Hagi, Gheorghe (Sacele, Romania, 5/2/65)
The mercurial ‘Maradona of the Carpathians’ never made the same impact in Italy as he did on the world stage. A star performer in the 1994 World Cup he was an inconsistent force with Brescia for two seasons prior to that. In his first Italian campaign his team were relegated but he stayed put for a season and his midfield skills and sweet left foot contributed nine goals towards ensuring a swift return to Serie A.
Haller, Helmut (Augsburg, Germany, 21/7/39)
The German player with one of the longest careers in Italian football, he split his 11 seasons in Serie A between Bologna and Juventus picking up honours with both teams. He caught Italian eyes in the 1962 World Cup when he played against the Azzurri in a scoreless draw in Chile. His dribbling skills and versatility convinced Bologna that he was the right man to boost their championship challenge. It proved a wise move as they picked up the Serie A title in Haller’s second season with him contributing a respectable seven goals from 34 appearances. He continued to knock in goals and was just a couple short of his League half century when Juventus moved in as he approached his 30th birthday. As one of the few foreigners left in Italy when a ban on new imports was introduced he was a star attraction and picked up two more League titles in 1972 and 1973 which proved to be his last season in Italy. Thirteen goals in 33 internationals also attest to the German forward's skills.
Hamrin, Kurt (Stockholm, Sweden, 19/12/34)
This stunning right-winger with an astounding scoring record enjoyed some 15 years in Italy in the 1950s and 1960s where he made a big impact at five different clubs. ‘Uccellino’ - Little Bird - was signed by Juventus in 1956 but they failed to bring the best out of this emerging talent and he moved on to Padova where 20 goals in 30 League games sparked Fiorentina’s interest. And it was in the Renaissance city that he carved a place for himself in that club’s hall of fame. His 150 League goals in 289 Serie A appearances were a club record until Gabriel Batistuta went one better. He helped the Viola take two Italian Cups and also their only European trophy in the Cup-Winners’ Cup triumph over Rangers in 1961. As he headed into his 30s he moved on to Milan where he enjoyed a couple of highly successful seasons which saw him win the League, Cup-Winners’ Cup and European Cup before moving on for two final seasons with Napoli. The fact that he was still playing in Serie A at 36 is a mark of the man’s quality as are his 16 goals in internationals for Sweden.
Hansen, John (Copenhagen, Denmark, 27/7/24 - Died 12/1/90)
An old fashioned inside left who was strong in the air, he made a colossal impact at Juventus in the post-war years. Signed in 1949, he slotted into an impressive attacking line-up alongside the likes of Giampiero Boniperti and Karl Praest. He won a couple of League titles in 1950 and in 1952 when he also finished with the top scorer’s crown with an impressive 30-goal haul in 36 games. Over six seasons with Juve he struck 124 League goals which still puts him at the top end of the club’s all-time list. He finished his Italian adventure with Lazio where he added some 15 further goals to an already impressive tally.
Hansen, Karl Aage (Mesinfe, Denmark, 4/7/21)
Made the rather unfashionable move from Huddersfield Town to Atalanta in 1949 but an impressive first season saw him transfer to Juve. He made an immediate impact with 23 goals but his influence was to wane in future seasons. The goals quickly dried up and by 1953 he was shown the door and finished his playing days with Catania in Serie B.
Hitchens, Gerry (Crawley, England, 8/10/34)
The longest serving Englishman in Italy, this ex-Aston Villa forward played for four different clubs over eight years in the 1960s. In contrast to countryman Jimmy Greaves, he settled into the Italian game and had good spells with Inter, Torino, Atalanta and Cagliari. He scored 59 Serie A goals during his time in the peninsula.
Helveg, Thomas (Odense, Denmark, 24/6/71)
Another case of Udinese having an eye for a bargain, he was brought in from his hometown club for five solid seasons. The versatile defender earned a move to Milan in 1998 where he enjoyed another good spell which brought some major honours including a League title and the Champions’ League. It was then over to Inter for a season before the slightly puzzling switch to Norwich City in the Premiership.
Herrera, Helenio (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 17/4/16)
A mediocre playing career with small clubs in Morocco and France soon turned into one of the most influential management spells in the history of Italian football. ‘Il Mago’ - The Magician - was an unabashed proponent of catenaccio which won him few friends but plenty of trophies throughout his management career. He coached in Spain and Portugal before arriving in Italy to take over the helm at Inter and oversee the most successful period of that club’s history. His counter-attacking philosophy brought the Nerazzurri three titles in the space of four years, a couple of European Cups and two World Club Cups. If his aim was to eclipse Milan and Juventus then he certainly achieved this. After eight glorious years with the Milanese giants he moved on to Roma for a five-year spell that brought the Coppa Italia to the capital. He also enjoyed a brief spell at the helm of the Italy team after the disastrous 1966 World Cup. A controversial figure he was, nonetheless, one of the most successful Coaches of the modern era.
Hubner, Dario (Muggia, 28/4/1967)
The most underrated hitman of the last 15 years, he banged in the goals wherever he went in an unglamorous career. He only made it out of the lower Leagues at the age of 30 with Brescia and proceeded to hit 16 goals in his Serie A debut year. Even better was to follow a few years later when he hit 24 in 33 games for Piacenza. That did perk up the big boys’ interest but somehow none of the bigger names were ever willing to take him on and eventually, with age, his scoring powers began to fade.
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