Serie A

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Serie A
Serie A ENILIVE logo.svg
Organising body Lega Serie A
Founded1898;127 years ago (1898)
1929;96 years ago (1929) (as round-robin)
Country Italy
Confederation UEFA
Number of clubs 20 (since 2004–05)
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Serie B
Domestic cup(s)
International cup(s)
Current champions Napoli (4th title)
(2024–25)
Most championships Juventus (36 titles)
Most appearances
Top goalscorer Silvio Piola (274)
Broadcaster(s) List of broadcasters
Sponsor(s) Enilive
Website legaseriea.it
Current: 2025–26 Serie A

The Serie A (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrjeˈa] ), [1] officially known as Serie A Enilive [2] in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Established in the 1929–30 season, it restructured the existing Italian Football Championship, which had been played since 1898, into a national round-robin format alongside Serie B. It functions under a promotion and relegation system with Serie B and has historically served as the pinnacle of professional football in Italy.

Contents

The league was organised by the Direttorio Divisioni Superiori until 1943, the Lega Calcio from 1946 to 2010, and the Lega Serie A ever since. The 29 championships played from 1898 to the formation of the Serie A in 1929 are officially recognised by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as equal to later Serie A titles. Similarly the 1945–46 season, played under a temporary format due to World War II, is also recognized as an official championship. [3] Since 1924, the winner of Italy's top division has worn the scudetto emblem on its kit in the following season, and since 1961, the Coppa Campioni d'Italia trophy has been awarded to the Serie A champion.

Known for tactical discipline and defensive rigor, the Serie A has been consistently ranked among the strongest leagues in global football. [4] As of 2024–25, Serie A ranks second in the UEFA coefficient rankings based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons, behind England's Premier League and ahead of Spain's La Liga. [5]

The Serie A is home to several of football's most successful and renowned clubs, including Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan. These teams have played key roles in European football governance and competition history. Juventus, the most decorated club in Italy, [6] [7] has achieved international success across all major UEFA and intercontinental tournaments. Milan and Inter have also earned significant honors, with Milan joint-third among clubs for most UEFA titles, [8] and Inter achieving a continental treble in 2009–10. Alongside Roma, Napoli, Lazio, and Fiorentina, these clubs form the "seven sisters" (sette sorelle) of Italian football. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [note 1] The Serie A has historically attracted top global talent, producing numerous Ballon d'Or winners. [14]

History

Predecessors to Serie A, 1898–1928

In the Italian football league system, the Federazione Italiana del Football (FIF), began organising football in Italy in 1898. Its first competition, the 1898 Italian Football Championship, was held at the Velodrome Humbert I in Turin on 8 May 1898. First in the List of Italian football champions is thus Genoa CFC, who won against three Turin based teams. Other Italian teams existed but hadn't joined at this stage. Genoa won the Italian Football Championship on five out of six occasions, interrupted by AC Milan in 1901.

From 1904, the tournament was named Prima Categoria, structured into regional groups. The winners of each group participated in a playoff to declare the champions.

The FIF joined FIFA and was renamed in 1909 to Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC). The FIGC usurped the rival Federazione Ginnastica Nazionale Italiana (FGNI) as a football administration. The FGNI organised football tournaments in Italy between 1895 and 1913.

Argument in 1921 on the number of teams to be allowed in the set up, led to a split forming the Confederazione Calcistica Italiana (CCI). In 1921-22 the CCI conducted a rival tournament named Prima Divisione with Northern Italy's wealthiest clubs, in opposition to the competition organised separately by the FIGC. The FIGC then accepted the Prima Divisione as the new format from 1922-23 with its reduced number of teams.

Prima Divisione played from 1921 to 1926. Prima Divisione was divided into Lega Nord (Northern League) and Lega Sud (Southern League). Lega Nord was divided into two non-regional, 12 team groups of which the winners played off in the Northern League Final. Lega Sud was sub-divided regionally with winners playing off in a finals series. The winners of the Northern and Southern Leagues then played off in the Finalissima (literally The Biggest Final), to be national champions.

In 1926 the Fascist regime placed the FIGC under control of politician Leandro Arpinati. Prima Divisione was replaced with Divisione Nazionale. Divisione Nazionale initially comprised the previous Liga Nord plus 2 of the 3 Roman teams that would merge in 1927 into AS Roma, and SSC Napoli (newly formed from the merger of 2 previously separate Neapolitan clubs). Divisione Nazionale was based as per the previous Lega Nord on two non-regional groups, now composed of only ten clubs each. The top 3 teams in each of the 2 groups then played in a round robin finals competition to decide the national champion.

