The Serie A national football team, also known as the Lega national team, was an Italian football selection made up of athletes playing in Serie A without distinctions regarding nationality
Two champions, two feats: and the English go down
The last chapter of a love that never blossomed took place on January 16, 1991.
At the San Paolo Stadium in Naples, in front of 18,000 chilled spectators, the Italian National League team faces their English peers, in what will be remembered as the last of 11 matches played in more than thirty years.
It all started way back in 1960 at the behest of Giuseppe Pasquale, president of the newly formed National Professional League, proponent of an innovative team that would have to count on the contribution of all the players belonging to the top league, both Italian and foreign.
That day 34 years ago, the coach chosen was Albertino Bigon, leader of Napoli who won the ’89/’90 Scudetto.
Matthaus and Di Canio, Galli and Taffaril, Van Basten and Careca.
A parade of football stars, for an event that is too little known. The English had arrived in Campania with a team that was technically much inferior to the Italian one, with Seaman, Rush and Wright the only bulwarks ready to counteract the predictable blue domination.
As expected, in fact, the match will end 3 to 0 for the Italian League, with goals from Marco Van Basten and Careca in the first half, followed by Simenone’s splendid diagonal in the second half. Fifth victory and five games against the English.
That, however, will be the swansong of Italian football, the first sign of a movement that was starting to change, even economically. Serie A will dominate for another decade, before giving way to the same English creators of the modern Premier League, built on the ashes of the “not very competitive” Football League.
“The match between the League teams had only one great merit: that of having offered forty thousand spectators and hundreds of thousands of football fans a spectacle such as is rarely possible to enjoy. An observation that does not add a cent to the belief that without Charles, Hamrin, Angelillo, Tacchi, Altafini – foreigners by nationality or school – great football to compete against the best teams in the world would not be within our reach.”
Thus Sport Illustrato, an unparalleled singer of the pedatory exploits of yesteryear, celebrated in November 1960 the spectacular 4-2 with which the National League team had made its debut, outclassing their English counterparts. A score emblematic of the captivating tones of the game, long held hostage to the peevish foul play of the British (annoyed by the filigree football of the champions in blue), but widely appreciated for the glimpses of great football which it had given rise to.
ALL NATIONAL LEAGUE MATCHES
Italian National League – English League 4-2 (2-0)
01.11.1960 Milan: San Siro Stadium
Italian League: Buffon (Ghezzi), Maldini, Castelletti, Boniperti, Bernasconi, Emoli (Bergamaschi), Hamrin, Angelillo, Charles, Altafini, Tacchi. Coaches: Gipo Viani and Alfredo Foni.
English League: Springett (Trautmann), Armfield, Megson, Robson, Swam, Flowers, Jones (Woosman), McIlroy, Law, Haynes, P. McParland. Manager: Harold Potts
Goals: Tacchi (4′), Hamrin (35′), Altafini (53′), Law (57′), McParland (73), Altafini (75′).
Referee: G. Ternieden.
Scottish League – Italian League 1-1 (0-1)
01.11.1961, Glasgow: Hampden Park
Scottish League: Connachan, A. Hamilton, Caldow, Crerand, Ure, Baxter, Scott, Quinn, Black, Brand, Wilson. Manager: Ian McColl.
Italian League: Albertosi, David, Pavinato, Zaglio (H. Nielsen), J.Charles (Janich), Colombo, Hamrin, Maschio, Hitchens, Law, Petris. Coach: Alfredo Foni.
Goals: Hitchens (32′), Brand (81′).
Referee: H. Faucheux.
English League – Italian League 0-2 (0-0)
08.11.1961, Manchester: Old Trafford;
English League: Springett, Armfield, Wilson, Kay, Swam, Flowers, Connelly, Fantham, Pointer, Haynes, B. Charlton. Manager: Walter Winterbottom.
Italian League: Albertosi, David, Pavinato, H. Nielsen, Janich, Colombo, Hamrin, Maschio, Hitchens, Lojacono, Law. Coach: Alfredo Foni
Goals: Lojacono (72′), Hitchens (75′).
Referee: M. Guigue.
Italian League – Scottish League 4-3 (2-0)
14.11.1962, Rome: Olympic Stadium
Italian League: Albertosi, Castano, Pavinato, Losi, Salvadore, H. Nielsen, Hamrin, Del Sol (Angelillo), J. Charles, Haller, Petris. Coach: Alfredo Foni.
Scottish League: McLaughlan, A.Hamilton, Kennedy, Crerand, Ure, Baxter, Henderson, W. Hamilton (Divers), Millar, Cooke, D. McParland. Coach: Ian McColl.
Goals: Del Sol (15′), Haller (27′), Divers (48′), Petris (60′), Cooke (72′),
Millar (74′), Hamrin (87′).
