Earlier this week, we headed to Florence's iconic Stadio Franchi for a truly special occasion: a legends' clash between Fiorentina Legends and a star-studded selection of Serie A greats.
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12 Sep 1998: Gabriel Batistuta of Fiorentina celebrates during the Serie A match against Empoli at the Stadio Communale in Florence, Italy. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport
Organised by the Viola as part of their centenary celebrations, the match brought together some of the biggest names to have graced Italian football.
Among the legends on show were Gabriel Omar Batistuta, Francesco Totti, Roberto Baggio and Franck Ribéry, alongside many other unforgettable figures from the game.

#stadio #serie

Alessandro Florenzi believes Paolo Maldini could have transformed Italian football had he been given the room to work, and says the federation should have committed to him fully.
With quotes via MilanNews.it, the former Milan and Roma defender discussed his old club captain's brief spell as Italy's technical director in an interview with Repubblica, describing the decision to walk away as characteristic.
"Paolo needs to do things his own way," Florenzi said. "If he takes on a responsibility, he does it 100 per cent. He felt the trust ebbing away, and out of consistency he took a step back. He talked about Cruyff, about how he changed Spanish football. He wanted to do the same in Italy and, for me, he could have managed it."
EMPOLI, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Paolo Maldini of AC Milan looks on during the Serie A match between Empoli FC and AC MIlan at Stadio Carlo Castellani on October 1, 2022 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Asked whether Maldini and Leonardo had wanted Andrea Pirlo as national team coach, Florenzi did not confirm it directly but defended the thinking. "De Rossi and Grosso were the other names in play, with similar CVs to Andrea," he said. "Any choice would have been criticised. But perhaps they had seen further ahead. If you choose Maldini, you close your eyes and go straight ahead with him."

#florenzi #paolo #empoli #Football

Juventus resumed pursuing Emiliano Martinez after Aston Villa came to terms with Parma for Zion Suzuki, but the deal quickly collapsed, and then they reached an agreement for Guglielmo Vicario instead, Fabrizio Romano reports (via SOSFanta).
The Birmingham-based club had shown interest in the **** anese international earlier in the summer. They returned after PSG gave up the chase due to late issues with the commissions. The Premier League club quickly offered Parma the same amount of money.
Juventus tried to take advantage of the turn of events to sign Martinez, who was higher on their shortlist than Vicario. However, Aston Villa didn't reduce their demands, around €15M, despite securing a new goalie. Moreover, the Argentinian star is dealing with a lingering finger injury that might require surgery at some point.
The Bianconeri were always willing to offer at most €6/7M plus add-ons for the veteran. Upon further reflection, they moved on again and formally opened talks with Tottenham. The Italian international wanted to leave, as he's the third-stringer now. The Spurs didn't insist on an obligation to buy, so he's joining on loan with a €10M option. He's returning to Serie A after his performances at Empoli earned him a move to London.
It was worth a shot given the Suzuki U-turn. The fact that Aston Villa are spending big at the position raises more than a few eyebrows about the latter's conditions, and the terms were tough to stomach, given his age. Surely the Spurs outcast doesn't arrive under the best circumstances, as they probed several options while he was just sitting there, but he's still better than Michele Di Gregorio in a perennial funk.

#martinez #suzuki

Lazio have reportedly been offered the services of their long-time target Jacopo Fazzini, who is coming off a challenging campaign at Fiorentina.
The 23-year-old was considered among the most exciting up-and-coming youngsters in Italian football when he was still making his first strides in Serie A. The Biancocelesti tried to acquire him on several occasions in the past, including January 2025 when they ended up buying Reda Belahyane from ***** as Verona.
While Lazio were never able to strike a deal with Empoli for Fazzini, the Azzurri ended up selling the player to their Tuscan rivals, Fiorentina, in the summer of 2025 for €10 million. But with the Viola enduring a torrid campaign, especially in the first half under Stefano Pioli, the midfielder struggled to perform at the Artemio Franchi, only contributing with one ***** ist in 32 appearances in all competitions.
According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Fazzini was offered to Lazio a few days ago. Gennaro Gattuso could do with a midfielder capable of playing in a more advanced role in his projected 4-2-3-1 formation, especially after missing out on Bayern Munich youngster Jonathan Asp Jensen.
But as the source explains, the Aquile's interest in Fazzini has dwindled, as they now have other priorities on the market, especially in the backline, where they must replace Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila.

Wednesday’s reports claim that Milan and Azzurri legend Paolo Maldini is closing in on a decision to return to the Italy national team set-up in the role as technical director.
Newly-appointed FIGC President Giovanni Malago is looking to rebuild the management of the Italy national team following the departures of Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluigi Buffon after the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup earlier this year.
Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini remain the frontrunners for the role of head coach, but reports over the last few weeks have made it clear that Malago wishes to appoint a new technical director before making a final decision on the next CT.
Maldini has been touted as Malago’s favourite for the position of technical director, but the Milan legend has not yet given his go-ahead.
EMPOLI, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Paolo Maldini of AC Milan looks on during the Serie A match between Empoli FC and AC MIlan at Stadio Carlo Castellani on October 1, 2022 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Ismael Bennacer is still on the Milan books after the Dinamo Zagreb loan, but is taking matters into his own hands to find a new club this summer.
The Algeria international had been a big investment when making the transfer to Milan in 2019 for €17.2m from Empoli.
His career was at its peak when he suffered a devastating knee injury in May 2023, from which he struggled to fully recover.
epa11804086 AC Milan’s Ismael Bennacer (L) in action against Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli (R) during the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final match between Juventus FC and AC Milan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 03 January 2025. EPA-EFE/STR
There was a loan at Olympique Marseille in February 2025 that was not made permanent, then another to Dinamo Zagreb in September 2025 when other markets had already closed.

It was a weekend to remember for AC Milan's Youth Sector. The Under-15 boys were crowned Champions of Italy, defeating Empoli 2-0 in the Scudetto final in Rimini to cap off an outstanding season. There was further cause for celebration for the Under-15 girls, who secured their place in the National Final with an impressive 3-1 away victory over Fiorentina. Two significant results that highlight the strength of AC Milan's youth development programme and the excellent work being carried out across the Club.
THE WEEKEND'S RESULTS:
SUNDAY 21 JUNE
WOMEN'S UNDER-15: semi-final (second leg), Fiorentina 1-3 AC Milan (3' Schense, 10' Marinari, 55' Luccarelli)
UNDER-15: final, Empoli 0-2 AC Milan (23' Manna, 33' Jadid)