Serie A formation

Italian football was re-organised in 1929 to form a national 2 division hierarchic meritocracy, with end of season promotion and relegation between the 2 divisions. The two new divisions were branded Serie A and Serie B. The inaugural Serie A was won by Internazionale during the period they were called Ambrosiana.

After World War II the North - South divisions of Divisione Nazionale were restored for the single 1945-46 season. Serie A was re-stored in 1946 and has continued to today.

Scudetto and Coppa Campioni d'Italia

The Italian league championship title is often referred to as the scudetto ("small shield"). That is since from 1923–24 season, the winner of the Italian football league set up adorned a small coat of arms with the Italian tricolour on their strip in the following season.

An actual trophy is awarded to the winning club since 1960–61 season. The trophy is called the Coppa Campioni d'Italia. Until 2004 it was presented to the winning club at the head office of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti. Since then the trophy has been presented on-pitch at the end of the last round of games. [15]

21st century

In April 2009, Serie A announced a split from Serie B. Nineteen of the twenty clubs voted in favour of the move in an argument over television rights; the relegation-threatened Lecce had voted against the decision. Maurizio Beretta, the former head of Italy's employers' association, became president of the new league. [16] [17] [18] [19]

In April 2016, it was announced that Serie A was selected by the International Football Association Board to test video replays, which were initially private for the 2016–17 season, allowing them to become a live pilot phase, with replay assistance implemented in the 2017–18 season. [20] On the decision, FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio said: "We were among the first supporters of using technology on the pitch and we believe we have everything required to offer our contribution to this important experiment." [21]

Serie A will continue the 20 club format after sixteen clubs voted against reducing the division to 18 teams in February 2024. [22]

Format

For most of Serie A's history, there were 16 or 18 clubs competing at the top level. Since 2004–05, however, there have been 20 clubs in total. One season (1947–48) was played with 21 teams for political reasons, following post-war tensions with Yugoslavia. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history:

Scudetto patch Scudetto.svg
Scudetto patch

During the season, which runs from August to May, each club plays each of the other teams twice; once at home and once away, totalling 38 games for each team by the end of the season. Thus, in Italian football a true round-robin format is used. In the first half of the season, called the andata, each team plays once against each league opponent, for a total of 19 games. In the second half of the season, called the ritorno, the teams play another 19 games, once more against each opponent, in which home and away matches are reversed. The two halves of the season had exactly the same order of fixtures until the 2021–22 season, when an asymmetrical calendar was introduced, following the format of the English, Spanish and French leagues. [23] Since the 1994–95 season, teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Prior to this, teams were awarded two points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. The three lowest-placed teams at the end of the season are relegated to Serie B, and three Serie B teams are promoted to replace them for the next season.

European qualification

In 2023–24, Serie A was ranked as the best league by UEFA coefficient. [24] This was due to a combination of all seven Serie A teams progressing into the knockout stages in European competition, picking up extra coefficient points. Additionally, Atalanta won the Europa League Final and Fiorentina were losing finalists in the UEFA Europa Conference League. This continued a strong recent record where five of the six European club finals have featured at least one Serie A side over the past two seasons. As a result of this ranking the top 5 clubs in Serie A qualify for the champions league in 2024.

Tiebreaking

The Serie A championship trophy 20231205 100438 Mondo Milan Museum.jpg
The Serie A championship trophy

If after all 38 games, two teams are tied on points for either first place or for 17th (the last safety spot), the outcome is decided by a single-legged play-off match. This match consists of 90 minutes of regulation time followed by penalties if necessary (no extra time). The game is to be held at a neutral venue, with the designated "home" team determined by the performance-based criteria listed below. [25] [26] [27] However, the relegation playoffs are now played over two legs, with performance based criteria determining who host the second leg. In cases where there are at least three teams tied for one of these positions, a mini table is created using the same tiebreakers to determine which two teams will play in the decider. For ties concerning all other league positions, the following tiebreakers are applied:

  1. Head-to-head points
  2. Goal difference of head-to-head games
  3. Goal difference overall
  4. Higher number of goals scored
  5. Play-off game at a neutral venue if relevant to decide European qualification or relegation; otherwise by coin flip [28]

Between 2006–07 and 2021–22, the tiebreakers currently used for all places to decide the scudetto winner if necessary, though this was never needed. Before 2005–06, a play-off would immediately be used if teams were tied for first place, a European qualification spot, or a relegation spot. In some past years, the playoff was a single game at a neutral site while in others it was a two-legged tie decided by aggregate score.

