Italy: a nation steeped in soccer history.
Four-time World Cup winners and two-time European Championship winners, there is no doubt Italy has produced some of the greatest players ever to grace the pitch. Its reputation for producing elite managers is just as impressive.
However, Italian influence has not always translated seamlessly to English soccer. While the Premier League has seen a number of talented Azzurri players, many of the country’s biggest stars have remained in Serie A. In fact, only a small group of Italians have ever lifted the Premier League trophy—most of them doing so from the dugout rather than on the field.
Here are the Italians who have won the Premier League, either as players or as managers.
Italian Managers Who Have Won the Premier League
Carlo Ancelotti
“Don” Carlo Ancelotti became the first Italian—either as a player or manager—to win the Premier League, achieving the feat with a Chelsea side that had already enjoyed its share of Azzurri influence. Players such as Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Di Matteo had previously represented the club, but none had managed to lift the English top-flight title before Ancelotti’s arrival.
The Italian coach guided a star-studded Chelsea team to the Premier League crown in the 2009-10 season, edging out an impressive Manchester United side by just one point. Chelsea rattled in an incredible 103 goals along the way—17 more than the runners-up.
The title was sealed in emphatic fashion on the final day, with an 8–0 demolition of Wigan Athletic. That victory marked the fourth time Chelsea had scored seven or more goals in a single match that season under Ancelotti’s leadership.
To cap off a memorable campaign, Chelsea went on to win the FA Cup just six days later, conceding only one goal throughout the entire competition.
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini can certainly lay claim to the most dramatic Premier League title win ever. Taking charge of Manchester City in the 2011–12 season, the Sky Blues needed victory on the final day to beat local rivals Manchester United to the crown—but found themselves 2–1 down to Queens Park Rangers heading into stoppage time.
What followed is now part of Premier League history. Edin Džeko struck a crucial equaliser in the 92nd minute before Sergio Agüero scored arguably the most iconic goal in the competition’s history just two minutes later.
The Argentine’s close-range finish sparked wild celebrations and secured Manchester City their first Premier League title, as well as their first league championship since 1968.
Claudio Ranieri
Goosebumps 🦊
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 7, 2019
Three years ago, Andrea Bocelli serenaded @LCFC on the day they lifted the Premier League trophy! pic.twitter.com/ls5Ev0AEux
If Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City triumph was the most dramatic Premier League title win, then Claudio Ranieri’s with Leicester City is surely the most astonishing.
Heading into the 2015–16 season, the Foxes were priced at 5000/1 to win the league. There were better odds of finding Elvis Presley alive. Yet Leicester somehow held off the traditional giants—Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United—to complete one of the most remarkable sporting achievements in history.
Ranieri, who had previously endured a difficult spell at Chelsea in his only other Premier League role, transformed Leicester in his first season at the King Power Stadium. A well-organized, direct style of play combined with excellent recruitment helped build an extraordinary team spirit and momentum that carried them through the campaign.
N’Golo Kanté, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez led the way as the standout stars, but players such as Wes Morgan, Christian Fuchs, Danny Drinkwater and Shinji Okazaki all earned hero status with their excellent performances en route to the most unlikely success story.
Antonio Conte
The fourth—and most recent—Italian manager to win the Premier League title, Antonio Conte achieved the feat in his debut season in English soccer. Appointed Chelsea head coach in 2016, he guided the Blues to the top of the table despite a relatively slow start to his tenure, ultimately sealing the title at the Hawthorns in May thanks to a rare Michy Batshuayi goal.
Chelsea held off a strong challenge from an impressive Tottenham side, and although they did not necessarily lead the league in attacking or defensive statistics compared to their rivals, Conte’s tactical structure and trademark intensity helped push them over the line.
It was not the most star-studded Chelsea roster ever assembled, but with key contributions from players such as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Conte still delivered a remarkable title-winning campaign.
Italian Players Who Have Won the Premier League
Mario Balotelli
This is a surprisingly short list. Only three Italian players have ever won the Premier League—the first of whom was none other than Mario Balotelli.
Playing under compatriot Roberto Mancini during Manchester City’s 2011–12 title-winning season, the striker scored 13 goals in just 23 appearances (only 14 of which were starts). That tally included two memorable finishes in the famous 6–1 derby win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
He also picked up two red cards along the way—because, well, he’s Balotelli—but his most significant contribution came on the final day of the season in that unforgettable 3–2 win over QPR. It was Balotelli who played the pass through to Sergio Agüero for the title-clinching goal, registering his only assist of the campaign at the perfect moment.
Federico Chiesa
After Balotelli, the Premier League had to wait over a decade for another Italian player to win the title, with Federico Chiesa achieving the feat at Liverpool in the 2024-25 season.
Unlike Balotelli, however, Chiesa had a limited role in the campaign—making just six Premier League appearances, one more than the minimum required to qualify for a winner’s medal. Only one of those outings came as a start.
Riccardo Calafiori
The latest Italian player to lift the Premier League title, Riccardo Calafiori, was part of Arsenal’s title-winning squad in the 2025-26 season.
Despite a few injury setbacks, the Italian full back—who also featured at center back—played an important role in Mikel Arteta’s squad, making over 20 starts across the campaign.
His standout moment of the season came on the opening day against Manchester United, where he scored a stunning winner in a 1–0 victory over their fierce rivals. That early strike helped set the tone for what became a title-winning season, and without it, Arsenal may not have ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League crown.
