The end of the epic of Italian football: 20 years ago, in the middle of Calciopoli, the Lippi national team became world champions

Twenty years ago, during the summer of 2006, Italy's national football team achieved one of its most celebrated victories by winning the FIFA World Cup in Germany. This triumph, however, occurred against the backdrop of one of the most significant scandals in Italian football history—Calciopoli. The two events unfolded simultaneously, marking both the zenith and the beginning of the decline of Italian football’s golden era. The scandal began in May 2006 when the first telephone interceptions were published, revealing alleged corruption involving top officials and referees from the previous season, 2004–2005. These revelations followed earlier media reports hinting at an investigation into suspected wrongdoing within the sport. Within days, the Italian football world was thrown into chaos. Key figures such as Luciano Moggi, the general director of Juventus, Antonio Giraudo, the club’s chief executive, Pierluigi Pairetto, the referee appointer, and Innocenzo Mazzini, the vice president of the Football Federation, emerged as central names in the inquiry. The fallout quickly expanded, leading to the resignation of Franco Carraro, the head of the Football Federation, on May 8. By May 11, the entire board of directors of Juventus stepped down, and on May 12, prosecutors in Naples added 41 individuals to their list of suspects, including club executives, federation officials, referees, assistants, a journalist, and members of Rome’s Digos police unit. Four clubs—Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio—were investigated, along with 20 matches from the previous season. On May 16, the Italian Olympic Committee appointed lawyer Guido Rossi as extraordinary commissioner of the Football Federation, tasked with overseeing the restructuring of the organization following the scandal. Despite this turmoil, the Italian national team prepared for the World Cup, which took place from June 9 to July 9, 2006. The squad represented the last generation of Italian football excellence, featuring players such as Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Peruzzi in goal, defenders Fabio Cannavaro—who would later win the Ballon d’Or—and Alessandro Nesta, full-back Mauro Camoranesi, midfielders Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, and Gennaro Gattuso, forwards Filippo Inzaghi, Luca Toni, and Alberto Gilardino, and stars like Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero. During the tournament, new heroes emerged, including the forward Giuseppe “Piru” Perotta, the versatile defender Marco Materazzi, and the winger Fabio Grosso, who scored the decisive penalty in the final against France. Italy arrived in Germany amid uncertainty and emotional turbulence. The ongoing scandal could not have left the players unaffected, especially those linked to Juventus. However, coach Marcello Lippi and assistant director Gigi Riva managed the team effectively, ensuring focus remained on the competition. The opening match against Ghana on June 12 in Hanover ended in a comfortable 2-0 victory, with goals from Pirlo and Matteo Iaquinta. The second game against the United States on June 17 in Kaiserslautern proved more challenging, with Italy forced to play a man down after De Rossi’s red card. They secured a 1-1 draw thanks to a goal from Gilardino and an own goal by Massimo Zaccardo. On June 22 in Hamburg, Italy defeated the Czech Republic 2-0, with goals from Materazzi and Inzaghi, securing first place in their group and advancing to the quarterfinals. The subsequent match against Australia on June 26 in Kaiserslautern was unexpectedly difficult. Italy managed only a 1-0 victory, with the lone goal coming from a late penalty kick. Despite these challenges, the team continued to progress, eventually reaching the final where they faced France. In that dramatic encounter, Grosso’s crucial penalty sealed Italy’s fourth World Cup title, marking the end of an era in Italian football.