The only time a playoff was used to decide the champion occurred in the 1963–64 season when Bologna and Inter both finished on 54 points. Bologna won the playoff 2–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to win the scudetto. [28] Playoff games have been used on multiple occasions to decide European competition qualifications (most recently in 1999–2000) and relegation (most recently in 2022–23).

Clubs

Before 1929, many clubs competed in the top level of Italian football as the earlier rounds were competed up to 1922 on a regional basis then interregional up to 1929. Below is a list of Serie A clubs who have competed in the competition since it has been a league format (68 in total).

2024–25 season

Clubs

The following 20 clubs are competing in the Serie A during the 2024–25 season.

TeamLocation 2023–24 seasonFirst season in Serie A (as round-robin)No. of Serie A seasons (as round r.)Current StadiumStadium CapacitySerie A titles (as round r.)National titlesManager
Atalanta Bergamo 4th in Serie A1937–3864 Gewiss Stadium 24,95000 Gian Piero Gasperini
Bologna Bologna 5th in Serie A1929–3078 Stadio Renato Dall'Ara 38,27957 Vincenzo Italiano
Cagliari Cagliari 16th in Serie A1964–6544 Sardegna Arena 16,41611 Davide Nicola
Como Como 2nd in Serie B1949–5014 Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia 13,60200 Cesc Fàbregas
Empoli Empoli 17th in Serie A1986–8717 Stadio Carlo Castellani 16,28400 Roberto D'Aversa
Fiorentina Florence 8th in Serie A1931–3287 Stadio Artemio Franchi 43,14722 Raffaele Palladino
Genoa Genoa 11th in Serie A1929–3057 Stadio Luigi Ferraris 36,59909 Patrick Vieira
Hellas Verona Verona 13th in Serie A1957–5834 Marcantonio Bentegodi 39,21111 Paolo Zanetti
Inter Milan Milan 1st in Serie A1929–3093 Giuseppe Meazza 80,0181820 Simone Inzaghi
Juventus Turin 3rd in Serie A1929–3092 Allianz Stadium 41,5073436 Igor Tudor
Lazio Rome 7th in Serie A1929–3082 Stadio Olimpico 70,63422 Marco Baroni
Lecce Lecce 14th in Serie A1985–8619 Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare 31,53300 Marco Giampaolo
AC Milan Milan 2nd in Serie A1929–3091 Giuseppe Meazza 80,0181619 Sérgio Conceição
Monza Monza 12th in Serie A2022–233 Stadio Brianteo 16,91700 Alessandro Nesta
Napoli Naples 10th in Serie A1929–3079 Stadio Diego Armando Maradona 54,72644 Antonio Conte
Parma Parma 1st in Serie B1990–9128 Stadio Ennio Tardini 27,90600 Christian Chivu
Roma Rome 6th in Serie A1929–3092 Stadio Olimpico 70,63433 Claudio Ranieri
Torino Turin 9th in Serie A1929–3081 Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino 27,95857 Paolo Vanoli
Udinese Udine 15th in Serie A1950–5152 Stadio Friuli 25,14400 Kosta Runjaić
Venezia Venice 3rd in Serie B (playoffs)1940–4114 Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo 11,15000 Eusebio Di Francesco

Maps

Current teams shown in green.

Seasons in Serie A

There are 68 teams that have taken part in 94 Serie A championships in a single round that was played from the 1929–30 season until the 2025–26 season. The teams in bold compete in Serie A currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level. Inter Milan is the only team that has played Serie A football in every season.

Logos

Serie A had logos that featured its sponsor Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The logo that was introduced in 2010 had a minor change in 2016 due to the change of the logo of TIM itself. [29] [30] In August 2018, a new logo was announced, and another one in August 2019. [31]

On 5 February 2024, Serie A signed a new sponsor deal with Eni, otherwise known as Enilive, to take the main sponsor role of the Serie A. [32] [33] [34]

Television rights

In the past, individual clubs competing in the league had the rights to sell their broadcast rights to specific channels throughout Italy, unlike in most other European countries. Currently, the two broadcasters in Italy are the satellite broadcaster Sky Italia and streaming platform DAZN for its own pay television networks; RAI is allowed to broadcast only highlights (exclusively from 13:30 to 22:30 CET). This is a list of television rights in Italy (since 2021–22):

