Can you name Italy’s victorious XI from the 2006 World Cup final?

Quizzes
Gianluigi Buffon celebrates with his arms open and fireworks above his head after Italy had won the 2006 World Cup final against France in Berlin, July 2006.

The 2006 World Cup probably isn’t best remembered for free-flowing football.

Graham Poll’s three yellow cards, Switzerland and Ukraine playing out the most boring match of all time, Wayne Rooney stamping on Ricardo Carvalho’s testicles and a Helen Lovejoy-baiting skirmish between Portugal and the Netherlands were all standout memories from that month in Germany.

And nothing defined the tournament quite like the final between Italy and France in Berlin’s iconic Olympiastadion.

Both teams were unexpected finalists. Italy had squeezed past Australia before eliminating the hosts during a fine semi-final while France had dispatched Spain, Brazil and Portugal thanks largely to the majesty of Zinedine Zidane.

After trading a pair of early goals, both sides settled down for a two-hour arm wrestle that grew with tension with every passing minute.

Everybody remembers Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt and Italy going on to win the subsequent penalty shoot-out but how many of Italy’s starting XI can you name?

Marcello Lippi made full use of his squad during the competition and the XI that started the victory over France was a mix of generational talent and some more obscure Serie A players that became national heroes during the summer of 2006.

If this puts you in the mood for another challenge, why not have a go at naming every winner of the European Golden Shoe since 2000?

If you haven’t already, sign up for a Planet Sport account to access hints for those tricky answers and to register your score on the leaderboard.

Good luck and don’t forget to tweet us your scores @planetfutebol.


NEXT QUIZ: Can you name every member of England’s 2006 World Cup squad?