Team Italy.

This team is definitely the most glorious team in World Cup history, having won four World Cups, two runners-up and one third-place finish. Italy is third in the overall ranking of the all-time World Cup record, behind Brazil and Germany.

Italy's traditional jersey is a blue shirt, white pants and blue socks, and its nickname is Azzurri (blue, Italian), and the Chinese nickname is "Blue Warrior".

The team did not participate in the first World Cup in 1930 due to historical wars, and then won back-to-back World Cups on home soil in 1934 and Portugal in 1938 without losing a single match, becoming the first World Cup champions to defend the title.

However, the ensuing outbreak of the Second World War had a huge impact on Italian football, and after the Second World War, the Italian team failed to qualify from the group stage in four consecutive World Cups, especially in the 1966 World Cup, where they lost 0-1 to North Korea in the final game of the group stage, creating one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, and the results of the two-time champions fell into a slump.

It wasn't until the 70s of the last century that Italian football re-emerged.

In the 1970 World Cup, Italy went all the way and defeated Beckenbauer's Germany in the semi-finals to kill the final, but against the Brazilian team led by the football champion Pele, the Italian team looked fragmented defensively, and in the end they lost 1-4 to Brazil, only to finish as runners-up.

The 1982 World Cup was very strange for the Italians.

In the group stage, they played three draws in three matches. After barely finishing second in the group with just three points, the Italians were drawn in a group with South American giants Argentina and Brazil in the rematch, and few fans were optimistic about the Italian team's prospects. But the Italians still did a miracle.

The main central defender Gentille successfully marked Maradona and Zico in two consecutive games, and the golden boy Rossi also broke the goal drought against Brazil, scoring all three goals and scoring a hat-trick.

After the most difficult two hurdles, the rest of the match was easier for the Italians, who beat Poland 2-O in the semi-finals (with Rossi scoring twice) and Italy beat West Germany 3-1 in the final (Rossi opened the scoring). Lifted the World Cup for the third time.

Italy have learned a lot from this world tournament, with the team's top scorer Rossi being the top scorer with six goals, and the 40-year-old goalkeeper captain Zoff becoming the oldest player to lift the World Cup.

1990 year. Italy failed to complete the task of winning the World Cup on home soil, and in the semi-finals they fell at the feet of the Argenten and finished third. 1994 year. Italy made it straight to the final thanks to five goals scored by superstar Baggio in the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, they lost to Brazil on penalties in the final and were runners-up.

In 1998, Italy faced hosts Portugal in the quarter-finals, and after 120 minutes of battle, Italy was eliminated on penalties. In the last World Cup, the Italian team was the saddest.

Perhaps the South Koreans paid private bribes to the referee, but in short, the referee was biased in favor of the hosts, and even blew out Italy's goal in the game. As a result, it was dragged into extra time by the South Korean team. In the end, Italy lost to South Korea with a golden goal.

It is worth mentioning that this match is also considered one of the darkest matches in the history of the World Cup.

And now. The favourites for the title in recent decades have once again appeared in the final.

Serie A has always been known as the "Little World Cup", even in recent years due to the rise of the Premier League and La Liga has had some impact on the influence of Serie A, but in FIFA's evaluation, Serie A still surpasses the Premier League as the most influential league in the world.

The Serie A league is definitely full of stars, and with some policy influence of the Italian Football Federation, the Italian stars that have emerged in the league can fully meet the requirements of the national team, and they can even switch to attacking football.

Serie A is a traditional event that has been broadcast by Chinese CCTV, in the past, Chinese fans watched Serie A on weekends, and many 80 and 70 Chinese fans are definitely fans of Serie A and AC Milan.

However, a source from the Italian Football Federation said in an interview with The Telegraph on Sunday today that even if the Italian team wins the "Hercules" Cup in Germany, Juventus and three other clubs suspected of manipulating the game will not be pardoned. Yesterday, it was reported that if Lippi's side can beat Portugal tonight, the accused clubs Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina will be "taken care of" accordingly.