Since the 2010–11 season, Serie A clubs have negotiated television rights collectively rather than on an individual club basis, having previously abandoned collective negotiation at the end of the 1998–99 season. [35]

International broadcasters

In the 1990s, Serie A was at its most popular in the United Kingdom when it was shown on Football Italia on Channel 4, although it has actually appeared on more UK channels than any other league, rarely staying in one place for long since 2002. Serie A has appeared in the UK on BSB's The Sports Channel (1990–91), Sky Sports (1991–1992), Channel 4 (1992–2002), Eurosport (2002–2004), Setanta Sports and Bravo (2004–2007), Channel 5 (2007–2008), ESPN (2009–2013), Eleven Sports Network (2018), Premier, FreeSports (2019–2021) and currently BT Sport (2013–2018; 2021–present). [36]

In the United States, Serie A is currently shown on CBS Sports and its streaming network Paramount+. Prior to 2021–22 it was shown on the ESPN family of networks. [37]

2024–29

For the 2024–29 cycle, the Serie A sold its international rights to the Infront agency (except in United States and MENA), which is in charge of reaching an agreement with the interested companies. [38]

Africa
CountryBroadcasters
Sub-Saharan Africa SuperSport, New World TV
Americas
CountryBroadcasters
Brazil ESPN
Canada fubo TV, TLN
Caribbean ESPN
Latin America ESPN
United States Paramount+, [39] Fox Deportes [40]
Asia and Oceania
CountryBroadcasters
Australia beIN Sports [41]
BruneiTBA
BangladeshGalaxy Racer [42]
CambodiaTBA
Central Asia Setanta Sports
China CCTV, IQIYI, Migu
Hong Kong I-CABLE HOY
Indian SubcontinentGalaxy Racer
Indonesia Emtek
Japan DAZN
LaosTBA
MacauMacau Cable TV, M Plus
MalaysiaTBA
MaldivesIce Sports
New Zealand beIN Sports
Philippines TAP DMV
SingaporeTBA
South Korea SPOTV
TaiwanELTA Sports [43]
TajikistanTV Varzish, TV Football
ThailandTBA
Uzbekistan Sport
VietnamTBA
Europe
CountryBroadcasters
Albania SuperSport, Tring Sport
Andorra DAZN
Armenia Setanta Sports Eurasia, Fast Sports
Austria DAZN
AzerbaijanCBC Sport, Setanta Sports Eurasia
Belarus Setanta Sports Eurasia
Belgium DAZN, Play Sports
Bosnia and Herzegovina Arena Sport
Bulgaria Max Sport, Ring
Croatia Arena Sport
Cyprus CYTA
Czech Republic Nova Sport, Premier Sport
Denmark TV 2 Sport
Estonia Setanta Sports Eurasia, Go3 Sport
Finland C More Sport
FranceTBA
Georgia Setanta Sports Eurasia
Germany DAZN
Greece Cosmote Sport
Hungary Sport1
Iceland Stöð 2 Sport
Ireland TNT Sports, OneFootball
Kosovo Artmotion
Latvia Setanta Sports Eurasia, Go3 Sport
LiechtensteinBlue Sport, Sky Sport
Lithuania Setanta Sports Eurasia, Go3 Sport
Luxembourg DAZN
MaltaTotal Sports Network
Moldova Setanta Sports Eurasia
Montenegro Arena Sport
Netherlands Ziggo Sport
North Macedonia Arena Sport
Norway VG+
Poland Eleven Sports
Portugal Sport TV
Romania Digi Sport, Prima Sport
Russia Match TV
San Marino DAZN
Serbia Arena Sport
Slovakia Nova Sport, Premier Sport
Slovenia Arena Sport
Spain DAZN [44]
Sweden C More Sport
Switzerland DAZN [45]
TurkeyS Sport
Ukraine MEGOGO
United Kingdom TNT Sports, OneFootball
Middle East and North Africa
CountryBroadcasters
MENA Abu Dhabi Sports, STARZPLAY
Israel ONE

Champions

The FIGC officially recognises 29 Italian Football Championships held prior to the 1929 reorganisation of the top division into Serie A. The most successful club in terms of national championships is Juventus, with a total of 36 titles. The second most successful club is Inter Milan, with 20 championships, followed by AC Milan, with 19 titles. In recognition of domestic success, the FIGC awards a star for every ten championships won, which may be displayed on a club's jersey.

