At the beginning of Euro 2020, I would not have believed anyone who would have said that Italy would go on to win it all. Before the tournament, I felt that their ceiling was capped because their best player, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, was not at the same level as other teams' superstars such as England's Harry Kane, France's N'Golo Kanté, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, among others. I also felt that the Azzurri's supporting cast was not quite on the level of those of the teams I just mentioned.
As it turned out, I and all other doubters would be proven wrong. In the final, Italy beat England in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Donnarumma saved two penalties to win the shootout for Italy including Bukayo Saka's spot-kick which would have kept England in contention had it gone in.
So, just how did they do it?
For one thing, the current Italy team is the personification of the word "synergy". Though they might not have the sheer star power of Belgium or Portugal or England, all the players on this Italy squad fit their roles perfectly while complementing everyone else's. It's certainly true that while you'd expect players like Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Insigne, Marco Verratti, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and Jorginho to be important contributors to this team, you would probably not have expected this from them - at least on paper. It was also thought that both members of Italy's legendary centre-back pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini were past their prime and had very little left in the tank.
However, in the actual matches, it was a different story. Almost every Italian player outperformed individual pre-tournament expectations. It soon became obvious that this team was set up to magnify each player's strengths while minimizing the impact of their weaknesses - something teams with far more talent were unable to do.
Of course, much credit for this has to go to head coach Roberto Mancini. Despite being a three-time Serie A champion and Premier League champion in 2012, there had always been a nagging belief that Mancini's list of accolades overrated his actual coaching skill. What's more, Mancini had not won any major titles since City's iconic, drought-breaking Premier League triumph nine years ago.
In just one tournament, Mancini has permanently elevated his reputation. On Italy's path to the title, he easily outcoached Roberto MartÃnez, Luis Enrique, and Gareth Southgate. His tactical superiority was evident in the final; Italy easily countered everything England had. Such was Mancini's strategic mastery in the final that it was somewhat of a surprise that the match went to a penalty shootout.
It may also seem strange to think that a serious injury helped Italy win the title. Yet, that may be exactly what happened. In Italy's quarterfinal victory over Belgium, defender Leonardo Spinazzola suffered one of the most severe sports injuries possible: a torn Achilles. The team quickly rallied around him, offering an incredible amount of support. There seemed to be a growing sentiment within the team to "win it for Spinazzola". That may just have given Italy the extra motivation they needed to go all the way.
Although a lack of experience often hampers a team in any tournament, the fact that the only players with more than 50 caps before the tournament were Bonucci and Chiellini may have worked in Italy's favour. This is because most of this team were unburdened by the biggest failure in Italy's recent football history: missing the 2018 World Cup.
When Italy were knocked out by Sweden in the decisive World Cup qualifying tie four years ago, only nine of Italy's Euro 2020 squad were in the 23-man matchday roster. In addition, Insigne and Donnarumma were unused substitutes on that day. Thus, most of the current Italian squad had the additional advantage of not being mentally affected by that result.
Looking into the future, questions must now be asked about the possibility of Italy winning a record-equalling fifth World Cup in Qatar next year. Though they might not necessarily be the outright favourites, what they have shown us during this tournament proves that you cannot underestimate this Italy team.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the rebuild is complete - and then some.
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