in 1996, and it soon became clear that Juventus had one very special talent on their hands. He was instrumental in helping the club to win two Serie A titles before leaving for Spain and Real Madrid in 2001, where he went on to become the best player in the world.

22. Giuseppe Bergomi

A long-serving, one-club man for Inter Milan, Giuseppe Bergomi is regarded as one of the best right-backs of all time. He played over 750 games for Inter, and although rivals AC prevented the Italian from picking up more silverware, he did still win one Serie A title, one Italian Cup crown and three UEFA Cup titles.

21. Javier Zanetti

From 1995 to 2014, Javier Zanetti racked up 858 games for Inter Milan, during which time he won 16 trophies. The Nerazzurri legend played in midfield and at full-back, and skippered Inter with great professionalism for a number of his 19 years at the club. When he hung up his boots, the club made the decision to retire the Argentine’s number four shirt. 

20. Roberto Mancini

After a solitary season in the Bologna first team, Sampdoria signed the Italian for £2 million. Those at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris adored him, for his touch, vision and ability to control a game helped the club to become, for a time at least, the country’s best. He went on to make an incredible 566 appearances for I Blucerchiati.

19. Alessandro Nesta

Before joining AC Milan and cementing himself as one of the best Italian defenders of all time, Alessandro Nesta learned his trade at Lazio. There was little he needed to learn, for this was a player blessed with a great reading of the game, and he possessed wonderful poise when in possession. 

18. Gianluigi Buffon

The Juventus legend’s brilliance spanned several decades. For many, he was the greatest goalkeeper in the 2000s, and some will argue that he sits above Dino Zoff at the top of the Italy’s list of all-time greats. He made his professional debut for Parma in 1995 and four years later won the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Supercoppa.

17. Marco Van Basten

No one rated the Dutch striker more than his former coach at AC Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, who once said: “I remember him for his elegance, his grace and his incredible ability.” His list of achievements reads as follows: 301 goals, three European Cups, 11 domestic trophies, one European Championship and three Ballon d’Ors.

16. Alessandro Del Piero

The gifted Alessandro Del Piero was instrumental to Juve’s last Champions League win in 1996, scoring six goals on that run, and he also helped the Old Lady claim six league titles. A free-kick master, the Italian striker notched 346 career goals, a healthy 290 of which came for Juventus.

15. Fabio Cannavaro

The Italian centre-back played for seven clubs during his career, beginning with his beloved Napoli before announcing his name on the world stage with the strong Parma sides of the mid 90s. His best days were still to come, of course, as he would captain his country to World Cup glory in 2006.  

14. Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo started off as an attacking midfielder, before going on to become a true master of the deep-lying midfielder role. The opposition would be spooked by his genius before a game had even kicked off. He wasn’t the finished article with Brescia and Inter Milan, but what a player he became at AC Milan and Juventus.

13. Alessandro Costacurta

Alessandro Costacurta was something of an unsung hero during AC Milan’s dominance in the 90s. His partnership alongside Franco Baresi made the Rossoneri’s defence impenetrable for long periods, with Costacurta a true master of reading the game. How fitting it was that, at the age of 41 and playing in his final game for the club, he found the back of the net.

12. Pavel Nedved

Many people’s first memories of the all-action Czech will be when he helped his country to the final of Euro 96. However, before reaching his best with Juventus in the 2000s, he caused havoc playing for Lazio on the wing, where he won the 1999 Cup Winners’ Cup and Serie A title.

11. Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s time with Inter was something of a rollercoaster. He arrived in Italy from Barcelona in 1997 and he quickly established himself as one of the league’s hottest strikers, scoring 59 times in 99 matches. Serious injury stopped him in his tracks, but not before he scored a number of sublime goals to light up Serie A.

10. Giuseppe Signori

Giuseppe Signori scored a hatful of goals in Serie A during the 90s, and for a few different clubs. However, it was at Lazio where the deadly striker found his rhythm and perfected that iconic celebration, the one where he’d wheel away with one hand in the air. In total, the Italian scored 188 Serie A goals.

9. George Weah

If you were to name a best AC Milan 11 of the 90s, George Weah would surely grab a spot up front. The Liberian was unplayable on his day, and scored a number of incredible goals, including one of the greatest solo efforts in his the history of Serie A. It came against Hellas Verona in 1996 and was, quite simply, outrageous. 

8. Gabriel Batistuta

“Batigol” was lethal. The Argentine scored 207 goals in 333 appearances during his nine years in Florence. When the side that played in that glorious purple were relegated in 1993, the fan-favourite stayed put. On the club’s return to the top flight, he scored in the opening 11 games. Who remembers that machine-gun celebration?

7. Gianluca Pagliuca

Gianluca Pagliuca was nicknamed “the wall”, which tells you a lot about the man – not much got past him, including penalties. He played 165 games of his incredible 634-game career at Inter Milan, where he perfected the art of sweeping. With his left foot, the Italian could also hit goal kicks a country mile. 

6. Francesco Totti

The Roma number ten never earned the silverware that his talent deserved, but Francesco Totti’s decision to remain a one-club man made him a legend in the Eternal City. His ability to create and score goals was unmatched in his heyday; the Roman finished his career in 2017 with 250  Serie A goals.

5. Demetrio Albertini

Demetrio Albertini joined AC Milan aged 11 and went on to play for the Rossoneri 406 times. After a loan spell at Padova, he earned a spot in Fabio Capello’s undefeated starting eleven of the 1991-92 season. During his 14 years with the club, the Italian midfielder won five Serie A titles, three European Cups and two UEFA Cups.

4. Gianluca Vialli

After the legendary Italian striker passed away in 2023, his former club, Sampdoria, wrote this: “We will continue to love and adore you because – as you well know – you are better than Pelé. And because, despite everything, our beautiful season is destined to never end.” He really was a fantastic player.

3. Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio played for five clubs during the 90s – Fiorentina, Juventus, Bologna and both Milans. He was loved wherever he played, which included the national team for whom he scored 27 times and played with the same flair as he did throughout his career in Serie A. His world record transfer to Juventus sparked three days of riots in Florence.

2. Franco Baresi

One-club players are rare – players of Franco Baresi’s class even more so. The Italian made 719 appearances for the Rossoneri. Four of the centre-back’s seven Serie A titles and two of his European Cups came in the 1990s. In the 1993-94 campaign, he helped Milan to keep 21 clean sheets, a season in which they conceded just 15 goals in 34 games.

1. Paolo Maldini

The legendary left-back won a staggering 25 trophies with AC Milan, which included seven league titles and five European Cups. One of his many highlights came in the 1991-92 season when the Rossoneri won the title without losing a single match. That simply wouldn’t have happened without the great Italian at the back.