No national titles were awarded for the 1926–27 and 2004–05 seasons. In both instances, the championships were revoked from Torino and Juventus respectively, due to their involvement in football-related scandals.

ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning seasons
Juventus Star full.svg Star full.svg Star full.svg 3621 1905, 1925–26, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
Inter Milan Star full.svg Star full.svg 2017 1909–10, 1919–20, 1929–30, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1970–71, 1979–80, 1988–89, 2005–06 [note 3] , 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2020–21, 2023–24
AC Milan Star full.svg 1917 1901, 1906, 1907, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2021–22
Genoa 94 1898, 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1914–15, 1922–23, 1923–24
Torino 78 1927–28, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1975–76
Bologna 74 1924–25, 1928–29, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1940–41, 1963–64
Pro Vercelli 71 1908, 1909, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1920–21, 1921–22 (CCI)
Napoli 48 1986–87, 1989–90, 2022–23, 2024–25
Roma 314 1941–42, 1982–83, 2000–01
Lazio 26 1973–74, 1999–2000
Fiorentina 25 1955–56, 1968–69
Cagliari 11 1969–70
Casale 10 1913–14
Novese 10 1921–22 (FIGC)
Hellas Verona 10 1984–85
Sampdoria 10 1990–91
Notes

By city

CityChampionshipsClubs
Turin 43 Juventus (36), Torino (7)
Milan 39 Inter Milan (20), AC Milan (19)
Genoa 10 Genoa (9), Sampdoria (1)
Bologna 7 Bologna (7)
Vercelli 7 Pro Vercelli (7)
Rome 5 Roma (3), Lazio (2)
Naples 4 Napoli (4)
Florence 2 Fiorentina (2)
Cagliari 1 Cagliari (1)
Casale Monferrato 1 Casale (1)
Novi Ligure 1 Novese (1)
Verona 1 Hellas Verona (1)

By region

RegionChampionshipsClubs
Piedmont 52 Juventus (36), Torino (7), Pro Vercelli (7), Casale (1), Novese (1)
Lombardy 39 Inter Milan (20), AC Milan (19)
Liguria 10 Genoa (9), Sampdoria (1)
Emilia-Romagna 7 Bologna (7)
Lazio 5 Roma (3), Lazio (2)
Campania 4 Napoli (4)
Tuscany 2 Fiorentina (2)
Sardinia 1 Cagliari (1)
Veneto 1 Hellas Verona (1)

Records

Boldface indicates a player still active in Serie A. Italics indicates a player active outside Serie A.

Most appearances

Gianluigi Buffon has made a record 657 appearances in Serie A Gianluigi Buffon (31784615942) (cropped).jpg
Gianluigi Buffon has made a record 657 appearances in Serie A
As of 4 June 2023
RankPlayerClub(s)Years activeAppsGoals
1 Flag of Italy.svg Gianluigi Buffon Parma, Juventus 1995–2006
2007–2018
2019–2021		6570
2 Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Maldini AC Milan 1984–200964729
3 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Totti Roma 1992–2017619250
4 Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Zanetti Inter Milan 1995–201461512
5 Flag of Italy.svg Gianluca Pagliuca Sampdoria, Inter Milan, Bologna, Ascoli 1987–2005
2006–2007		5920
6 Flag of Italy.svg Dino Zoff Udinese, Mantova, Napoli, Juventus 1961–19835700
7 Flag of Slovenia.svg Samir Handanović Treviso, Lazio, Udinese, Inter Milan 2004–2006
2007–2023		5660
8 Flag of Italy.svg Pietro Vierchowod Como, Fiorentina, Roma, Sampdoria, Juventus, AC Milan, Piacenza 1980–200056238
9 Flag of Italy.svg Fabio Quagliarella Torino, Ascoli, Sampdoria, Udinese, Napoli, Juventus 1999–2000
2001–2002
2005–2023		556182
10 Flag of Italy.svg Roberto Mancini Bologna, Sampdoria, Lazio 1981–2000541156

