From crime to coaching: Where are the stars of Italy's 2006 World Cup winning side now

Several years have passed since that infamous final of 9 July 2006 in Berlin, when the Italian national team, led by Marcello Lippi, managed to bring home their fourth World Cup, beating a fierce France. But what are the stars of that iconic Azzurri side up to now? Let's find out in this gallery!

Let's start with one of the most beloved players of all time, Alessandro Del Piero, the former Juventus captain who retired in 2014 without ever leaving the world of football.

Del Piero founded the Los Angeles 10 FC, an American third-tier football team. Most notably about this side, he brought in two female football players, thus transforming the team from a men's team to a coed. He has also been a commentator on Sky Sports for several years.

Vincenzo Iaquinta officially retired in 2013 and ever since he's been plagued by controversy, leading to a permanent ban from football.

In 2015, he was indicted for illegal possession of weapons, aggravated by aiding and abetting the 'Ndrangheta – the Calabrian version of the mafia – of which his father Giuseppe is said to be involved with. In 2020, he was sentenced to two years with the benefit of suspended sentence.

Another 2006 world champion is Daniele De Rossi who today, like many of his other colleagues, has become a coach... even if it was a only a brief stint.

In fact, De Rossi had begun his adventure as S.P.A.L coach on 11 October 2022, but, after just four months, on 15 February 2023, the news of his dismissal arrived.

The former striker obtained a UEFA coaching license in 2021, but there doesn't appear to have been any jobs that come to fruition as yet.

In the meantime he lives near Modena with his wife Marta Cecchetto and their two children and is a TV commentator.

The former Giallorossi captain ended his playing career in 2017 and remained on the Roma management staff for the next two years.

In June 2022, he made headlines once again unfortunately due to his separation from Ilary Blasi after 17 years of marriage. In regards his professional life, he is a sports agent looking for new talent and is a great fan of calciotto (8-a-side football).

In 2013, at the age of 35, Simone Perrotta hung up his boots. This is his memory on the World Cup reported by voceggialorossa.it: "The World Cup is a disarming, beautiful parenthesis, it's incredible to have played and won a World Cup. The more time passes, the more you savor it".

Today Perrotta is vice president of the FIGC Youth School Sector and in 2018 he founded the football school Jem's soccer academy.

Durnings his football career, Andrea Pirlo played 949 games globally scoring 111 goals. He officially retired in 2017.

Pirlo also continued to work in the football world as a coach, first with Juventus in the 2020-21 season, and then with Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük from June 2022.

Gennaro Gattuso, for all Ringhio, after retiring he embarked on a career as a coach passing through various clubs including Palermo, Pisa, Milan and Naples.

An important call for him came from Valencia, but unfortunately things didn't go as he expected. on 30 January 2023 he was sacked, prematurely ending his experience at Mestalla.

Even the former full-back of the national team, Mauro German Camoranesi, today moved to the bench as a coach after his official retirement on 13 February 2014.

The former Argentine naturalized Italian footballer has coached several teams, including the Mexican Cafetaleros de Chiapas and Coras de Tepic and the Argentinean side Tigre. In July 2022 he became assistant coach of Olympique Marseille, a role he however decided to leave after just a week.

Another 2006 world champion who decided to pursue a coaching career is Fabio Grosso. Let's remember that in the final Grosso was the author of the last decisive penalty for the victory.

Among the teams he coaches we remember Bari, Verona, Brescia and Sion. The last call for him was that of Frosinone Calcio in the Serie B championship.

Marco Materazzi, also nicknamed 'Matrix' for his agility in flying kicks, had a brief spell as a coach in India, in the team where he ended his playing career.

Today Marco Materazzi is an established entrepreneur: he founded his own clothing brand and started a winery.

Another undisputed star of that World Cup was undoubtedly Fabio Cannavaro, considered one of the best defenders of his generation. In the same year (2006) Cannavaro also won the Ballon d'Or,

Cannavaro retired in 2011 and is currently coach of Bevenvento Calcio. Its history has also been marked by various controversies. In 2014, assets worth €900,000 were seized as part of a tax fraud investigation.

The full-back finished his career as a player in 2014 and is now a coach and sports manager as well as an entrepreneur.

Among the teams he coached we remember Delhi Dynamos, in the Indian championship and Jiangsu Suning in China, where, however, he was Fabio Capello's assistant. Zambrotta has also become a reference as an entrepreneur in the world of padel.

Born in 1978, Gianluigi Buffon, for all Gigi, is the only one of the team that won the 2006 World Cup to still seriously play the game.

After twenty years at Juve, Gigi returned to Parma where he is also captain. Buffon is considered the best goalkeeper in the history of Italian football and has amassed the most appearances for the Azzurri.

Even if he wasn't present on the field during the final, Gilardino was certainly one of the heroes of that World Cup.

His career as a footballer officially ended in 2018 and since then he has coached Pro Vercelli, Siena, Genoa Primavera and Genoa first team.