The 1990s saw Italian clubs win 13 European finals, nine more than any other country, as Serie A ruled the roost. But who were the superstars, the magicians and the maestros who helped turn Italy’s top flight into the best in Europe? Here are five Serie A playmakers who lit up the decade.
90s Serie A: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus & France)
Zizou, as the great Frenchman was known, spent five seasons at Juventus from 1996/97, helping them to win Serie A on two occasions and twice reach the Champions League final. The kid from the suburbs of Marseille was named Serie A’s Foreign Footballer of the Year in his first season, providing a supply line for strikers Christian Vieri and Alessandro del Piero which took Juve to a different level. It was while at Juventus that Zidane starred in France’s World Cup triumph of 1998.
90s Serie A: Rui Costa (Fiorentina & Portugal)
One of the most underrated playmakers of his generation had to be Rui Costa, though no one in Florence questioned the talent of their genius midfielder. Handed the same No.10 shirt that Roberto Baggio had worn with such style a few years before, many feared he would be a let-down. Instead, the Portuguese star, with socks down and hair unkempt, would become one of La Viola’s favourite sons, generating goal after goal for the record-breaking Gabriel Batistuta, while also scoring 50 of his own before a big-money move to AC Milan.
90s Serie A: Dejan Savicevic (AC Milan & Yugoslavia)
The man the Italian media nicknamed Il Genio (The Genius) and surely the most complicated and charismatic. The greatest Montenegrin footballer of all time had already won the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade when he transferred to AC Milan, going on to win three Scudettos and the 1994 Champions League, a 4-0 win over Barcelona made famous for Savicevic’s wonder goal.
A classic No.10 with a wand of a left foot and a fiery temper, he was constantly at odds with Milan coach Fabio Capello and several other managers throughout his career.
90s Serie A: Francesco Totti (Roma & Italy)
One of the most celebrated players of his generation and one of the greatest in Roma’s history, Totti’s name is indelibly stamped into Serie A folklore. Not playing for one of the Milan giants or Juventus meant trophies were hardly plentiful. In 24 years in the Italian capital he won the league title once to go with two Coppas.
But at the end of the 1990s, the elegant, intelligent Totti was the complete superstar, able to play in a range of positions across the front line before dropping back into a playmaker role where he conducted the Wolves’ attack.
90s Serie A: Roberto Baggio (Various & Italy)
Best known for his role as a second striker, Baggio was also a world-class playmaker but with a proven eye for goal. He played for five different clubs during the 1990s, winning the league with both Juventus and AC Milan. A Hall of Famer who was once voted Italy’s best player of the century back in 2000, he will always be remembered – unfairly – for his missed penalty in the World Cup final shootout defeat against Brazil in 1994.
By Rob Eddy
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