Most goals

Silvio Piola is the highest goalscorer in Serie A history with 274 goals Silvio Piola (Pro Vercelli).jpg
Silvio Piola is the highest goalscorer in Serie A history with 274 goals
As of 26 May 2024
RankPlayerClub(s)Years activeGoalsAppsRatio
1 Flag of Italy.svg Silvio Piola Pro Vercelli, Lazio, Juventus, Novara 1929–1943
1946–1947
1948–1954		2745370.51
2 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Totti Roma 1992–20172506190.4
3 Flag of Sweden.svg Gunnar Nordahl AC Milan, Roma 1949–19582252910.77
4 Flag of Italy.svg Giuseppe Meazza Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus 1929–1943
1946–1947		2163670.59
Flag of Brazil.svg Flag of Italy.svg José Altafini AC Milan, Napoli, Juventus 1958–19762164590.47
6 Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Di Natale Empoli, Udinese 2002–20162094450.47
7 Flag of Italy.svg Roberto Baggio Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan, Brescia 1985–20042054520.45
8 Flag of Italy.svg Ciro Immobile Juventus, Genoa, Torino, Lazio 2009–2010
2012–2014
2015–2024		2013530.57
9 Flag of Sweden.svg Kurt Hamrin Juventus, Padova, Fiorentina, AC Milan, Napoli 1956–19711904000.48
10 Flag of Italy.svg Giuseppe Signori Foggia, Lazio, Sampdoria, Bologna 1991–20041883440.55
Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Del Piero Juventus 1993–2006
2007–2012		1884780.39
Flag of Italy.svg Alberto Gilardino Piacenza, Hellas Verona, Parma, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Genoa, Bologna, Palermo 1999–20171885140.37

Players

Non-EU players

Unlike La Liga, for example, which has long imposed a quota on the number of players able to play for each club who hold passports from countries that are not in the European Union, Serie A has undergone many rule changes concerning the number of non-EU players clubs could sign.

During the 1980s and 1990s, most Serie A clubs signed a large number of players from foreign nations (both EU and non-EU members). Notable foreign players to play in Serie A during this era included Irish international Liam Brady, England internationals Paul Gascoigne and David Platt, France's Michel Platini and Laurent Blanc, Lothar Matthäus and Jürgen Klinsmann from Germany, Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp, and Argentina's Diego Maradona.

In the middle of the 2000–01 season, the old quota system, which limited each team to having no more than five non-EU players and using no more than three in each match, was abolished. [46] [47] Concurrent with the abolishment of the quota, the FIGC had investigated footballers that used fake passports. Alberto and Warley, Alejandro Da Silva and Jorginho Paulista of Udinese; [48] Fábio Júnior and Gustavo Bartelt of Roma; [49] Dida of Milan; Álvaro Recoba of Inter; Thomas Job, Francis Zé, Jean Ondoa of Sampdoria; and Jeda and Dede of Vicenza were all banned in July 2001 for lengths ranging from six months to one year. [50] However, most of the bans were subsequently reduced.

At the start of the 2003–04 season, a quota was imposed on each of the clubs limiting the number of non-EU, non-EFTA and non-Swiss players who may be signed from abroad each season, [51] following provisional measures [46] introduced in the 2002–03 season, which allowed Serie A and B clubs to sign only one non-EU player in the 2002 summer transfer window.

The rule underwent minor changes in August 2004, [52] June 2005, [53] June 2006, [54] [55] and June 2007. [56]

The number of non-EU players was reduced from 265 in 2002–03 season to 166 in 2006–07 season. [57] This reduction also included players who received EU status after their respective countries joined the EU (see 2004 and 2007 enlargement), which made players such as Adrian Mutu, Valeri Bojinov, Marek Jankulovski and Marius Stankevičius EU players.

The quota system changed again at the beginning of the 2008–09 season: three quotas were awarded to clubs that do not have non-EU players in their squad (previously only newly promoted clubs could have three quotas); clubs that had one non-EU player had two quotas. Those clubs that had two non-EU players were awarded one quota and one conditional quota, which was awarded after: 1) Transferred 1 non-EU player abroad, or 2) Release 1 non-EU player as free agent, or 3) A non-EU player received EU nationality. Clubs with three or more non-EU players had two conditional quotas, but releasing two non-EU players as free agent only gave one quota instead of two. [58] Serie B and Lega Pro clubs could not sign non-EU players from abroad, except those that followed a club promoted from Serie D.

On 2 July 2010, the above conditional quota was reduced back to one, though if a team did not have any non-EU players, that team could still sign up to three non-EU players. [59] [60] [61] In 2011 the signing quota reverted to two. [62]

Large clubs with many foreigners usually borrow quotas from other clubs that have few foreigners or no foreigners in order to sign more non-EU players. For example, Adrian Mutu joined Juventus via Livorno in 2005, as at the time Romania was not a member of the EU. Other examples include Júlio César, Victor Obinna and Maxwell, who joined Inter from Chievo (first two) and Empoli, respectively.