But today's statement by this source has obviously poured cold water on the "Blue Coats" who are preparing for war in Germany.

At the same time, three of Portugal's top clubs – Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United – are eyeing some of Juventus' talents.

Since Calderón signed former Juventus manager Fabio Capello after being elected as the new president of Real Madrid, several Juventus players have become a "potential" resource in the transfer market.

It is said that once Juventus are relegated to the second division or lower, Cannavaro, Zambrotta and Emerson will be loaned to Real Madrid for a year to ease the salary burden. Another Spanish newspaper reported that Real Madrid would directly bid £10 million to "package" the three players.

The Italians were naturally angry at the news, but they chose to settle accounts with Spain after tonight. The Italians are superstitious and they don't want to affect their team's luck by having a bad deal with people before the final, and even the Court of Arbitration for Sport has postponed the verdict that was supposed to be announced yesterday until after the final.

Since the recording of a phone call between Juventus general manager Moggi and Football Association officials about the appointed referee was revealed in May this year, the Italian judiciary has opened an investigation. Last week, prosecutor Parazzi formally indicted Juventus and four other clubs for sports fraud, asking the court to punish the people and clubs who endangered their favorite football careers by relegating Juventus to the third division and three others to the second division.

Although Football Association officials said that they would not be "dealt with lightly" because of the results of the Italian team. But many fans, even Italy's justice minister, Mastra, want to pardon these teams to prevent the relegation of talent from going abroad: "The government can't get involved in this. But I'm sure most fans would like these teams to be pardoned. As a fan, I would like to ask: should Cannavaro and Piero, who are so good at the World Cup, play in the third division? Are we going to treat our players the same way Britain ousted Winston Churchill, who won the war? ”

However, Italian midfielder Gattuso said that the World Cup and the league are two different things, and the mistakes made in the league cannot be made up for by the World Cup: "I hope to win the championship!" But the sin should not be forgiven. If you make a mistake, you will be punished, and this is a matter of course! I don't think Italy has won any credit, and those who make mistakes should be forgiven. ”

Although there is little hope for a pardon, the arbitral tribunal will not fully accept the opinion of the prosecutor Palazzi. According to sources in Milan and Roma, the most likely verdict is Juventus' relegation to the second division. AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina will remain in the first division and will only be penalised with points demerited. In addition, Lazio and Fiorentina will lose their qualification for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. But AC Milan will be able to play in the Champions League, but first in the play-offs.

Juventus' lawyer, Zacone, said that for the "old lady", "relegation to the second division and a penalty of six points" is an acceptable result. If that's the case. Juventus will not go bankrupt because of financial losses. The club's main sponsors will continue to work with them and their shares will continue to be issued on the Milan Stock Exchange.

The Warriors of Portugal and Italy will set foot on the turf of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin to fight for the honour of their respective countries, however, among them, the 16 players from the Serie A giants in particular will be a key element of the transfer boom at Europe's major clubs this summer.

There is no doubt that the players of the four Serie A clubs that have been surrounded by the "phonegate" scandal (Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina) will be closely watched as if they were closely monitored, and their performances at the World Cup will also affect the transfer market in the first place.

These four clubs have contributed a total of 13 internationals to the Italian team. There are also a number of players in the Portuguese squad who are rumored to be transferred.

Former AC Milan, Roma and Juventus head coach Fabio Capello has been the first to jump on the "lifeboat" of Real Madrid and flee Italy. He is trying to use his influence to convince his disciples to defect to Real Madrid.

In such an environment, this World Cup final will be a stage for players who are likely to go home to play in the second or third divisions to show themselves and sell themselves. This can perhaps be seen as another "perfect" fusion of sports and business.

It was already determined that Juventus, who had never been relegated in the history of Serie A, in the semi-finals, in which the Old Lady had five players in the match, and thanks to their excellent performance, Italy eliminated the host Germany 2-0 to reach the final, according to Spanish media, Real Madrid's new coach Fabio Capello has targeted three of them.

