Nine Italy stars making their mark abroad

Italy head coach Andrea Soncin caught no fewer than four flights, clocking up more than 20,000 kilometres, at the start of last month as he crossed the Atlantic to check in on some of his charges at their clubs. His whistle-stop tour involved him calling in at San Jose-based Bay FC, Houston Dash and Washington Spirit. The tactician’s stateside trip is indicative of the increasing number of Italian women’s players playing abroad in recent years.

Azzure stars have checked into the English Women’s Super League, Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga and Spanish football’s Liga F – where Arianna Caruso put pen to paper on a four-year deal at Real Madrid last month – as well as the US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Italian luminaries are spreading their wings far and wide in the quest to gain experience and develop their game outside their comfort zones. According to Soncin, the national team are reaping the rewards of several of the squad’s globetrotting exploits in their bid to secure a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™.

FIFA offers you the low-down on all nine Italy internationals currently playing abroad.

Arianna Caruso

The 26-year-old engine-room orchestrator, who recently swapped Bayern Munich for Real Madrid, is at the peak of her powers. “I’ve got a winning mentality,” insisted the Caruso on signing for the Spanish giants. After a trophy-laden year and a half with Bayern, Caruso is embarking on a new adventure on Iberian soil and does so as the most expensive Italian women’s player of all time, with Las Blancas having parted with a reported fee of more than 600,000 euros to secure her services.

On the international stage, the former Juventus schemer will be desperate to shine brightly alongside midfield partners in crime Manuela Giugliano and Giada Greggi in next month’s two-legged first-round World Cup play-off against Belarus.

Laura Giuliani

After leaving AC Milan as a free agent this past June, the Italian goalkeeper has returned to Germany after signing for top-flight first-timers Stuttgart. Having played in the country from 2012 to 2017, the seasoned shot-stopper got the nod between the sticks in her new employers’ first two outings of the season, both of which ended in victory. With 110 caps to her name, including appearances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, the 33-year-old will be one of the key players as the Italians bid to negotiate their way through the UEFA play-offs and qualify for Brazil 2027.

Giulia Dragoni

Teenage sensation Giulia Dragoni made her Serie A Women debut for Inter Milan in November 2022, shortly after her 16th birthday. In January of the following year, she joined Barcelona, where she continued to hone her talents with the reserves and first team before spending back-to-back seasons on loan at Roma. While in the Italian capital, she established herself as one of Europe’s most talented centre-midfielders.

At the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, she became the youngest Italian to line up at the global extravaganza when she featured in her country’s curtain-raiser against Argentina. This past July, Dragoni was on the move again, joining Chelsea in a deal that runs until 2030. The diminutive playmaker netted on her debut for Sonia Bompastor’s side and is now chasing her maiden goal in Azzurre colours.

Elena Linari

A vastly experienced defender who has been capped 126 times, Elena Linari has produced some roaring performances for London City Lionesses since being unveiled at the English top-tier side last August. She has enjoyed two previous overseas stints, at French outfit Bordeaux and Spanish heavyweights Atlético Madrid. At 32, she brings plenty of knowhow to the Londoners’ star studded squad.

Another Italian who calls England’s top flight home is Aurora 'Yaya' Galli, who became the first player from her country to ply her trade in the division when she joined Everton in July 2021. Despite suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury in September 2024 – from which she returned this past January – the intelligent defensive midfielder has remained very much on Soncin’s radar and was called up for the nation’s World Cup qualifying double-header in April.

Italian quartet in NWSL

After having spent her entire career in her homeland, veteran forward Cristiana Girelli decided to up sticks and put her goalscoring talents to the test in the United States as she made a loan switch to Bay FC from Juventus this past February. The 36-year-old poacher remains one of Italy’s leading lights in attack and will be itching to grace a third consecutive Women’s World Cup.

The trailblazer who opened the door to the Italian exodus to the United States was Sofia Cantore, who became the first player from the country in NWSL history when she inked a deal to join Washington Spirit last June. Capable of operating anywhere across the frontline, the 26-year-old was one of the standout performers in Italy’s run to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 semi-finals.

Lucia Di Guglielmo teamed up with Cantore at the Washington DC-based powerhouses last December. The highly reliable former Roma full-back started three of the Italians’ six league-phase matches in UEFA qualifying for next year’s global bonanza.

Last but not least in our rundown of Italian exports, former Juventus left-back Lisa Boattin secured a move away from her motherland last August, when she made Houston Dash her new stomping ground. Another long-serving international star, the 29-year-old notched her first league goal by rounding off the scoring in last month’s 5-0 rout of Chicago Stars.