Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso and captain Gianluigi Donnarumma attended the inauguration ceremony of the new football museum at coverciano on Wednesday.
Gattuso said he plans to give him the shoes he wore in the 2006 World Cup final - where Italy beat France to win the championship. However, the 47-year-old captain revealed that his mother was determined to keep this trophy.
However, the museum is not lacking in valuable artifacts reminiscent of the glorious past of Azzurri. "It's touching to be here, because there are so many wonderful memories" - Gattuso shared emotionally.
However, the silver trophy is also a clear and painful reminder of the Azzurri's decline in recent years. They may have won EURO 2020, but have continuously missed the deadline for the last two World Cups.
Donnarumma admitted that he felt goosebumps when walking around the museum, but there was also a lot of responsibility weighing on his shoulders to ensure the four-time world champions do not miss the third consecutive World Cup.
And in the current situation, that is still a completely possible possibility.
It is likely that Italy will have to compete in the play-off round to find a ticket to the World Cup next summer. Despite having one match left against Norway, they are still 6 points behind Erling Haaland and his teammates.
And even if they can match their record with the Nordic team, the Azzurri will still need a spectacular comeback in goal difference to win a direct ticket.
Therefore, Italy's most realistic goal at the moment is to ensure at least one place in the play-off round. However, even that is not certain, as they are only better than Israel in terms of goal difference, despite playing one match less.
On the positive side, a win over Estonia could see Gattuso's side take a decision against Israel three days later.
Overall, Azzurri are in good form ahead of their win over Estonia.
Matteo Politano is unable to play due to injury, but players such as Bastoni, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali are all in good shape and are maintaining stable form.
While Moise Kean is struggling in Serie A, the harmonious combination between him and Mateo Retegui is still one of the highlights of this team in international matches in September.
There are still doubts about the solidity of Gattuso's favorite four-man defence, and there have been some calls to return to the back three formation. However, at least Donnarumma has had a positive start at Manchester City. His ability to block shots could be the key to Italy's qualifying campaign. Especially in the play-off round, where they could face stronger opponents than Israel.
Of course, Donnarumma's role as captain will also be closely monitored in the coming days. The goalkeeper certainly does not want to become the first Italian player to fail in three consecutive attempts to qualify for the World Cup.
However, it can be affirmed that Gattuso is not currently thinking about a further World Cup. qualifying alone has been a remarkable feat for the Azzurri in the current situation.