It is well known that the obvious targets include goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, captain and defensive heart Fabio Cannavaro and right wing-back Zambrotta - even if Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas remains, Capello intends to reshuffle Real Madrid's weakest backline.

On goalkeeper issues, the European champions Barcelona appear to be closer to Gianluigi Buffon than Real Madrid, with Rijkaard already eyeing him and Trezeguet as important acquisition targets for the club. As Thierry Henry's old partner, Trezeguet, despite not being reused in this World Cup, has long been known for his ability.

In addition to the Bianconeri, AC Milan, who are also in danger of relegation, have also become one of the targets of the European giants, starting with midfield interceptor Gattuso, playmaker Andrea Pirlo and defender Nesta.

Capello has secretly started to act, it is reported that the relationship between Milan's players and Capello is not bad, and whether the "rebellion" can succeed depends on the final punishment result of the scandal.

Other players in Capello's "radar" range include the Serie A players from the two teams in the final, as well as AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka. Capello hopes he can be a natural replacement for Zinedine Zidane after his retirement. Chelsea's Dutch left winger Ruben and Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo are also among Real Madrid's acquisition targets.

Other players who could enter the transfer market include Juventus striker Del Piero, Czech midfielder Nedved and Brazilian midfielder Emerson. and Fiorentina's goalscorer Luca Toney.

As the surviving powerhouse not involved in the scandal, Moratti's Inter Milan are also attacking for players who do not want to leave Italy. It can be asserted that the World Cup final is just the beginning of the transfer market, and at least until the transfer market closes in August, the European ball market will be busy.

However, the most notable thing is the rumours that Jonker is going to move to AC Milan, and there will be people who will pounce on the stars as they flee AC Milan. And it is also the most eye-catching Jonk in the World Cup, which can still give Serie A fans a little comfort.

The Italian team had a pre-match training session yesterday at the Dortmund Stadium. Numerous Italian fans rushed to the training ground and blew horns and waved Italian flags on the sidelines. Head coach Lippi first arranged for the players to play in groups. Finally, the focus was on penalty kick training.

Halfway through the team's practice, two young fans slipped into the stadium and had a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the stars.

The final part of the training session was the practice of taking penalties, with Ameria and Peruzzi taking turns in goal. Peruzzi made some good saves. But it was difficult to prevent De Rossi's long-range shot. At present, De Rossi has lifted the ban and returned. This morning, the Italian team will depart for Berlin and will train for the acclimatization in the afternoon.

Schumacher, the king of the F1 world, is also half a player on the football field. The World Cup held at his doorstep gave him more opportunities to get in touch with football. In addition to his love for his native German team, the king also supports the Italian team of the Scuderia Ferrari.

"Milan Sport" reported that in the semi-finals between Germany and Italy a few days ago, Schumacher promised before the game that if the Italian team broke through the barrier of the host country to enter the final. Then he invited all the Italian players to eat pizza. After Italy won, he really bought pizza for each of the team members to deliver. Didn't mind in the slightest that he was German.

However, as compensation, Schumacher made a promise to the German legion: if Germany wins the third or fourth place final, then he will buy pizza for every member of the German team.

The Italians are even crazier than the king of cars, and the final has not yet begun, but the Italians are ready to start celebrating.

Regardless of whether the final against Portugal is won or lost, in the eyes of the Italians, the Azzurri who reached the final have become their heroes. As soon as the World Cup is over, the grand celebrations will begin immediately. Italian national radio is ready for the broadcast and will provide a faster signal than Sky TV in the final to ensure that Italians can celebrate their heroes in the first place.

"The lads deserve that," said the mayor of Rome, Virtroni, "and whatever they achieve in the final, they deserve to be celebrated immediately. They have already brought great honor to the Italians. ”

Tomorrow, Italian President Napolitano will personally go to the training camp in Italy to watch the training of the Azzurri and do the pre-war mobilization for the Italian team. Napolitano arrives in Berlin early in the morning and will watch the final between Italy and France at the Stadio Olimpica. Afterwards, return to Rome in the evening.

