On 13 January 1910 the FIGC announced the establishment of the Italian national football team. A team made up exclusively of Italian players, able to honor the blue colors (even if the first shirt was totally white). But starting from 1920 also players who were not 100% Italian began to be called up. We are talking about the Italian origins, that is of those players of Italian origin, but born and raised in other countries. And among the nations that have produced more origins, theArgentina and Brazil.
The first Italian origin and the most expensive
Ermanno Aebi he was the first non-Italian footballer to wear the blue jersey. Actually he was born in Milan, but spent most of his life in Switzerland. He was called up on January 18, 1920 to play against France, scoring a hat-trick. Her nickname was Signorina, but only because she had an elegance of yesteryear on the pitch.
With a leap forward we take us to 1954. That year there was the debut of one of the strongest natives ever: Juan Alberto Schiaffino. He was one of the few to wear two shirts from two different national teams: Uruguay and Italy. With the South Americans he won a world championship in 1950, while with Italy he did little or nothing. Only four appearances, paid handsomely in addition. In fact, to play for the national team, he received about two and a half million lire. Not a good deal. Above all because to bring him to Azzurro they were cooked and raw: first he was attributed a kinship with a great-great-grandfather of Portofino, then one with Simone Schiaffino, a loyal Garibaldi. In short, a useless mess given the almost zero contribution to the blue cause. Yet with Uruguay and the various clubs he was simply monstrous, so much so that he was considered one of the best players ever.
The Italian-Argentine footballers: a winning story
But one of the countries that has always produced origins is Argentina. The reason is simple and we addressed it a few weeks ago: this is the second home of the Italians. Over 50% of the Argentine population has Italian origins, and it is therefore easy to come across footballers with double passports. The first was Emilio Baldini who made his debut in the national team in the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920. Born in Rosario, he held the role of midfielder and spent most of his career in Bologna, falling in love with the Emilian city.
The first Italian natives to raise a trophy with Italy were even four: Louis Monty, Atilio Jose Demaria, Enrique Guaita e Raimundo Bibiani Orsi. These, together with the Italo-Brazilian Amfilogino Guarisi, they won the first world cup in 1934. Of the twenty-two called up, five were therefore natives. At the time it was not well received, but in the moment of the final victory everyone changed their minds on the passion and professionalism of the foreign blues.
The most famous Italian native instead, at least for this generation, is certainly Mauro German Camoranesi. Born in Tandil, he was bought by Verona in 2000 and in 2003, thanks to an Italian ascendant, he obtained dual citizenship which allowed him to be called up by the Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni. In a short time he became one of the reference points for the national team, reaching the 2006 World Cup with Marcello Lippi.
The natives today
Italy currently boasts a large number of native footballers in its ranks. Thiago Motta, Eder and the Italo-Argentines Ledesma, Osvaldo, Paletta e Skeleton. Some of these are regular appearances in Azzurro, while others have some appearances. The latest arrival is, coincidentally, another Argentine: Franco Damián Vázquez. The Sevilla midfielder, ex-Palermo, made his debut with Conte's national team in 2015. Finally, barring surprises, it should debut soon Emerson Palmieri, fresh from an Italian passport and ready to wear the blue shirt.
