The 10 most expensive Italian players of all time

There was once a time when Serie A was the envy of the footballing world.

For many, Italy’s top flight enjoyed two ‘Golden Ages’ at the turn of the 1990s and the start of the Millennium. It was a division laden with cash and where the continent’s most majestic talent wanted to strut their stuff. Some of the sport’s all-time great teams came out of Italy during these periods.

The riches boasted by Serie A’s leading clubs ensured transfer records were smashed year after year, and some of these deals – ones made at the start of the 21st century – still sit among the most expensive in Italian football history.

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The enigmatic Scamacca had drawn comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his youth, with Serie A’s top clubs all tracking the towering forward’s progress at Sassuolo.

However, instead of moving to a Juventus or an Inter, the Neroverdi received an offer from West Ham they simply couldn’t refuse ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Scamacca had enjoyed a productive 2021/22 season in Italy and Sass garnered a €36m fee for his sale as a result, but he failed to fire during his maiden Premier League voyage.

A strained relationship with star trequartista Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus convinced the Bianconeri it was time to move on from efficient forward Inzaghi.

Milan came calling in 2001 and acquired Inzaghi to partner blossoming young Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko up top in Carlo Ancelotti’s 4-4-2.

While the Italian struggled with injuries and was never the most stylish of forwards, his knack of being in the right place at the right time often catapulted the Rossoneri to glory. Inzaghi lifted a pair of Champions Leagues in Milan – scoring twice in the 2007 final – as well as two Scudetti.

Atalanta’s academy has emerged as a genuine powerhouse in recent years, with Caldara, who was nurtured in Bergamo, earning a big-money move to Milan in 2018.

The centre-half was included in the swap deal which saw Juventus stalwart Leonardo Bonucci move in the opposite direction. Caldara had joined the Old Lady the previous year, but not made a single competitive appearance.

Labelled as the country’s next great centre-back, Caldara struggled mightily in Milan as he failed to adjust to the Rossoneri’s back four with an emphasis on zonal marking. At Atalanta, he’d thrived as the man-marking central defender in Gian Piero Gasperini’s back three.

Caldara remains on Milan’s books five years after his arrival, but the last two years have been spent on loan at lowly Serie A outfits.

Bernardeschi was a lovely player to watch at Fiorentina, and his career at Juventus started brightly. The versatile wide man registered nine Serie A goal contributions in his first season at the club, but that was as good as it got for Berna in Turin.

While he remained a respected player in the dressing room who was appreciated by multiple Juve managers, the swagger Bernardeschi played with in Florence rarely manifested at the Allianz Stadium and any stellar runs of form were fleeting before he exited for MLS in 2022.

The Juventus stalwart pivoted to Milan in one of the most stunning transfers in calcio history.

Bonucci had established himself as one of Europe’s premier defenders in Turin and forged the stoutest of relationships with Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Gigi Buffon as Juve dominated Serie A in the 2010s.

Thus, his move to a transitioning Milan side came as a total shock with a deteriorating relationship with Max Allegri cited as the main reason for his Juve exit.

Nevertheless, Bonucci would spend just a year at Milan after a sixth-place finish and quickly returned to the Old Lady where he’d reconstruct his relationship with Allegri and Juventini.

Chiesa and Bernardeschi are two of many talented Fiorentina stars to make the switch from La Viola to their greatest rivals. While many consider the rivalry to be a one-sided one, departing Florence for Turin is blasphemous in the eyes of the Viola faithful.

Son of former Italian international Enrico, Fede had been tracked as a future superstar long before his move to Juventus in 2020. An electrifyingly raw talent, Chiesa frustrated as much as he dazzled at the Artemio Franchi, but his game reached new heights once he made the move to Juve.

His debut season was majestic and there was a point when Chiesa was regarded as one of the world’s most destructive wingers. However, an ACL rupture disrupted both his 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

One of the finest forwards of his era, Vieri was a mightily pricey journeyman. Before wounding up at Inter for a then world record €46.48m fee, the striker had joined Atletico Madrid and Lazio for big fees the previous two summers.

Vieri would settle in Milan, though, spending six years with the Nerazzurri. The Italian partnered Ronaldo, Hernan Crespo, and Adriano up top at San Siro, with his finest form arriving alongside Crespo under Argentine coach Hector Cuper.

He was crowned Capocannoniere in 2002/03, but Vieri would lift just a single Coppa Italia with Inter during his six-year stay.

Edwin van der Sar’s woes at Juventus meant the Bianconeri were in need of a new number one in 2001, and they were utterly convinced by Parma’s supreme shot-stopper that the club spent a then-record fee for a goalkeeper to bring him to Turin.

Buffon’s ascent to superstardom had never been in doubt, and he’d long been considered the very best Italy had to offer after several superb seasons with Parma.

Juve’s heavy investment would pay dividends as Buffon reached legend status with the Old Lady. The Italian claimed countless individual and team honours and ended his Juventus career with the second-most appearances in the club’s history.

Chelsea stuck with the Italians despite Antonio Conte’s toxic second year at the club, opting to replace him with Maurizio Sarri.

Sarri had worked wonders with Napoli and some regard his 2017/18 side as one of the best to not lift the Scudetto. Crucial to their success was metronomic holding midfielder Jorginho, whom Sarri opted to bring with him to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues paid €57m to acquire Sarri’s primary target, but Jorginho would emerge as a divisive figure in west London. His attributes were appreciated by Sarri’s successors after the Italian left in 2019, but he was never venerated in London quite like he was in Naples.

It’s been clear for a while that Tonali isn’t the second coming of Andrea Pirlo, but he’s a fine footballer who’s become the most expensive Italian in history.

The dogged midfielder enjoyed a stellar 2021/22 season as Milan lifted the Scudetto, with Newcastle firmly believing that Tonali is the man to take their exciting project to the next level.

Departing Milano was tough for the lifelong Rossoneri supporter, but he’s bound to blossom into a fan’s favourite at St. James’ given his energy, work ethic, and never-say-die attitude.