Albertini, Demetrio (Brianza, 23/8/71)
As a fresh-faced midfielder with a powerful shot, he went quickly into both the Milan and Italy first team after making his debut in the top flight in January 1989. He became recognised as a vital cog for club and country and went on to gather a medal haul that few could rival, including five Scudetti with the Rossoneri over 13 seasons. He was hurt when his lifelong club decided he was surplus to requirements and shipped out to Spain for a season with Atletico Madrid, but before long he was back in his natural habitat, Serie A, first with Lazio and then closer to his footballing ‘home’ with Atalanta.
Albertosi, Enrico (Pontremoli, 2/11/39)
With 34 international appearances and a Serie A career spanning more than 20 years he is truly one of the giant figures of Italian goalkeeping. He began his adventures in the top flight with Fiorentina in 1959 where he helped them win the Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1961 but it was not until his transfer to Cagliari that he picked up a League title. He moved to Sardinia in 1968 and in 1970, thanks to the goals of Gigi Riva and Albertosi's agile net-minding, Cagliari won their one and only title.
Aldair, Dos Santos (Ilheus, Brazil, 30/11/65)
As elegant a sweeper as you could care to see and a World Cup winner with his country in 1994. Roma bought this lanky Brazilian in 1990 from Benfica. It proved to be a match made in heaven over 13 amazing years where he gathered over 300 appearances for the club and helped them to their third Scudetto in 2001.
Alemao, Ricardo (Lavras, Brazil, 22/11/61)
Everyone remembers Maradona and Careca, but this diligent midfielder had a big part to play in Napoli's second Scudetto success in 1990 with 27 games and a couple of goals. His driving performances and occasional goals also played a major part in winning the UEFA Cup in 1989. He finished his Italian adventure with Atalanta.
ALESSANDRIA (Founded: 1912, Stadium: Moccagatta, Capacity: 8182)
In the first years of Serie A, back in the 1930s, this small provincial club from near Milan were one of Italy’s big guns. In 1930 they finished sixth in Serie A and also reached the Coppa Italia final six years later. Their most famous player was attacking midfielder Adolfo Baloncieri, who was capped 20 times whilst with the club back in the 1920s. They also spawned Carlo Carcano who went on to manage the famous Juventus team of the 1930s that won five consecutive Scudetti. Alessandria’s final Serie A season came in 1959-60.
Altafini, Jose (Piracicaba S Paulo, Brazil, 24/7/38)
After winning the World Cup in 1958 this oriundo, who played for both Italy and his native Brazil, was snapped up by Milan where he enjoyed a successful spell spanning six years and bringing 120 Serie A goals and the European Cup along the way. A strong striker with an accurate shot, Altafini fitted in well to the Italian set up - so much so that he played six times for his new country scoring five goals. His Serie A career covered an impressive 16 years and brought him four League titles. After Milan he travelled on to Napoli where he enjoyed another productive six-year spell. Then he switched to Juventus when many thought his career was over, but instead he played an important part in another pair of title wins in 1973 and 1975.
Altobelli, Alessandro (Sonnino, 28/11/55)
The great ‘Spillo’ - the Pin, because of his tall, slim stature - was one of the top scorers of recent times. However, this never gained him the recognition he deserved. An Inter stalwart for around 10 years, through the 1970s and 1980s, he was tall and agile with excellent control and the ability to create chances for others. His 25 goals for Italy put him amongst the country’s top scorers of all time, while a goal in the World Cup Final in 1982 ensured him his place in the hall of fame. After years of great service to the Milanese giants he closed his career after a season at Juventus.
Ancelotti, Carlo (Reggiolo, 10/6/59)
Although this combative midfielder spent the vast majority of his career with Roma he will always be remembered as the powerhouse behind the early successes of the great Milan team that dominated Italy and Europe in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. Despite no fewer than four operations, this bulldog player always came back on the scene with a bang and packed a powerful shot that he used sparingly. It was little wonder that a player with such great tactical sense should go into management after a spell as national Coach Arrigo Sacchi’s right-hand man. It took him some time to shake off the tag of choker but a Champions’ League with Milan in 2003 and a Scudetto the following year ended that myth.
ANCONA (Founded: 1905, Stadium: Del Conero, Capacity 25,000)
Their moment of glory came in the summer of 1992 when they won promotion to Serie A for the first time in their history with Vincenzo Guerini at the helm. The glory, however, was short-lived as they finished 17th and fell out only to return in 2003-04 for another solitary season. Worse was to follow as the club collapsed financially and was forced to reform in Serie C2.
Angelillo, Antonio Valentin (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5/9/37)
One of the so-called ‘angels with dirty faces,’ Angelillo was one of the most gifted players of the late 1950s and 1960s with Inter, Roma and - to a lesser extent - Milan. A talented dribbler he could set up goals as well as take them. His 33 strikes in 33 games in the 1959 season for Inter remains a record that is unlikely to be surpassed.
Antognoni, Giancarlo (Marsciano, 1/4/54)
An elegant playmaker and idol of the Fiorentina faithful, Antognoni was signed from provincial minnows Astimacobi as a teenager before spending 15 eventful seasons with the Florentine club. His only trophies were the Italian Cup in 1975 and the World Cup in 1982, but this tells merely a fraction of his story. Courted by most of the big clubs of the day he remained loyal to the Tuscan team and earned a place in their hearts that he could not have hoped to match elsewhere. He finished his playing days in Switzerland but it was his farewell game at the Stadio Comunale that was one of the most emotional moments that ground has seen.
ASCOLI (Founded: 1898, Stadium: Cino e Lillo del Duca, Capacity: 28,400)
This proud little team from Ascoli Piceno have known more than their fair share of seasons in the top flight. They first appeared in Serie A back in 1974 when they did not have the resources to stay afloat but by 1978 they were back to stay and fought off relegation until 1985, enjoying a fifth and a sixth place finish along the way. In all they have spent over a dozen seasons in Serie A and managed a couple of Coppa Italia quarter-finals as well. Possibly the most famous name connected with the club is that of Carlo Mazzone, who made his managerial name by taking the club from the Third to First Division. The successes of the team were linked with the name of President Costantino Rozzi who sadly passed away in the 1990s as his club stumbled in Serie C once again before returning to Serie B in 2002.
ATALANTA (Founded: 1907, Stadium: Atleti Azzurri d‘Italia, Capacity: 26,724)
Bergamo’s finest have made some 46 appearances in the top flight and their best ever finish came in 1948 when they took fifth spot. Their trophy cabinet also contains the 1963 Coppa Italia when they beat Torino 3-1 in the final. These were the days of Angelo Domenghini who went on to greater fame with Inter and Italy. Despite their regular appearances in Serie A the team has rarely supplied players to the national team and only the likes of their great goalscorer Adriano Bassetto and Italian-Argentine Humberto Maschio have featured for the Azzurri. Their ‘golden age’ was probably at the end of the 1980s and early ‘90s when they were regulars in the top half of Serie A and the likes of Claudio Caniggia and Evair sent them into the UEFA Cup. More recent times have seen them confirm their reputation as an ‘elevator’ club between the First and Second Divisions.
AVELLINO (Founded: 1912, Stadium: Partenio, Capacity: 34,000)
This tiny side from southern Italy have had more seasons in Serie A than they have any right to expect. In 10 appearances in the top flight their best finish was eighth in the 1986-87 season, which was also the season they sold their most famous player Fernando De Napoli - the only footballer to play for Italy whilst with the club. By 1988, however, they had disappeared from the top flight, never to return again.
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