Homegrown players

Serie A also imposed Homegrown players rule, a modification of Homegrown Player Rule (UEFA). Unlike UEFA, Serie A at first did not cap the number of players in first team squad at 25, meaning the club could employ more foreigners by increasing the size of the squad. [63] However, a cap of 25 (under-21 players were excluded) was introduced to 2015–16 season (in 2015–16 season, squad simply require 8 homegrown players but not require 4 of them from their own youth team). [64] In the 2016–17 season, the FIGC sanctioned Sassuolo for fielding ineligible player, Antonino Ragusa. [65] Although the club did not exceed the capacity of 21 players that were not from their own youth team (only Domenico Berardi was eligible as youth product of their own) as well as under 21 of age (born 1995 or after, of which four players were eligible) in their 24-men call-up, [66] It was reported that on Lega Serie A side the squad list was not updated. [67]

In 2015–16 season, the following quota was announced.

Size of first team squadLocal + club youth product
← 25min. 8 (max. 4 not from own youth team)

FIFA World Players of the Year

[68]

Serie A Player of The Month

Main page: Serie A Player of the Month

The Serie A Player of the Month recognises the best player each month in Serie A, which is usually done via online voting out of the five nominees.

As of 2024, below the list of top winners:
RankPlayerWins
1 Flag of Argentina.svg Paulo Dybala 5
2 Flag of Georgia.svg Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 4
3 Flag of Portugal.svg Rafael Leão 3
4 Flag of Turkey.svg Hakan Çalhanoğlu 2
Flag of Argentina.svg Alejandro Gómez
Flag of Italy.svg Moise Kean
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ruslan Malinovskyi
Flag of Serbia.svg Sergej Milinković-Savić
Flag of Nigeria.svg Victor Osimhen
Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo
Flag of Serbia.svg Dušan Vlahović

