As recent events have shown, football is the sport of the people. Not only regarding popularity but also the way in which we construct our identity, the values we hold, the memories we build and the communities we’re part of. None of that is negotiable, none of that can be bought. As someone said, the owners of the clubs and the institutions are but the custodians of something that no single man or company can ever claim their own.

The history of the sport is very much a part of that intangible, universal legacy. Every fan, every player, every manager, every writer and every lover of the game leaves their mark, big or small, in that vast story that we all add to every day. 

Few legacies, however, are quite as immense as that of Calcio Italiano, Italian football. From Vittorio Pozzo’s Metodo and the World Cup-winning sides of the 30s to the elegance of Andrea Pirlo with Ancelotti’s double European-crowned Milan, the Italian game is full of revolutionary players and managers that left an immeasurable mark on how we play the game and hundreds of stories to be told with it.

I wanted to celebrate that, to admire the skill and smarts of those very players and managers, and of everyone who gave us the beauty and the drama of Italian football. The way I see it, Football Manager is becoming an ever more important part of the world of football and the way we enjoy and discuss the game. It was inevitable then, almost necessary and certainly joyful that il Calcio Italiano became a part of FM. 

So what better way than to observe and analyze that imprint that Italian football has left on FM than to look at the four Italian roles through the lens of those who played them best, their life and glory, their style and skill. That’s precisely what this series will be about. 

We’re launching the Italian Month here at Rock’s End FM, with four articles in four weeks about the Libero, the Regista, the Mezzala and the Trequartista. To do so, I’ve gone through footage and articles of four of Italy’s game most distinguished players as they filled pitches with grace and magic in the very same positions and roles we can use in the game.

Gaetano Scirea & the Libero

Andrea Pirlo & the Regista

Gianni Rivera & the Mezzala

Francesco Totti & the Trequartista

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy them as much as I loved producing them. 

Rock’s End FM