The Serie A is one of the oldest league competitions in world soccer, having been formed in 1898 and then altered in 1929 to be the round-robin format that we know today. Home to some of the most well-known, well-supported, and successful clubs in soccer.
Serie A is one of the best leagues in the world and has been home to some truly world-class players, hosted some of the most incredible teams, and given fans worldwide some of the most exciting soccer we’ve ever seen. Italians love soccer; following their club is almost a religious experience.
Winning the Scudetto is hard, a 38-game season against some of the best players on the planet, with some of the meanest defenses ever seen. Italian soccer has always been known for its defensive prowess; to get to the top of the league table and stay there is a massive achievement.
Today we’re going to look back at some of the truly outstanding players of Serie A to see which ones not only shone the brightest but won the most Serie A titles.
Here are the 7 players with the most Seria A Titles:
7. Franco Baresi – AC Milan – 6 Titles
We’ve been unable to pick every player who won multiple scudettos, so we’ve had to select the cream of the crop for each section. Several players have won six Serie A titles, but Franco Baresi is top of the pile for sheer quality, fame, and talent.
Winning his first Serie A with AC Milan in 1979, Baresi, without a doubt, one of the greatest defenders of all time, would win his final title in 1996, an incredible 17 years after his first.
A one-club player, Baresi spent his entire 20-year career at the heart of a Milan defense, becoming one of the most respected Italian players of all time.
A calm, majestic player, the Italian legend would glide around the pitch, dispossessing players, beginning attacking moves, and generally looking unflappable. AC Milan retired his number 6 jersey upon retirement, understanding all too well that filling it would be impossible.
6. Ciro Ferrara – Napoli & Juventus – 7 Titles
Another defender of truly epic standard was Crio Ferrara, an Italian fullback who spent a decade with Napoli, winning two Serie A titles, before moving to Turin with Juventus, where over the next decade, he would go on to lift a further five scudetto.
With 16 years between his first title and his last, Ferrara was another player whose longevity helped his final tally but didn’t tell the whole story. You don’t stay at the heart of an Italian, Juventus, or Napoli defense for almost 20 years without being an outstanding player.
And outstanding he was; aggressive, intelligent, composed; Ferrara was superb at marking players out of the game and could play in several positions. With incredible positional sense, Ferrara was always in the right area, tackled like an angry lion, and had the fitness to play at high speed for the full 90 minutes.
Seven Serie A titles in an incredibly successful career make Ciro Ferrara one of the most successful and respected Italian defenders of all time. A player of his caliber today would be worth upwards of $100 million and be well worth the outlay.
5. Alessando Costacurta – AC Milan – 7 Titles
There must be something in the water in Italy because the defenders seem to be able to play at the very top of their profession for decades. Much like Franco Baresi and Ciro Ferrara, Alessandro Costacurta was a defender whose career lasted an impressive 21 seasons.
Another one-club player, Costacurta, spent his entire career at the heart of the AC Milan defense, winning seven great Serie A titles.
The complete defender, Costacurta, could play anywhere along the back line but was primarily used as part of a central defense partnership, often with Baresi or Paolo Maldini.
The older Costacurta got, the better his defending became; his experience, skill, and total commitment to defending made him one of the toughest players in Serie A. Costacurta had insane reflexes, incredible awareness, and was a superb communicator.
Confident and composed, strikers dreaded going up against him and rarely walked away with anything but a sound thrashing.
With seven Serie A titles to his name and a host of other titles and trophies, Costacurta remains one of the best and most successful defenders in history.
4. Andrea Barzagli – Juventus – 8 Titles
Try to contain your surprise when you find out that Andrea Barzagli makes it onto our list; a defender whose career spanned over two decades and whose skills were legendary. Unlike many other defenders on our list, Barzagli didn’t start out at a top club and go on to win title after title.
Spending 13 seasons moving from club to club, Barzagli played for many of the smaller clubs in Italy, before slowly climbing the ladder.
Playing for clubs such as Piacenza, Chievo, Ascoli, and Palermo, before a move to German side Wolfsburg in 2008, Barzagli would spend three seasons in the Bundesliga before a move to Juventus in 2011.
It was in Turin that Barzagli finally hit the big time and would win the Serie A title in his first season with the club. Incredibly, the Italian international would then win the title again and again for eight consecutive seasons.
From spending over a decade moving from club to club, Barzagli became one of the most successful players in Italian soccer history.
3. Leonardo Bonucci – Inter Milan & Juventus – 9 Titles
A journeyman soccer player whose long career has seen him play for Inter Milan, Genoa, Bari, AC Milan, and Juventus, Leonardo Bonucci is one of only three players to have ever won the Italian Serie A nine times.
A superb defender with an excellent passing range, Bonucci is a center-back with all-around skills, good in the air, solid tackling, and elite-level marking.
During his time with Internazionale, Bonucci helped the team to the 2006 Serie A title before a move to Juventus in 2010.
It was at Juventus that the Italian international would win six consecutive Serie A titles before a season with AC Milan. A quick return to Juventus would see the fourth-most-capped Italian of all time win a further two titles.
Being in the right team at the right time certainly helps, but Bonucci was such a complete defender that he is well deserving of such a career.
Regarded by Pep Guardiola as one of the best players of all time, Bonucci is one of the most decorated Italian players in Serie A history.
2. Giorgio Chiellini – Juventus – 9 Titles
To win nine Serie A titles is obscene; to win nine in a row is beyond reason, yet that’s precisely what Giorgio Chiellini did while playing for Juventus for 18 incredible seasons.
A giant of a defender and a great asset at offensive and defensive free kicks, Chiellini is one of the best defenders in soccer history.
Giving the appearance of being an old-fashioned center-back, Chiellini was actually an astute reader of the game, with incredible athleticism and anticipation. Chiellini was a strong,
composed, and ruthless defender who used his strength and man-marking ability to stop attackers in their tracks.
Nicknamed “King Kong” by Juventus fans for his chest-beating goal celebrations, Chiellini scored 34 league goals and eight for Italy in a career that brought the defender 117 international caps.
Eventually becoming both the Juventus and Italy captain, Chiellini is one of the most respected defenders in history, with a Serie A haul that one player only beats.
1. Gianluigi Buffon – Juventus – 10 Titles
The most outstanding goalkeeper of his generation and arguably any era, Gianluigi Buffon is the only player in history to have won ten Serie A titles. Including his Ligue 1 title for Paris Saint Germain, Buffon has an insane 11 league titles to his name.
Winning his first Serie A with Juventus in 2002 and his last in 2020, Buffon is one of the club’s longest-serving players and one of the greatest goalkeepers Italy has ever seen.
Had the Calciopoli scandal not seen Juventus relegated in 2006 and the club not been stripped of a title, the Italian goalkeeper could well have ended his career with over a dozen league titles.
Winning a Serie B title before a quick return to the top division, Buffon chose to stay at Juventus and help the team rebuild. And rebuild they did; from 2012 until 2018, the Old lady of Turin won six consecutive titles, justifying Buffon’s choice to stay loyal to the club.
After a season with PSG, Buffon returned to Juventus for two more seasons, picking up his final scudetto in 2020.
Currently, back at his childhood club Parma, Italy’s greatest goalkeeper is now in his 44th year, and while the reflexes may not be as sharp, the experience and intelligence Buffon brings to his game mean he’s still one of the best around at what he does.
A record ten Serie A titles is an astonishing legacy to leave behind and one that’s unlikely ever to be matched.