Antonio Vergara earned his first Italy cap in Friday’s 1-1 Nations League draw against France, pushing Roberto Mancini’s debut tally to 66 different players across his two spells.
Mancini has already introduced seven newcomers in just three games of his second spell.
Vergara was the latest against France, while Michael Kayode, Matteo Ruggeri and Sebastiano Esposito debuted versus Turkey, and Alessandro Romano, Issa Doumbia and Mohamed Ali Zoma earned their first caps against Belgium last Friday.
There are still four more players in the current Italy squad hoping for their first appearances. Goalkeepers Marco Carnesecchi and Massimo Pessina may have to bide their time behind in‑form Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Daniele Ghilardi and Eddy Kouadio will be eager to feature against Turkey in the Nations League on Monday night. The wait will test their patience, and for my money, the youngsters must seize any chance.
Below is the full list of players, in chronological order, who were given their first appearances for Italy under Mancini.
All players to debut for Italy under Mancini
(Bold denotes players who were called up to the Italy squad for Nations League fixtures in September and October.)
Ronaldo Mandragora (France 3-1 Italy, June 2018)
Nicolo Barella (Italy 1-1 Ukraine, October 2018)
Moise Kean (USA 0-1 Italy, November 2018)
Nicolo Zaniolo (Italy 2-0 Finland, March 2019)
Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy, October 2019)
Sandro Tonali (Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy, October 2019)
Alessandro Bastoni (Italy 4-0 Estonia, November 2020)
Giacomo Raspadori (Italy 4-0 Czechia, June 2021)
Gianluca Scamacca (Italy 5-0 Lithuania, September 2021)
Davide Frattesi (Italy 1-1 Germany, June 2022)
Federico Dimarco (Italy 1-1 Germany, June 2022)
Samuele Ricci (Italy 1-1 Germany, June 2022)
Giorgio Scalvini (Germany 5-2 Italy, June 2022)
Nicolo Fagioli (Albania 1-3 Italy, November 2022)
Alessandro Romano (Italy 0-2 Belgium, September 2026)
Issa Doumbia (Italy 0-2 Belgium, September 2026)
Mohamed Ali Zoma (Italy 0-2 Belgium, September 2026)
Michael Kayode (Turkey 1-4 Italy, September 2026)
Sebastiano Esposito (Turkey 1-4 Italy, September 2026)
Matteo Ruggeri (Turkey 1-4 Italy, September 2026)
Antonio Vergara (France 1-1 Italy, October 2026)