Inter had Javier Zanetti, Ivan Zammorano and Ronaldo. Udinese had their own goal machine in Oliver Bierhoff. Lazio had Juan Sebastian Veron, Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Nesta.įiorentina had Gabriel “Batigol” Batistuta and Manuel Rui Costa. Every club could boast at least one genuine world-class talent. Italian clubs were rather dominant in 80s Europe too, with AC Milan and Juventus in particular leading the charge with legendary players such as Platini, Baresi and the iconic Dutch trio of Rijkaard, van Basten and Gullit.īefore this we had only seen these players on European nights, but now here they were in our living rooms every weekend for free.īut just what made Serie A so special in the 90s?ĭespite the reputation for boring and stifling Catenaccio, Italy was a hotbed for technically sound yet glamorous football at this time. Interest in Italian Calcio was at a bit of an all-time high, England did very well in Italia 90 and Paul Gascoigne had moved to Lazio in 1992 and would spend three years in Rome. Shortly after Italia 90, Sky TV bought the rights to the Premier League games and the average working class football fan was left without a fix every weekend.įootball Italia helped to fill that void. However, many of my generation will always remember James Richardson sat outside of an Italian cafe every weekend with a cappuccino and an Italian newspaper.įootball Italia was a flagship show on Channel 4 in the 90s and, with a possible hint of hyperbole, helped to usher in the 90s Serie A boom that we experienced in England. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winner at the Nou Camp, David Beckham’s sending off in Saint Etienne and Gazza’s tears are three that come to mind. If you’re a British football fan of a certain age, a few images will be engrained in your memory.
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