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#3 Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is one of the greatest Italian forwards of all time. But more often than not, he is remembered for his infamous penalty miss against Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final. Despite that unfortunate miss, Baggio's storied career was nothing short of legendary.
After joining Fiorentina in 1985, Baggio rose to stardom through his performances and his distinctive 'divine' ponytail. Due to his exploits in front of goal, Baggio was called for a national team spot and made his debut for Italy in 1988. During his time with Fiorentina, Baggio scored 55 goals before joining Juventus for a then record fee in 1990.
Baggio kept delivering powerful displays for Juventus and Italy, winning World Player of the year in 1993. Baggio played for both AC Milan and Inter Milan and ended up with 205 goals in Serie A.
#2 Fabio Cannavaro
The only defender to win the FIFA World Player of the Year, Fabio Cannavaro is widely known as one of the all time greats. Italy has gifted us with many great defenders over time and Cannavaro is among the top of that list.
Known for his defensive strength, Cannavaro made his name during his seven seasons with Parma. He helped the team win two Coppa Italia titles, 1999 Supercoppa Italiana and 1999 UEFA Cup. After spending time with Inter Milan and Juventus, Cannavaro moved to Real Madrid. There he helped the Spanish giants win two consecutive league titles in 2007 and 2008.
Cannavaro's national career is a trophy laden with the Italian centre-back famously leading his team to World Cup glory in 2006. Italy's defense, under Cannavaro's leadership, kept five clean sheets throughout the tournament. Cannavaro's performance earned him the nickname of 'the Berlin Wall' and he won the silver ball for his exploits.
#1 Paulo Maldini
Paulo Maldini played a record 647 league games for AC Milan in his 25 seasons with the club, a Serie A record. Maldini was an integral part of all the conquering Milan side in the early 2000s. He won seven league titles and five European Cups, among other accolades with Milan.
No other left-back comes close when compared to the Italian when it comes to defensive prowess. Maldini was also extremely versatile, playing with undisputed excellence at centre-back for a major part of his career.
Maldini retired in 2009 after cementing his place in the history books and is now currently the director of AC Milan. There is no doubt that his absence is a huge miss for the Premier League.
