Italian football has long been home to several scintillating duos, both in offense and defense. Technically, Italy has always been one of the biggest proponents of 4-4-2. This formation allows for partnerships in defense, midfield and attack. Naturally, this facilitates two individuals to feed off each other’s skills. In this article, we will at five famous Serie A duos of all time.
#5 Gaetano Scirea and Claudio Gentile
Scirea and Gentile perfectly complimented each other in many ways. Technically, Scirea was the better among the duo and often oozed class on the pitch. Both of them featured for Juventus during the ’70s and ’80s, a period famous for horrific tackling. But Scirea always shied away from any on-pitch battles and was famous for his sportsmanship.
On the other hand, Gentile was as old school as they come. He was a warrior and would go to any extent to win a duel. Together, the pair won 6 Serie A titles, 2 Coppa Italia tournaments and 2 European honors.
#4 Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi
The AC Milan attacking duo of Shevchenko and Inzaghi dominated Serie A and Europe during the early 2000s. Shevchenko was a bonafide superstar when he first entered Italian shores but Filippo had to work his way through the ranks. Inzaghi spent the initial years of his career in the lower divisions of Italy and finally set foot in Serie A in 1995.
Inzaghi won the Capocannoniere with Atalanta in 1996/97 and spent four years at Juventus before joining Milan in 2001. Inzaghi spent 11 seasons at AC Milan and Shevchenko was his strike partner for five seasons starting from 2001. Shevchenko and Inzaghi’s seamless chemistry makes them one of the famous Serie A duos of all time.
#3 Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci
Chiellini is currently enjoying his 17th season with Juventus, a remarkable achievement in modern football. He was just 19 when he joined the old lady but is now an established legend in Turin. From 2010 to 2017, Chiellini and Bonucci formed one of the most formidable defensive partnerships of all time. Bonucci is a gifted passer of the ball and is famous for his long balls to strikers. Chiellini has a tendency to make adventurous runs when he sees space in front of him and this makes them an entertaining duo to watch.
#2 Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet
Del Piero and Trezeguet did what Inzaghi and Shevchenko did for Milan, except for a longer period of time. Del Piero’s career at Juventus spans three decades while Trezeguet was in Turin for 10 years starting from 2000. Both were dynamic forwards capable of interchanging positions. Del Piero was selfless and creative, often dropping deep and producing inch-perfect through balls for his French partner.
Trezeguet was known for his explosive speed and was also an instinctive poacher. Together the duo won 2 Serie A titles and if not for the calciopoli scandal they would have more honors to their name.
#1 Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta
Maldini and Nesta deservingly top the list of most famous Serie A duos of all time. To this day, fans of every club yearn for a defensive pair like them. Maldini was the most graceful of the two and he was equally adept at playing as a left-back. Nesta was tall, intelligent and menacing when it came to 1v1 situations. Maldini was born in Milan and spent his 25-year professional career at AC Milan. Nesta was a Lazio player until 2002 and then formed an unforgettable partnership with Maldini for 7 seasons.
