10 Italian football league top scorers – Luigi Riva tops the list
Italian football has always been famous for its disciplined defensive style of play, emphasizing solidity over a fiery attacking style. Therefore, despite being one of the most successful teams in the world, the number of goals scored by the player with the most in Azzurri history is only a modest 35. However, Italian football still produces many talented strikers who have left a strong mark on the journey to conquer the national team’s titles. Let’s take a look at the list of the top 10 Italian football league top scorers with Premiumsoccertips.
Top 10 Italian football league top scorers
Top 10: Francesco Graziani (23 goals)
Francesco Graziani is one of the most notable strikers in Italian football, having played for many big clubs such as Roma, Torino, Fiorentina and Udinese. During his club career, he played 412 matches and scored 142 goals, demonstrating his consistent scoring ability. Graziani’s most successful period was when he played for Torino, where he won the Serie A title in the 1975/76 season and became one of the team’s top scorers.
Francesco Graziani – Italian football league top scorers
On the international stage, Graziani spent 8 years contributing to the Italian national team from 1975 to 1983. He played 64 matches, scoring 23 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.36 goals/match. The pinnacle of Graziani’s career was the 1982 World Cup, in which he played in the final against West Germany. Although not the team’s main striker, Graziani still played an important role in the Azzurri’s journey to conquer the gold cup.
Top 9: Christian Vieri (23 goals)
Christian Vieri is one of the Italian football top scorers, having played for many different teams during his career. In Italy, he played for many big clubs such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Torino. However, Inter Milan is the team where Vieri left the strongest impression. Playing for the Milan team from 1999 to 2005, he played 143 matches and scored 103 goals, becoming one of the top scorers in the history of the club.
At the national team level, Vieri played for the Italian national team for 8 years, from 1997 to 2005. He played 49 matches and scored 23 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.47 goals/match. Although he did not win any major titles with the national team, Vieri is still remembered for his impressive performances, especially at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Before that, he had won the European Championship with the Italian U21 team in 1994 and 1996, marking the first successes in his international career.
Top 8: Alessandro Altobelli (25 goals)
Alessandro Altobelli is one of the great legends of Italian football, especially associated with Inter Milan. He played for the Milan team from 1977 to 1988, appearing in 328 matches and scoring 127 goals. In addition to Inter, Altobelli also played for Juventus and Brescia before retiring. Although he did not stay long with Juventus, he still left his mark with his intelligent playing style and sharp goal-scoring ability.
On the international stage, Altobelli spent 8 years with the Italian national team, from 1980 to 1988, appearing 61 times and scoring 25 goals, an average of 0.41 goals/match. He was an important factor in Italy’s journey to the 1982 World Cup championship, especially when he scored in the final against West Germany, contributing to the 3-1 victory. With impressive achievements, Altobelli is considered one of the best strikers of the 1980s.
Top 7: Filippo Inzaghi (25 goals)
Filippo Inzaghi is one of the best strikers in Italian football, known for his ability to seize opportunities and score goals in the penalty area. He played for many clubs, most notably Juventus and AC Milan. For Juventus, Inzaghi scored 89 goals in 165 matches, contributing greatly to the 1997/98 Serie A championship. He then moved to AC Milan in 2001 and continued to assert his class with 126 goals in 300 matches. With the red-black team, Inzaghi won many prestigious titles, including two Champions Leagues (2002/03, 2006/07) and two Serie A championships.
At the national team level, Inzaghi spent 10 years with Italy from 1997 to 2007, playing 57 times and scoring 25 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.44 goals/match. He participated in many major tournaments, most memorably the 2006 World Cup, where Italy won the championship. Although not the first choice in attack, Inzaghi still left his mark with a goal against the Czech Republic in the group stage. With his intelligent movement and excellent goal-scoring instinct, he became one of the most memorable strikers in the history of Italian football.
Top 6: Adolfo Baloncieri (25 games)
Adolfo Baloncieri was one of the outstanding players of Italian football in the early 20th century, known for his ability to score goals and lead the game impressively. Born in 1897, he played for many clubs, most notably Alessandria and Torino. With Alessandria, Baloncieri scored 74 goals in 120 games before moving to Torino, where he continued to leave his mark with 97 goals in 192 games. With his consistent form, he became one of the leading strikers of Italian football at that time.
On the international stage, Baloncieri played for the Italian national team for 10 years from 1920 to 1930, playing 47 times and scoring 25 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.53 goals/game. He was an important factor in the Italian squad participating in the Olympic Games, culminating in the bronze medal of the 1928 Olympics. Not only was he an excellent player, Baloncieri also had a great influence during the period when Italian football was gradually asserting its position on the world map.
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Top 5: Alessandro Del Piero (27 goals)
Alessandro Del Piero is one of Juventus’ greatest legends, playing for the Turin club for 19 years from 1993 to 2012. During this time, he played 705 times and scored 290 goals, becoming the greatest scorer in the club’s history. Del Piero is not only a symbol of Juventus but also one of the best players in Serie A, winning many major titles such as 6 Serie A championships, 1 Champions League (1995/96) and 1 Intercontinental Cup. His skillful technique, impressive free-kick ability and classy playing style made him loved by fans and honored as “Il Pinturicchio.”
