Gianluigi Buffon, Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero: Who are Italy's top UEFA Champions League performers?
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
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Which Italian players have the most appearances and goals in Europe's leading club competition?
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Italy was the pre-eminent force in world club football in the 1980s and 1990s, when AC Milan and Juventus both won multiple European Cups, emulating the successes of the 'Grande' Inter side that won back-to-back continental crowns in the mid 1960s. Milan and Inter have won the UEFA Champions League too, and Serie A continues to deliver great sides, Atalanta notably winning the UEFA Europa League in 2023/24.
Last updated: 20 December 2024
Most appearances by an Italian player in the UEFA Champions League (group stage/league phase to final)
124: Gianluigi Buffon (Parma, Juventus, Paris)
116: Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
108: Andrea Pirlo (Inter, AC Milan, Juventus)
99: Alessandro Nesta (Lazio, AC Milan)
89: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
87: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus, Union Berlin)
82: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan)
82: Thiago Motta (Barcelona, Inter, Paris)
81: Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, AC Milan)
79: Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)
79: Marco Verratti (Paris)
Top-scoring Italian players in the UEFA Champions League (group stage/league phase to final)
46: Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, AC Milan)
42: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
23: Marco Simone (AC Milan, Paris, Monaco)
17: Francesco Totti (Roma)
15: Simone Inzaghi (Lazio)
13: Ciro Immobile (Juventus, Dortmund, Sevilla, Lazio)
11: Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan, Fiorentina)
11: Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
11: Christian Panucci (AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma)
10: Christian Vieri (Juventus, Inter, AC Milan)
Most appearances by Italian players in UEFA club competition*
174: Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
167: Gianluigi Buffon (Parma, Juventus, Paris)
139: Andrea Pirlo (Inter, AC Milan, Juventus)
130: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
125: Alessandro Nesta (Lazio, AC Milan)
121: Alessandro Costacurta (AC Milan)
119: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus, AC Milan, Union Berlin, Fenerbahçe)
117: Giuseppe Bergomi (Inter)
116: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan, Vicenza, Fiorentina)
115: Filippo Inzaghi (Parma, Juventus, AC Milan)
Top-scoring Italian players in UEFA club competition*
70: Filippo Inzaghi (Parma, Juventus, AC Milan)
54: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
38: Alessandro Altobelli (Inter, Juventus)
38: Francesco Totti (Roma)
34: Gianluca Vialli (Sampdoria, Juventus, Chelsea)
33: Marco Simone (AC Milan, Paris, Monaco)
32: Roberto Baggio (Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, Brescia)
32: Ciro Immobile (Juventus, Dortmund, Sevilla, Lazio, Beşiktaş)
27: Christian Vieri (Juventus, Atlético de Madrid, Lazio, Inter, AC Milan, Monaco, Fiorentina)
25: Enrico Chiesa (Parma, Fiorentina, Lazio)
25: Giuseppe Rossi (Manchester United, Parma, Villarreal, Fiorentina, Celta)
Key facts
Most successful European club: AC Milan (7 European Cup wins)
First team to compete in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League: AC Milan (semi-finals, 1955/56)
First team to win the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League: AC Milan (1962/63)
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*UEFA club competitions means European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, European/South American Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup