Chapter 150 List

On May 18, Italian national team coach Marcello Lippi announced his 28-man squad for the South Africa World Cup.

One name on the list surprised everyone and delighted all the fans.

34-year-old Alessandro Nesta has returned to the Italian national team's squad after a four-year absence, aiming for the final World Cup of his career.

“I believed Sandro’s connection with the national team wasn’t over yet, so I met with him privately. I asked him, ‘Sandro, you didn’t feel regretful that you couldn’t help Italy lift the trophy in 2006? Don’t you want to make up for that regret yourself?’ I saw desire and ambition in his eyes. I convinced him that he would put on the blue jersey again and continue to fight for Italy,” Lippi said in an interview.

Fino was overjoyed to see Nesta at the Coverciano training ground. He had never been Nesta's teammate on the national team before, when Fino was selected for the national team, Nesta had already announced his retirement from the national team.

"Sandro!" Fino rushed forward and hugged Nesta tightly around the neck.

"Long time no see, Finney!" Nesta picked him up with one hand, calm and relaxed, without any pressure.

Ambrosini patted Nesta's arm, indicating that he could put Fino down; there were other people waiting to hold Fino!

Yes, Ambrosini has also been included in the 28-man squad.

After the 2008 European Championship, Ambrosini was never selected for the national team again. However, thanks to his outstanding performance in the league this season, the Milan captain was finally able to return to the national team after the season ended. This was also the first time that Ambrosini had won the favor of Lippi.

"Massimo!" Fino also happily hugged Ambrosini, as this was the first time he had been Ambrosini's teammate on the national team.

Ambrosini showered Fino with kisses on the forehead, then cracked a typical Ambrosini joke: "Fino, we've never been teammates on the national team, so I think I should introduce myself. Hello everyone, I'm Ambrosini!"

Everyone present got goosebumps. So lame, what a terrible joke…

After meeting with the Milan players, Fino greeted his teammates from other national teams. Of the 28 players in the South Africa World Cup squad, only Fino and Giuseppe Rossi from Villarreal in La Liga played abroad; the other 26 players were all from Serie A.

After Fino finished greeting everyone and returned to his group in Milan, Nesta opened his bag, took out an old Italian national team jersey, and gently shook it open. The "10" and "Cabrini" on the back came into view. It was Fino's jersey.

“Fini, this is the jersey you wore for your national team debut. You gave it to me, saying it brought good luck in scoring goals and that you hoped it would keep me healthy forever. I think it really did bring good luck. In the last two seasons, my injuries have decreased a lot, and I have another chance to compete for the World Cup,” Nesta said.

Nesta gently stroked the jersey, slapped Gattuso's hand away when he reached out, folded it neatly, and put it back in his bag.

He looked up at Fino and said, "Fino, I believe this jersey will also help me stay healthy until the end of this tournament. Since you gave me your national team debut jersey, then my national team farewell jersey will belong to you."

Nesta's eyes were gentle yet firm, filled with nostalgia for his past national team career, as well as the courage to start afresh and give it his all.

Nesta has always had a poor run of luck in major tournaments.

In the 1998 World Cup in France, Nesta was injured in the fourth minute of the third group stage match, forcing him to leave the tournament early. In the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Nesta was injured again in the group stage. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Nesta's old injury aggravated in the last group stage match, causing him to miss all the remaining matches. In that year, Italy won the World Cup.

This is Nesta's fourth World Cup, and also his last.

“Okay, it’s a deal!” Fino felt his eyes getting wet, and he quickly hugged Nesta, burying his head in Nesta’s shoulder.

After all the selected players had assembled, Lippi led the team to Sestrelles in northern Italy, where the Italian team was training before the South Africa World Cup.

Sestre, located at the foot of the Alps at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, is a famous ski resort in Europe.

The host country of this World Cup, South Africa, is located on the South African plateau, at a relatively high altitude, and it is currently winter. The Italian national team chose Sestrelles as its training location precisely to acclimatize to the competition environment of the South African World Cup in advance.

During the training camp, everyone worked very hard. After two weeks, the 28-person roster will be reduced to 23 people, which means that 5 people will miss their flight to South Africa.

Having come this far, no one wants to be eliminated at the last minute, especially the young players who haven't participated in major tournaments yet, and those who are on the fringes of the national team.

On June 1, after a difficult decision, Lippi finally announced the 23-man squad for the Italian national team to compete in the South Africa World Cup.

In the goalkeeper position, world-class goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon undoubtedly occupies the starting position, while Napoli veteran De Sanctis and Marchetti, who has performed well for Cagliari this season, are selected as backup goalkeepers in the squad.

In defense, the Italian team typically combines experienced players with newcomers.

The nearly 37-year-old legendary captain Fabio Cannavaro has been selected again, continuing to serve as the anchor of the Italian team. Giorgio Chiellini, in his prime, and Alessandro Nesta, who has returned to the national team, firmly occupy one of the center-back positions.

