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Italy displayed solidarity and a resolute fighting spirit absent from many a national team as they secured glory at the UEFA Euro 2020.
The Azzuri had quality players on every part of the pitch, and it was the consistency and teamwork that helped them get the better of England at a hostile Wembley Stadium.
Roberto Mancini assembled a well-balanced squad with a healthy mix of youth and experience, which ended Italy's 17-year long trophy drought.
One of the positives from their triumph was that there was no single player upon whom they grew dependent, and it was a real team effort.
However, it would be unfair for some of the key members of the squad if they do not get a special mention for their match-winning displays. On that note, lets take a look at the five best players for Italy at Euro 2020.
5 best players for Italy at UEFA Euro 2020
Honorable mentions - Lorenzo Insigne, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Spinazzola
#5 Federico Chiesa
Euro 2020 saw 142 goals scored, with an average of 2.78 goals a game, meaning the attackers had a field day in the competition. One of the players who impressed on the wings for Italy was Juventus's Federico Chiesa.
The 23-year-old scored two goals at the Euros, and both were crucial strikes, coming in the Round of 16 and semi-final fixtures against Austria and Spain respectively.
Chiesa was also one of the fastest players in the competition and clocked 31.7km/h in the final against England.
He was also Italy's best attacking threat in the final and had to be denied by a brilliant save from Jordan Pickford on a couple of occasions.
Chiesa was only behind Raheem Sterling in terms of successful dribbles in the competition, making it extremely difficult to defend against him.
#4 Jorginho
One of the mainstays of Italy's campaign at the Euros was Chelsea midfielder Jorginho. He might've missed a penalty in the final but was pretty much faultless in the middle of the park in seven games.
Jorginho had an impressive 93.4% pass completion rate by the tournament's conclusion and had a solid shift defensively as well, putting in two tackles per game and averaging 3.6 interceptions per 90.
The player, alongside Marco Verratti, was the beating heart of the Italian team and, with major titles with club and country in 2021, finds himself an unlikely candidate for the Ballon d'Or.
Also Read: 10 best goalkeepers in the world this season (2020-21)
#3 Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti might've joined the Italy squad late, but he became one of the most influential players in their title run. His performances were even more impressive as he had not played a game since May.
He reigned supreme in the middle of the park and was a pass-master, completing 93% of his passes and also creating three key passes on average for Italy.
He was equally competent at defending and was the toughest tackler in the competition, averaging 3.6 successful tackles a game.
His technical abilities came in handy, especially on the counter-attack, as he turned defence into attack at the drop of a hat, winning the ball back from the opponents and driving the ball forward with inch-perfect passes.
#2 Leonardo Bonucci
Italy did not concede a single goal in the group stage. It was a sign of things to come in the tournament as they progressed through the knockout stages on the back of a solid defensive partnership between Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
Bonucci stood out as he picked up the Man of the Match award in the final, scoring a crucial goal in the title-decider.
Though he did not win the most tackles for Italy, nor did he make the most interceptions, his reading of the game and man-marking was top notch throughout the competition.
He won 2.5 aerial duels per game and ensured Italy had a tight ship at the back alongside Chiellini. The player turned 34 in May, but his performances put even some of the youngsters to shame.
With the equalizing goal against England, he became the oldest goalscorer in a Euro final.
#1 Gianluigi Donnarumma
Gianluigi Donnarumma turned out to be the unlikely hero for Italy with his commanding display between the stick and nerves of steel in two back-to-back penalty shootouts.
He started every game for the Azzuri and conceded just four times in seven appearances. He was not tested much in the group stage and managed to keep a clean sheet in all three fixtures.
In the knockout stages, he put all his skills to work in the high-profile clash against Belgium, making a series of great saves.
It is sometimes difficult to believe that the former AC Milan shot-stopper is just 22 at the moment. Despite his age, he has a lot of experience playing in top-flight fixtures.
This came in handy as he saved Alvaro Morata's penalty in the semi-final and then denied Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka in the title-decider to win the player of the tournament award.
Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph was built on a solid defence with Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks. Similarly, their victory in this competition was a result of some astute defending and Donnurumma's heroics.
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