Serie A represents the pinnacle of tactical brilliance and defensive mastery in football. While fans love the drama of the Milan derby, the league’s history involves strange quirks and legendary heartbreaks. For instance, the champions wear a special symbol that actually started as a poet’s idea. Furthermore, one small club made history by never losing a game but still failed to win the title. Prepare to enter the world of Calcio.
Serie A
Italian league winners wear a small shield called the Scudetto. Specifically, the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio created the design in 1920. Therefore, Genoa became the first club to wear the tricolor symbol on their chests in 1924.
Juventus started the tradition of wearing stars above the badge. In 1958, the club added a golden star to celebrate their tenth league title. Nowadays, every team in Italy receives one star for every ten championships they win.
Perugia finished an entire season unbeaten but did not win. In the 1978-79 season, the small club from Umbria recorded 11 wins and 19 draws. However, they finished second behind AC Milan because they tied too many matches.
The league once featured 21 teams for a single year. During the 1947-48 season, political tensions after the war led to this odd number of clubs. Consequently, one team had to take a rest every weekend because they lacked an opponent.
AC Milan holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak. Between 1991 and 1993, the team went 58 consecutive matches without a single defeat. Thus, the Italian media gave them the famous nickname the Invincibles.
The term Seven Sisters described the league’s golden era. In the 1990s, seven clubs including Parma and Fiorentina dominated European football. During this time, Serie A was widely considered the strongest and richest league on the planet.
Traffic lights in Rome once turned blue for the local team. According to legend, fans changed the lights to celebrate a victory. However, the modern reason traffic lights in Japan are blue does not apply to the streets of Italy.
Silvio Piola remains the all-time leading scorer with 274 goals. He played for multiple clubs between 1929 and 1954. Remarkably, no modern superstar has managed to break his legendary record in over seventy years.
The 2006 Calciopoli scandal resulted in Juventus being relegated. Investigators discovered a network of club executives who influenced the selection of referees. As a result, the authorities stripped the club of two titles and sent them to Serie B.
Inter Milan is the only club to never leave the top flight. They have played every single season of Serie A since the league began in 1929. Therefore, they carry the title of the only club with a perfect attendance record.
A plane crash destroyed the greatest team in Italian history. In 1949, the Superga disaster killed the entire Grande Torino squad. Before the tragedy, they had won five consecutive titles and formed the core of the national team.
Goalkeepers once wore the number 12 as a standard. In the past, the starting keeper took number 1 and the backup took number 12. Eventually, the league allowed players to choose any number they wanted between 1 and 99.
The league changed the points for a win in 1994. Previously, teams only earned two points for a victory. To encourage more attacking play, the federation moved to the three-point system used today.
AS Roma legend Francesco Totti played for 25 seasons. He spent his entire professional career with only one club. Consequently, he became the ultimate symbol of loyalty in a sport dominated by expensive transfers.
Finally, the trophy for the champion is called the Coppa Campioni d’Italia. Although the Scudetto is more famous, the physical cup only became the official prize in 1961. Thus, winners celebrate with both the shield and the trophy.
