An embrace with Gianluca Vialli, the raising of the trophy, a dream that had become reality. Eleven months on from that European Championship triumph, Roberto Mancini is back at Wembley and ready to experience another magical evening. Awaiting his team is a big challenge against an Argentina side that haven’t lost in three years and are currently on a 31-game unbeaten run. The showdown between the Champions of Europe and the Copa América winners will see Messi and Giorgio Chiellini come up against each other for the last time, but it will also be a chess match between Mancini and another Lionel, Argentina Head Coach Scaloni, who described Italy as one of the best teams in the world.

“It’s a real pleasure to be back at Wembley,” said Mancini in his pre-match press conference. “Less than twelve months ago, we got to celebrate here, which is why there’s also some emotion involved. Italy vs. Argentina is a real classic in world football and will be a tribute to many players. It’s disappointing not to have Chiesa, Immobile, Berardi and Verratti with us, but those who take to the pitch will perform really well. Argentina are a strong side, but so are we.”

The disappointment of missing out on the World Cup is still fresh in the mind, and the match against Argentina and the upcoming Nations League games against Germany, Hungary and England will be great tests to see if the team have put the defeat to North Macedonia behind them. “Tomorrow’s game will end a cycle,” stressed the Head Coach. “It doesn’t mean that 15-20 players will leave, but we’ll include youngsters to see if we can count on them with the future in mind.”

One new face in the squad for the match against the Albiceleste is FC Zürich striker Wilfried Gnonto, who progressed through the Italy youth ranks and earned a call-up from the Head Coach following the training camp dedicated to promising young players. It’s further proof of the attention Mancini pays to young players, even if they’re not getting a lot of playing time for their clubs: “We’re trying to work for the future, to improve. Whether clubs play their youngsters or not isn’t down to me. We’ll look to have a better understanding of younger players and want to do things right, but we can’t beg anyone if they don’t want to do something.”

After announcing that Belotti will be involved (“he’ll play because he was our back-up striker at the Euros”), Mancini remembered Diego Maradona, who helped create an even stronger bond between Italy and Argentina: “I had the good fortune to play against him for many years; it was a great honour. It’s a real shame that he won’t be here tomorrow.”

Sitting alongside the Head Coach were Leonardo Bonucci and Lorenzo Insigne. The former will take over the captain’s armband from Chiellini, while the latter is ready to start a new adventure in Canada but wants to continue to be involved in the Azzurri setup.

“It’s our duty to enjoy this last day with Giorgio,” said Bonucci. “He’s been a great teammate both on and off the pitch. From the day after tomorrow, I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done: be an example. From Chiellini, I’ve learnt to process difficult situations quickly and find a solution. I’ll try to smooth the flaws in my character – I’m more hot-headed than Giorgio – and my teammates will have to help me, just like we helped Chiellini and Buffon.”

After talking about his equaliser in the final against England (“I think about it often; it resulted in a penalty shootout”) and the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup (“It’s our own fault, there really was very little separating us from being involved and competing for something that is truly unique in a player’s career”), Bonucci turned his attention to Argentina and a certain Leo Messi: “Argentina are among the best teams in the world. They haven’t lost for 31 games, and this isn’t by coincidence. Commitment and respect are required, as well as maximum competitive spirit. We need to push the restart button from this match and lay the foundations to bring Italy back to the top. Messi has been and still is one of the best players in the world alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. You run out of superlatives when you talk about a player who has won so many Ballon d'Ors.”

“I’m always available,” said Insigne, thus ruling out another Azzurri farewell. “I’m deeply attached to this shirt. Even if I’m heading to the other side of the world, I’ll make myself available. This stadium evokes great memories for us, and we want to ensure that our fans enjoy a wonderful night tomorrow.” For the man from Naples, playing Argentina inevitably triggers memories of Diego Armando Maradona: “I have a tattoo of Maradona. I hope that I’ll lift this trophy tomorrow. We Neapolitans will always thank him for what he did for us.”

Squad list for the Finalissima

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Pierluigi Gollini (Tottenham), Alex Meret (Napoli) (in addition to Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa), who, however, is injured);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri Dos Santos (Olympique Lyonnais), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Manuel Lazzari (Lazio), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Jorginho Frello Jorge Luiz (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain);
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Wilfried Gnonto (FC Zürich), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo).