Here are the most famous Italian football stars

Soccer was invented in England, but it was Italy that brought it to perfection. Some interpreters of the sport have skills that made them top-players for many years and an internationally recognized voice in the world of sports such as the French magazine France Football has decided to list those who, even after having been in the field for over a decade, still compete to win national leagues and international trophies.

The top ten prepared by France Football includes soccer legends form France, Brazil and also Japan, but the first five position are deservedly held by Italians. As many would have guessed, the best player in the group is an athlete who is considered the best goalkeeper of all times: Gianluigi Buffon. At the age of 37, he still plays for and captains both Serie A club Juventus and the Italy national team: he has broken many records (most appearances for Italy, most expensive goalkeeper of all time, most clean sheets in Serie A and with the Italian national team), and apparently plans to lead his teams for many more years, having recently declared his intention to participate in the next World Cup and to play at least until turning 40. With a Champions League final to be played in a matter of days, we better believe him.

The second player in the list is a teammate of Buffon: Andrea Pirlo. In 2011, after ten consecutive seasons, AC Milan decided not to renew his contract, probably thinking that his star was fading. The "Maestro" signed for Juventus, won four consecutive national titles and has a deal to play also in the next season. After Buffon and Pirlo, France Football puts Luca Toni, 38 years old and top scorer in Serie A this year, and Francesco Totti, the most popular player for Roma ever. He joined the team at the age of 13, and made his first appearance in Serie A when he was 16, in 1992. Since then, he has scored 242 goals. Buffon, Pirlo, Toni and Totti were the pillars of the Italian national team that won the World Cup in Berlin in 2006. The fifth Italian player in the list is Totò Di Natale: he plays as a forward for Udinese, and is the 8th highest scoring Italian player in all competitions (behind Totti and Toni, among others). A group of players that would be first-string in most soccer teams around Europe and the rest of the world.

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