During the Azzurri’s stay in Poland and Ukraine, the Juventus international contingent, who formed the backbone of Cesare Prandelli’s side, added to their number of appearances in the blue and white shirt. And for certain Bianconeri this meant passing important milestones.
The six appearances made by Gianluigi Buffon, an ever-present in Italy’s run to the final, allowed him to edge even closer to the two most capped Azzurri: Fabio Cannavaro (136) and Paolo Maldini (126.) Out of these 120 appearances, Gigi managed to cross the 100-cap barrier since becoming a Juventus player in 2001.
Giorgio Chiellini’s speedy recovery from a thigh injury sustained in Italy’s final Group C game against Republic of Ireland reaped rewards for the committed defender. His total of five appearances saw him pass the 50-cap mark as a Juventus player. In total, including the five games played whilst at Fiorentina, he has appeared for the national side on 55 occasions, putting him level with Bianconeri legends Romeo Benetti and Mauro German Camoranesi.
The six appearances made by Andrea Pirlo took his quota to 15 since completing a free transfer move from Milan last summer. His total of 89 games places him eighth in the list of all-time Azzurri appearances, just two caps behind Alessandro Del Piero.
Another ever-present in Italy’s impressive campaign was midfielder Claudio Marchisio. The 26 caps earned by the Bianconeri’s dynamic number eight are enough to put him level with Carlo Ancelotti and overtake Pietro Anastasi, who was part of the only Italian European Championship success back in 1968.
Leonardo Bonucci’s assured displays at the heart of the Azzurri rearguard lifted him to a total of 20 caps, with 18 of these gained whilst at Juventus. Defensive partner Andrea Barzagli managed to shake off an injury scare to feature in four fixtures, increasing his number of appearances to 33.
Emanuele Giaccherini’s inclusion in the squad capped off a remarkable season for the versatile winger. He brought industry and determination to the Azzurri cause in their opening group games against Spain and Croatia.
New arrival Sebastian Giovinco, who completed his return to Juventus during the course of the tournament, came off the bench twice in the group stages, boosting his total number of international appearances to ten.
Source: Juventus.com
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