Both left-backs, Criscito and Bouchetti, are making their first major tournament appearances. Bouchetti can also play center-back. Right-back Maggio is also making his first World Cup squad. The experienced veteran Zambrotta can play both left and right full-back positions.

In midfield, Pirlo is undoubtedly the playmaker. Italy with Pirlo and Italy without Pirlo are like two different teams.

De Rossi, Gattuso, Camoranesi, and Ambrosini are all familiar faces in the national team. Marchisio, Montolivo, and Simone Pepe, making their first major tournament appearances, provide effective reinforcements to the midfield.

In the attacking positions, the two-time champion Fino adds a touch of star power to this increasingly down-to-earth team, and the inclusion of Di Natale, this season's Serie A Golden Boot winner, is also widely expected. Gilardino and Iaquinta are both close associates of Lippi, while Quagliarella, skilled with long-range shots, can serve as a substitute surprise weapon.

Lippi's 23-man squad has been controversial in Italian football.

With the decline of Serie A and the aging of its stars, no one can outrun time. Compared to the 2006 squad, this generation of national team players seems somewhat lackluster. Even with the addition of Fino, a double-award winner, fans still feel a significant sense of disappointment.

Nesta and Ambrosini's inclusion was a surprise. After Maldini's retirement and the transfers of Fino and Kaká, the two veterans played at their peak, trying their best to support the crumbling Milan and earning themselves a ticket to South Africa.

Ambrosini, in particular, has never been favored by Lippi. At the end of his career, he finally got to go to the World Cup, which was a huge surprise for Milan fans.

As can be seen from the roster, Lippi has basically continued the framework of the team that won the 2006 World Cup in Germany, with new players filling the vacant positions.

There's nothing wrong with this approach in itself, but the problem is that many of the veterans who won the 2006 World Cup in Germany have already faded from their starting positions at their clubs. Players like Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Camoranesi, and Iaquinta have all shown a clear decline in reaction speed and competitive form, yet they are still entrusted with important responsibilities by Lippi.

On the contrary, key players from strong Serie A teams such as Balotelli, Borriello, and Cassano were not selected for the South Africa World Cup squad.

This leads to another issue: Lippi's long-standing criticisms of nepotism and prejudice.

In this 23-man squad, Juventus players occupy 6 spots: Buffon, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Camoranesi, Marchisio, and Iaquinta. They are basically guaranteed starters, or at least rotation starters.

Zambrotta spent seven years at Juventus and can be considered a Juventus player, while Quagliarella is also rumored to be on loan to Juventus from Napoli.

Gilardino is a close confidant of Lippi. In 2004, thanks to Lippi's favor, Gilardino was selected for the Italian national team for the first time and won the 2006 World Cup with the team. When Lippi returned to the team in 2008, Gilardino, who had been dropped by Donadoni at the European Championship, immediately returned to the national team.

Fino, Bocchetti, Criscito, Maggio, Montolivo, Pepe and other national team newcomers were all promoted and discovered by Lippi. Needless to say, they will definitely stick closely around Lippi.

These new national team players have not yet been tested in major competitions, and their abilities cannot be determined at this time. However, most of them are docile and obedient, while the unruly Cassano, Balotelli and others, no matter how well they perform, will not receive an offer from Lippi and can only be shut out of the World Cup with resentment.

Since the announcement of the 23-man squad, few people have been optimistic about Italy's trip to South Africa. Not only do the Italians lack confidence, but the world's opinion is also skeptical.

This is also reflected in the data on gambling websites.

After all 32 national teams released their 23-man rosters, major betting companies adjusted their odds for winning the championship.

On the official website of the British betting company Bet365, the odds of Spain, the defending European champions, winning the title are the highest in the world, followed closely by South American rivals Brazil and Argentina, while the defending champions Italy are only ranked seventh.

To make matters worse, Pirlo suffered a left calf muscle strain during a warm-up match before the World Cup kickoff, requiring 15-20 days of rest and missing all group stage matches.

Pirlo is the absolute core of the midfield, the metronome and the initiator of attacks, and the most indispensable person in this Italian team. His injury directly led to the collapse of Italy's midfield and disrupted Lippi's entire plan.

With Pirlo sidelined due to injury, the midfield organization duties for Italy have fallen to De Rossi and Montolivo, but whether their combined effectiveness can fill the void left by Pirlo's absence remains to be seen.

Even before the tournament has started, the Italian national team's journey to South Africa has already been shrouded in uncertainty.

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Author's Note: In reality, Nesta almost made the World Cup squad; Lippi persuaded him, but he got injured at the end of the season. [Crying emoji]

Ambrosini has never played in a World Cup, and Lippi has never called him up, regardless of whether he's injured or not, or how well he performs; Lippi simply doesn't use him.

Thank you everyone for your support! [hugs]