Serie A has reached a new milestone for the number of foreign players utilized within a single season. With the recent debut of Torino`s player, Perciun, the league has surpassed a significant threshold. The newspaper La Stampa highlighted this development with an article titled `The Charge of the 401`, a clear nod to Disney`s famous film `101 Dalmatians` (`La Carica dei 101`).
However, this record comes alongside a concerning statistic: the proportion of Italian players on the field has dropped to just 32%. This situation is being described as a “red alarm”. Out of a total of 588 players who have featured in the league this season, a striking 401 are of foreign nationality.
Looking at individual clubs, Udinese stands out as the team most reliant on international talent, having fielded 27 different foreign players. The Friulian club is the most prominent example and has even started matches with an entirely foreign lineup on seven separate occasions. Parma and Verona follow closely behind, having used 26 foreign players each. AC Milan also features prominently with 25 foreign players used, matching the count for Como and Lecce. Among the traditional top clubs, Inter has used 19 foreign players, while Juventus has used 20.