The Italians will stay in Germany for a day and will return to Italy by special flight around 6pm next Monday.

For safety reasons, the Azzurri will land at a military airfield 30 kilometres west of Rome, where there will be no crowds of ordinary fans. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will then meet with all members of the Italian team at the Chigi Palace, the Prime Minister's Palace. The return of the Azzurri will be broadcast live on the Italian television channel 1.

The heroes of the Azzurri will then travel to the Colosseum in two open-top buses, where they will receive the most enthusiastic cheers from the fans.

In 1983 and 2001, there was a frenzy for Roma to win the Serie A title, especially in 2001, when Roma's godmother Felili took off the stunning appearance. Whether there will be a famous Italian beauty to perform the same good show this time is also a topic of concern (Buffon's Czech girlfriend Seredova once stated that if Buffon won the world championship, she would be willing to leave for Italy).

Of course, there is another problem that has also been raised: in the 1984 Champions League, Roma also reached the final, but lost to Liverpool in the final penalty shoot-out. If Italy loses the final this time, will people continue with this big celebration? The answer is yes. "Regardless of the outcome, the celebration will go on as normal." Vertroni confirmed. Even the host of the celebration has already been chosen, and the famous Italian TV presenter Mazzocchi has become the lucky one.

After the celebrations, it was time for the players to take the long-awaited holiday. After all, this season is too long for the heroes of the World Cup. As for the annoying things like the verdict of the scandal, let's talk about it when we come back from the holidays.

Of course, the Italians will also encourage all Italian players with practical incentives, and it is reported that if Italy finish second, the Blues will each receive €180,000. There will be a difference between the main players and the substitutes.

However, if Italy beat Portugal to win the title, their teammates will receive up to 250,000 euros each.

This is already the highest reward ever given by the Italian Football Federation.

In 1982, Bealzot's Italian team won the World Cup in Spain, when each player was awarded 180 million lira. By the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the Italian Football Federation had set a prize of 500 million lire for the Italian team to win the game, and the third player could also receive 100 million lira each.

At Euro 2000, Italy made it all the way to the final, only to lose to France with a golden goal. The Italian team was close to perfection at that time, but they didn't get anything when they returned home, and the Italian Football Federation only set a prize for the championship at that European Championship, so the runners-up Italian team did not receive a prize. Now the Italian Football Federation, in order to encourage the players, has also set up a lot of bonuses for the runners-up.

Sporting Italia estimates that the World Cup win will bring at least €15 million in cash to the Italian Football Federation.

The Italians celebrate and winning, while Portugal plays the emotional card.

Figo had said in an earlier interview with the Portuguese media that he would choose to withdraw from the Portuguese national team regardless of the final result of the World Cup.

At the same time, another Pauletta will also retire, and what will be the result of the last performances of the two golden generation veterans in their national team careers?

With the retirement of Figo and Pauleta, the glorious symbol of Portuguese football, the "Golden Generation", has also completely withdrawn from the stage of history.

"I started playing for the Portugal youth team at the age of 15 and it wasn't easy to say goodbye to Portuguese football that I had been fighting for 18 years. "But the most important thing is that I made my decision with a clear sense and I did my best for Portuguese football. Sooner or later, this day will come. The 33-year-old said the most important thing is for the Portuguese to continue their passion for the national team: "To always support this great team, I hope we will be in the top four of the World Cup next time, not another 40 years." ”

In fact, this year's Portuguese team has broken the best results maintained by the predecessors, in any case, Portugal is at least the runner-up of the World Cup, but there is no difference between the runner-up of the World Cup and the top four, since it has reached the finals, the second has no meaning, only the final champion, is what everyone dreams of!

For nothing else, and not so multimedia, for Figo, for Pauletta, the Portuguese players will also play their best game, so that the veterans will not leave the national team with regrets, which may be more effective than any monetary encouragement.

All of them have to be verified in the finals, and everyone is ready for the finals! (To be continued......)