Referee: F. Eurdekian
English League – Italian League XI 3-2 (1-1)
29.11.1962, London: Highbury
English League: Springett, Armfield, Wilson, Moore, Labone, Flowers, Connelly, Greaves, Allen, Douglas, O’Grady. Manager: Walter Winterbottom.
National League XI: G.Sarti, Emoli (Colombo), Pavinato, H. Nielsen, Losi, Jonsson, Hamrin, Lojacono, J. Charles, Haller, Petris. Coach: Alfredo Foni.
Goals: O’Grady (22′), J. Charles (44′), Greaves (55′), Allen (78′), J.Charles (79′).
Referee: M. Kitabdijan.
Italian League – English League 1-0 (0-0)
05.09.1964, Milan: San Siro Stadium
Italian League: Ghezzi, C. Maldini, Castelletti, Picchi, Guarneri, Angelillo, Meroni (Vinicio), L. Suarez, H. Nielsen (Szymaniak), Haller, Barison. Coach: Paolo Mazza.
English League: Waiters (Banks), Cohen, Thomson, Mullery, Norman, Flowers, Paine, Hunt, Pickering, B.Charlton, Thompson. Manager: Alf Ramsey.
Goal: L. Suarez (78′).
Referee: J. Barbéran.
Italian League – Budapest Representative 0-1 (0-0)
02.18.1971, Turin: Municipal Stadium
Italian League: Carmignani, Roversi, Perego (Pogliana), Cereser, Cresci, Biasiolo, Pace, Chinaglia, R. Benetti, Corso, G. Savoldi (Chiarugi). Coach: Enzo Bearzot.
Budapest: Szentmihályi, Káposzta, Juhász, Bánkuti, Noskó, Horváth, E. Dunai III, Zámbó, Bene, A.Dunai II, L. Nagy. Coach: Lajos Baróti.
Goal: A. Dunai II (51′).
Referee: P. Schiller.
Belgian League – Italian League 2-1 (1-1)
15.12.1971, Charleroi: Stade du Mambourg
Belgian League: Piot, Heylens, Dolmans, Dewalque, Stassart (Pilot), Vandendaele, Semmeling (Bohmer), Docks, Mulder, Van Himst (Martens), Ressel. Coach: Raymond Goethals.
Italian League: Carmignani, Perego (Fossati), Spinosi, Furino, Rosato, Bedin, S. Gori (Damiani), Causio, Anastasi, Capello, Bettega. Coach: Ferruccio Valcareggi.
Goals: Van Himst (7′), S. Gori (25′), Mulder (84′).
Referee: R. Wurtz.
Italian League – Belgian League 0-1 (0-0)
06.12.1972, Florence: Stadio Comunale
Italian League: Castellini (Superchi), Sabadini, S. Esposito, Bet, Santarini, Massa (S. Gori), Merlo, Bigon, Re Cecconi, Prati. Coach: Ferruccio Valcareggi.
Belgian League: de Bree, Bastijns, Martens, Dalving, Tolsa, Bjerre, Nicholaes, Stroybant, Teugels, Heyligen, Mallants. Coach: Raymond Goethals.
Goal: Nicholaes (52′).
Referee: G. Katsoras.
Italian League – Poland 2-2 (1-1)
12.11.1988, Milan: San Siro Stadium
Italian League: G. Galli (Landucci), M. Mannini, Volpecina, Matthäus (Barbas), Tassotti (Gregucci), Manfredonia, Pari, Evani (Marocchi), Careca (Renato), Diego Armando Maradona, Virdis (Caniggia). Coach: Arrigo Sacchi.
Poland: Wandzik, R. Warzycha, Wdowczyk, Kaczmarek, Łukasik, Ziober (Soszyński), K. Warzycha, Komornicki (Bendkowski), Urban, Araszkiewicz, Kosecki (Tarasiewicz). Coach: Wojciech.
Goals: R. Warzycha (28′), Tassotti (40′), Wdowczyk (55′), Maradona (83′).
Referee: H. Brummeier.
Italian League – English League 3-0 (2-0)
16.01.1991, Naples: San Paolo Stadium
Italian League: G. Galli (Taffaril), Garzja, Aldair (Branco), C. Pin, Benedetti, Jozic (Minotti), A. Bianchi (Lentini), Mychajlyčenko, Careca, Matthäus (Simeone), Van Basten (Di Canio) . Coach: Bigon
English League: Southall (Seaman), Dixon, Nicol, Thomas (Bowen), I. Wright, Hysen (Curle), Limpar (Saunders), MacMahon, Rush (Bull), David, Barnes. Coach: Lawrence McMenemy.
Goals: Van Basten (26′), Careca (28′), Simeone (70′).
Referee: C. Bouillet.