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In the 1990s, when the term originated, Parma was seen as one of the Seven Sisters and Napoli was not included.
  2. ↑ Pursuant to the Federal Internal Organizational Rules of the Italian Football Federation (NOIF, art. 20, subsection 5), Unione Calcio Sampdoria inherits and continues the sporting tradition of its most valuable ancestor, A.C. Sampierdarenese, which spent 8 seasons in Serie A, for a total of 74 appearances. However, Sampdoria and Sampierdarenese are treated as separate clubs in history and statistics.
  3. ↑ Title was put sub judice, then assigned to Inter Milan, through the courts following the Calciopoli Scandal.
  4. ↑ Ronaldo was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona midway through 1997. He was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan midway through 2002.
  5. ↑ Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Luciano Canepari. "serie". DiPI Online (in Italian). Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Enilive è il Title sponsor della Serie A, accordo di sponsorizzazione fino al 2027". www.eni.com (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Page 21: official statistical records recognized by FIGC" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  4. ↑ "The Big Five Leagues". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Member associations - UEFA rankings - Country coefficients". UEFA. July 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "Europe's club of the Century". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  7. ↑ "Juventus building bridges in Serie B". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
  8. ↑ "Milan top of the world!". Channel4.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  9. ↑ "Le "7 sorelle" dell'Italcalcio tornano a spendere all'estero – IlGiornale.it". 3 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "Calcio al via, uno scudetto per sette sorelle – Avvenire.it". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Serie A al via: le sette sorelle sono tornate Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "IL PUNTO DI CM.IT – Dalla 'paziente' Juventus al Napoli 'esaurito': come perdono le nostre big". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "Calciomercato Serie A, le nuove formazioni delle 'sette sorelle'". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF . Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  15. ↑ "La 'Coppa di Campione d'Italia' a Milano". la Repubblica (in Italian). 10 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Serie A to form breakaway league – BBC Sport". BBC News. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Serie A clubs to set up their own league". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Serie A set for breakaway". SkySports. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  19. ↑ "Italian league splits in two after meeting ends in stalemate". Guardian. London. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  20. ↑ "Serie A will start with VAR". Football Italia. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "Serie A selected by IFAB to test video replay". sportsnet.ca. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  22. ↑ "Serie A clubs vote to keep 20-team league". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  23. ↑ "Rivoluzione in Serie A: il calendario sarà asimmetrico". Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 2 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  24. ↑ Ferrini, David (11 May 2024). "Italy's Serie A Is Top Soccer League In Europe, Bumping English Premier League To Third". Forbes. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  25. ↑ "Serie A introduce Scudetto tiebreaker: One match playoff to determine champion if teams tied at season's end". CBSSports.com. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "Playoff to decide Serie A title if 2 teams finish level". AP NEWS. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "Soccer-Serie A considering play-off to decide title and final relegation spot". Reuters. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Goal difference or head to head? How every major football competition ranks teams level on points | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  29. ↑ "Serie A col nuovo logo. Il campionato 2016 al via il 21 agosto". Sky Sport (in Italian). Sky Italia. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  30. ↑ "New Serie A TIM Logo Revealed". forza27.com. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  31. ↑ "LA LEGA SERIE A RINNOVA I PROPRI LOGHI" (Press release) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "Enilive becomes Serie A Title sponsor with sponsorship agreement up until 2027". www.eni.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  33. ↑ Lingeswaran, Susan (6 February 2024). "Enilive replaces TIM as Serie A title sponsor". Sportcal. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  34. ↑ "Serie A gets new name after sponsorship deal - Football Italia". football-italia.net. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  35. ↑ "Italian clubs cross fingers over TV ruling". FourFourTwo. fourfourtwo.com. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  36. ↑ "Serie A: Eleven Sports gain TV rights from BT in three-year deal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  37. ↑ Galardini, Giacomo (29 March 2021). "CBS Sports Inks Serie A And Coppa Italia U.S. Rights For A Reported $75 Million A Year". Forbes. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  38. ↑ "Serie A Starts Again". 13 August 2022.
  39. ↑ "CBS SPORTS AND SERIE A ANNOUNCE RENEWAL OF MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT IN THE U.S." www.legaseriea.it. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  40. ↑ "SERIE A AND FOX DEPORTES ANNOUNCE LANDMARK U.S. SPANISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT". Fox Sports.
  41. ↑ "Optus Sport secures exclusive rights for LaLiga". Optus Sport. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  42. ↑ Galaxy Racer
  43. ↑ ELTA TV (29 January 2025). "義甲、法甲、蘇超鎖定愛爾達 12頻道看12大足球賽事！ELTA.tv 打造最狂足球轉播平台". Yahoo! Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  44. ↑ "DAZN acquires Exclusive Serie a rights for Spain until 2027". DAZN. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  45. ↑ "DAZN secures exclusive Ligue 1 and Serie A rights in Switzerland". DAZN. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  46. 1 2 "Italians bar non-EU imports". UEFA. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  47. ↑ "Milan challenge non-EU rule". BBC Sport. 3 November 2000. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  48. ↑ "Fake passport scandal hits Serie A". BBC News. 8 October 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  49. ↑ "Lazio hit with passport charges". BBC News. 8 May 2001. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  50. ↑ Kennedy, Frances (28 June 2001). "Players banned over false passport scandal". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  51. ↑ "Italy blocks non-EU players". UEFA. 5 March 2003. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  52. ↑ "Comunicato n° 090 del 25 agosto 2004" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 25 August 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  53. ↑ "Comunicato n° 225 del 13 giugno 2005" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 13 June 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  54. ↑ "Comunicato n° 7 dell' 8 giugno 2006" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 8 June 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  55. ↑ "Comunicato n° 8 dell' 8 giugno 2006" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 8 June 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  56. ↑ "Comunicato n° 023/A del 21 giugno 2007" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 21 June 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  57. ↑ "COMUNICATO STAMPA: CONSIGLIO FEDERALE" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 21 June 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  58. ↑ "Comunicato n° 003/A del 3 luglio 2008/" (PDF) (in Italian). FIGC. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  59. ↑ "Coumunicato Stampa" [Press Release](PDF). The Federal Council (in Italian). FIGC. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  60. ↑ "Su extracomunitari, vivai, Club Italia e Settori le prime misure della FIGC". FIGC (in Italian). 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  61. ↑ "C.U. N°6/A (2010–11)" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 5 July 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  62. ↑ "C.U. N°6/A (2011–12): Tesseramento extracomunitari" (PDF). The Federal Council (in Italian). FIGC. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  63. ↑ "Incentivazione e promozione calciatori locali di Serie A" (PDF). Segreteria Federale. Comunicato Ufficiale (in Italian). 2011–12 (7/A). Italian Football Federation. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  64. ↑ "C.U. N°83/A (2014–15)" (PDF). Consiglio Federale (in Italian). FIGC. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  65. ↑ "C.U. N°24 (2016–17)" (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  66. ↑ "SASSUOLO-PESCARA: sono 24 i convocati neroverdi" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  67. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  68. ↑ "FIFA Awards – World Player of the Year – Top 10". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
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