At the national team level, Del Piero played for Italy for 13 years from 1995 to 2008, playing 91 matches and scoring 27 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.30 goals/match. He participated in many major tournaments, most notably the 2006 World Cup, where Italy won the championship after a dramatic victory over France in a penalty shootout. In the semi-final match against Germany, Del Piero scored the winning goal to help Italy advance to the final. Although he did not play regularly in this tournament, he still left a strong mark, ending his international career with a prestigious world championship.
Top 4: Roberto Baggio (27 goals)
Roberto Baggio is one of the great legends of Serie A, known for his skillful technique, impressive goalscoring ability and emotional moments on the pitch. In a career spanning more than two decades, he played for many big Italian teams such as Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Bologna. In total, Baggio played 643 times at club level, scoring 291 goals, leaving a strong mark in the history of Italian football. In particular, he won the Ballon d’Or in 1993 after an explosive season with Juventus, leading the team to the UEFA Cup.
Born in 1967, Baggio made his debut for Italy in 1988 and his last match for the Azzurri was in 2004. During more than a decade of international service, he scored 27 goals in 56 games, an average of 0.48 goals per game. Baggio was instrumental in Italy’s third-place finish at the 1990 World Cup on home soil and reaching the final of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Despite Italy’s dramatic loss to Brazil in a penalty shootout, Baggio was the tournament’s star man, scoring five goals and leading the Azzurri to the top of the table with some excellent performances.
Top 3: Silvio Piola (30 goals)
Silvio Piola is one of the greatest strikers in the history of Italian football, known for his excellent scoring ability and all-round playing style. In a career spanning more than two decades, he played for many famous clubs such as Torino, Lazio, Juventus, Novara and Pro Vercelli. In particular, his time playing for Lazio from 1934 to 1943 helped Piola affirm his position as a leading striker in Serie A. In a total of 615 matches at club level, he scored 333 goals, becoming the player with the most goals in Serie A history with 274 goals. Thanks to his diverse finishing skills and extraordinary perseverance, Piola has always been a dangerous striker, maintaining his form for decades.
On the international stage, Piola contributed to the Italian national team for 17 years, from 1935 to 1952. In 34 appearances for the Azzurri, he scored 30 goals, achieving an impressive average of 0.88 goals per game. Piola’s most memorable achievement at the national team level was at the 1938 World Cup, where he played an important role in Italy’s successful defense of the title. In the final match against Hungary, Piola shone with a double, contributing greatly to the home team’s 4-2 victory. Although he did not win the Golden Ball or many individual titles like later strikers, Piola is still considered a great legend of Italian football, with an incredibly long career and great contributions to the country’s football.
Top 2: Giuseppe Meazza (33 goals)
Giuseppe Meazza is a great legend of Inter Milan, associated with the team from 1927 to 1940. He helped Inter win two Serie A championships in 1929/30 and 1937/38, becoming a symbol of the club. After playing for AC Milan and Juventus, Meazza returned to Inter in the 1946/47 season before retiring. With great talent and influence, he was honored by naming the legendary stadium of Milan.
At the national level, Meazza made his debut for the Italian national team in 1930 and played until 1939. In 53 matches for the Azzurri, he scored 33 goals, contributing greatly to Italy’s victory in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. At the 1938 World Cup, he wore the captain’s armband, leading the team to successfully defend the title. With his great contributions, Meazza is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Italian football.
Top 1: Luigi Riva (35 goals)
Luigi Riva is considered one of the greatest legends of Italian football, especially in Serie A. During his career, he only played for two clubs, Legnano and Cagliari, but it was at Cagliari that Riva made his name. Joining the team in 1963, Riva became a symbol of Cagliari for 13 years, scoring 164 goals in 315 matches. This achievement not only made him the greatest scorer in the history of the club but also contributed significantly to the Serie A championship in the 1969/70 season – the only title in Cagliari’s history. Riva stood out with his powerful and accurate finishing ability, earning him the nickname “Rombo di Tuono” (The Thunder).
Not only excellent at club level, Riva is also a legend of the Italian national team. During his nine years playing for the national team from 1965 to 1974, he played 42 matches and scored 35 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.83 goals/match – an impressive number for any striker. This achievement helped him maintain his position as the player with the most goals in the history of the Italian team. The peak of Riva’s international career came in 1968 when he and the Italian team won the Euro Championship – the first major title of Italian football on the continental stage. With his great contributions, Riva will forever be remembered as one of the best strikers in the history of Italian football.
In Conclusion
The list of Italian football league top scorers clearly reflects the football philosophy that the Azzurri have pursued throughout their history. Although not possessing as many legendary goalscorers as some other teams, Italy has always known how to win thanks to the balance between solid defense and shining moments of the strikers. The names leading the scorer list not only leave their mark with important goals but also contribute to creating glorious pages in the history of Italian football.
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