Top 10 foreigners to have played in Serie A
Michel Platini — Won three Ballons D’Or and three Serie A highest goalscorer awards in a row from 1983 to 1985 while at Juventus (1982-1987). Within that time, he got France to a World Cup semi-final in 1982 before winning the 1984 Euros, won Serie A twice in 1984 and 1986, running up in the European Cup in 1983, before winning it in 1985.
Diego Maradona — Serie A top scorer in 1988, the Argentine led Napoli to two league titles in 1987 and 1990 during his stay (19841991), also winning the Uefa Cup in 1989. The closest the club have come to replicating such success was last season when they finished second. Diego never won a Ballon
D’Or despite winning the World Cup in 1986.
Marco van Basten — A two-time league highest scorer in 1990 and 1992 and three time Ballon D’Or winner 1988, 1989 and 1992 while at AC Milan (1987-1993), the Dutchman won three league titles 1988, 1992 and 1993 and back-to-back European Cup titles in 1989 and
1990. He also shone for Holland in this time winning the 1988 European Championship.
Andriy Shevchenko — Two-time Serie A top scorer 2000 and 2004, who also won the Ballon D’Or in 2004 with AC Milan (1999-2006 and again 2008-2009 while on loan from Chelsea). While there, he won one league title in 2004 and the Champions League in 2003. The fact that he won a Ballon D’Or despite only playing internationally for the Ukraine speaks volumes.
Ronaldo — Only won the Uefa Cup in 1998 while at Inter Milan (1997-2002) but did enough to win the first of two Ballon D’Ors in 1997 before earning himself a move to Real Madrid, where he got his second Ballon D’Or in 2002, the year he won the World Cup with Brazil.
Returned with AC Milan (2007-2008) but wasn’t the same.
Zinedine Zidane — Won two Serie A Player of the Year awards in 1997 and 2001 and the Ballon D’Or in 1998, the year he also won the World Cup with France, all while at Juventus (1996-2001). Won two Serie A titles there in 1997 and 1998 and was recently linked with a return as coach after leaving the club he left Juventus for — Real Madrid.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic — A threetime Serie A Player of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2011, and two-time league top scorer in 2009 and 2012. The Swede played for three Italian clubs, Juventus (2004-2006), Inter Milan (2006-2009) and AC Milan (2010-2012), clocking up a total four league titles, three at Inter
2007, 2008 and 2009, and one at AC Milan in 2011.
Gabriel Batistuta — Goes down as Serie A’s all-time highest scoring foreigner in the modern era with 184 goals in 318 games split between spells at Fiorentina (1991-2000), Roma (2000-2003) and Inter Milan (2003). During this time, the Argentine won a league top scorers gong in 1995, the league’s best player in
1999, the Serie B title in 1994 and Serie A in 2001.
Javier Zanetti — All-time highest appearance holder for a foreigner in Serie A and fourth overall with 615 games. All of these appearances were made for Inter Milan (1995-2014). During this time, the Argentine stalwart won five league titles in a row from 2006 to 2010, the Champions League in 2010 and the Uefa Cup in 1998.
Pavel Nedved — Like Shevchenko, another Ballon D’Or winner from an unfancied football nation, the Czech won his gong in 2003, the year he also won Serie A Player of the Year, while at Juventus (20012009). Before that, he played for Lazio (1996-2001). Honours include three league titles 2000, 2002 and 2003, running up in both the 1998 Uefa Cup and the 2003 Champions League.