Man, I never thought I’d be obsessing over a football squad list from almost two decades ago, but here we are. This whole thing started because my life got completely derailed, just like how life sometimes does when you’re not looking.
I had this whole schedule set up for the summer. Finally getting around to organizing the mountain of old files I had piled up in the attic. Then my wife decided to surprise me with an impromptu ‘family history’ project. She pulled out these huge, dusty photo albums, and next thing you know, we are spending a rainy Saturday afternoon staring at pictures of my cousins from back in the mid-2000s.
Suddenly, my cousin Tony calls. Tony is a massive sports fanatic but has the worst memory for specifics. We started reminiscing about 2006, the World Cup, the whole drama. Tony, he started making definitive claims. He swore up and down that Inzaghi was the main man up front for Italy, and that Gattuso was barely even on the bench for the final match. I remember watching those games live, but damn, trying to recall the exact 23-man list when you’re arguing with a confident idiot is harder than you think.
I realized I couldn’t just rely on fuzzy memory. I had to practice what I preach: get the facts, document the process, and deliver the conclusive proof. I didn’t just want the eleven starters; I needed the complete, official squad list submitted to FIFA, including the obscure reserves that never got a minute on the field.
The Scramble: Digging Deep for the Official Roster
My first move wasn’t to Google, which is what most folks do. Too many quick summaries out there miss the fine print. I went looking for archived articles and official federation documents. I spent maybe two hours cross-referencing information from three different sources—an old sports magazine PDF, an international football database archive, and a specific forum thread that seemed to be run by guys who track kits and obscure player movements. The goal was consistency. If all three said the same backup keeper, I trusted it.
I started with the obvious ones, the big names we all remember—Buffon, Cannavaro, Totti. Those were easy. Then I hit the midfielders and realized just how many solid, hardworking guys were packed into that roster. The real challenge was verifying the jersey numbers, because nothing says ‘I did my homework’ like having the exact squad number attached to the name.
I built the list systematically, position by position. It was a good exercise in diligence, pushing past the highlights reel to find the whole picture. I typed everything out, checking spelling and position codes, ensuring every single guy who lifted that trophy was accounted for. It was deeply satisfying, like solving a really specific historical puzzle.
Presenting the Irrefutable Facts
Once I had it locked down, I put it into a clean, simple list format. I wanted Tony to see it instantly, no excuses, no room for him to claim I missed anyone. He was wrong about Inzaghi being the main striker, and he was definitely wrong about Gattuso’s role. This list shut down the argument completely.
Here is exactly who made up the Italy 2006 World Cup winning squad. Get ready for some serious nostalgia:
Goalkeepers
- 1 Gianluigi Buffon
- 12 Angelo Peruzzi
- 14 Marco Amelia
Defenders
- 2 Cristian Zaccardo
- 3 Fabio Grosso
- 5 Fabio Cannavaro (Captain)
- 6 Andrea Barzagli
- 13 Alessandro Nesta
- 19 Gianluca Zambrotta
- 22 Massimo Oddo
- 23 Marco Materazzi
Midfielders
- 4 Daniele De Rossi
- 8 Gennaro Gattuso
- 10 Francesco Totti
- 16 Mauro Camoranesi
- 17 Simone Barone
- 20 Simone Perrotta
- 21 Andrea Pirlo
Forwards
- 7 Alessandro Del Piero
- 9 Luca Toni
- 11 Alberto Gilardino
- 15 Vincenzo Iaquinta
- 18 Filippo Inzaghi
The Aftermath of Documentation
Look at that list. That’s pure, unadulterated history right there. And yeah, Iaquinta was there, Barzagli was there, and yes, Inzaghi was absolutely a reserve striker, but nowhere near the main man. I sent this comprehensive document to Tony. The silence on the other end was golden. He tried to pivot, claiming he meant the 2002 squad, which was just pathetic.
This whole thing proves something important: whether you’re building a massive software project or just trying to win a trivia argument with your stubborn cousin, the methodology is the same. You start with the problem (the argument), define what proof you need (the official list), execute a solid search strategy (cross-referencing archives), and deliver the complete, verified record.
I mean, what a team. It’s wild to see how many of these guys became legends based on this one tournament. This record isn’t just a list of names; it’s the roster of the champions. Took a rainy weekend and a stupid argument to compile it, but I nailed it. Now I can finally go back to organizing those old boxes, armed with the knowledge that I’m right, and Tony is wrong.