Tammy Abraham scores ONE MINUTE into Rome derby, here's the Top 10 Englishmen to play in Serie A

20 Mar 2022 17:22 GMT
5 min read

Tammy Abraham hit the headlines on Sunday evening by scoring just one minute into the Rome derby.

Abraham completed a €40 million transfer last summer to Jose Mourinho's side - with another €5m in bonuses - after finding himself surplus to requirements at Chelsea.

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He has enjoyed an excellent first season at the Stadio Olimpico, already breaking the 20-goal barrier in all competitions and now scoring in the game that matters most for supporters.

Here are some of the other notable Englishmen to play in Serie A over the years…

Gerry Hitchens (Inter, Torino, Atalanta, Cagliari)

Hitchens is considered the most successful Englishman to ever play in Serie A after a brilliant eight-year spell during the 1960s.

The striker outperformed some of his better-known British exports that decade such as Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law and was notable for his technique and aerial ability.

His 16 Serie A goals led Inter to the Scudetto, while he also posted impressive numbers at Torino.

Trevor Francis (Sampdoria, Atalanta)

Trevor Francis was one of the most complete forwards English football has ever seen. He was fast, skilful, creative, two-footed and a great goalscorer.

At Sampdoria he was part of a wonderful team that featured a young Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli, not to mention Graeme Souness.

Francis was unplayable at times, unfortunately he rarely played for long stretches due to his injury proneness. He played a pivotal role in winning Sampdoria their first-ever Coppa Italia in 1985.

Mark Hateley (Milan)

Mark Hateley will forever remain a Rossoneri legend after scoring arguably the most famous goal in the history of the Milan derby,

Hateley leapt above World Cup winner Fulvio Collovati to power home an iconic header to win the derby in 1984.

A monster in the air, Hateley enjoyed three excellent seasons at Milan alongside fellow Englishman Ray Wilkins.

Paul Gascoigne (Lazio)

Paul Gascoigne celebrates scoring for Lazio. pic.twitter.com/7K3DzilR47
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) October 23, 2019

The best English player of his generation, Paul Gascoigne moved to Lazio from Tottenham in 1992 during the golden era of Serie A.

‘Gazza’ showed moments of genius during his three years in Rome and was popular with fans but never truly fulfilled his potential due to a couple of serious injuries.

David Platt (Bari, Juventus, Sampdoria)

Just like Gascoigne, David Platt earned his move to Serie A on the back of a brilliant tournament at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

He scored a fantastic 11 goals in his first season in the league with lowly Bari, earning him a move to mighty Juventus. He was mostly a squad player with the Bianconeri but still helped the club to a UEFA Cup win. The midfielder then enjoyed two successful years at Sampdoria, winning a Coppa Italia, before returning to England with Arsenal.

Paul Ince (Inter)

Another England international midfielder to play in Serie A during the 1990s, Ince signed for Inter from Manchester United in 1995.

He played well during his two seasons at San Siro, displaying all of his competitive spirit and tough tackling.

Ince helped Inter to the UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Schalke, before returning to England with Liverpool.

David Beckham (Milan)

David Beckham spent two loan spells at Milan from LA Galaxy towards the end of his career in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

The Manchester United legend did reasonably well but, like many of his legendary Milan teammates at the time, he was well past his peak.

Milan had an ageing team of iconic players such as Ronaldinho, Paolo Maldini, Pippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo and they were unable to challenge for major trophies.

Ashley Cole (Roma)

Frank Lampard signing old team mate Ashley Cole for Derby.

Here's that photo of him with Roma. pic.twitter.com/Lzh5sCsNpO
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) January 17, 2019

Ashley Cole enjoyed a magnificent and long career with Arsenal, Chelsea and England – and was one of the best left-backs in the world for well over a decade.

However, he endured a disastrous spell at Roma. He joined the club on a free transfer in 2014 at the age of 33 but it soon became apparent he was physically past his best.

After a promising performance against Man City in the Champions League, his form plummeted and he didn’t play a single game in his second and final season at the club.

Chris Smalling (Roma)

Smalling joined Roma from Manchester United in the summer of 2019, initially on loan before his deal became permanent.

In his first season, he surprised many of his critics by being one of the best defenders in the whole of Serie A.

However, in his second campaign he struggled badly with injuries and was rumoured to be returning to the Premier League until new coach Jose Mourinho convinced him to stay.

Ashley Young (Inter)

© ProShots - Ashley Young with Romelu Lukaku, Inter

Ashley Young’s transfer from Manchester United to Inter in the winter of 2020 was greeted with scepticism by fans.

However, despite his advancing years, Young did a good job at San Siro during his 18 months at the club.

He was a steady influence at left-wing back and helped the club to a first Scudetto in 11 years and a UEFA Cup final.

Fikayo Tomori (Milan)

Fikayo Tomori joined Milan on loan from Chelsea in January 2021 and has enjoyed an outstanding start to his career in Serie A.

He soon pushed Alessio Romagnoli out of the starting XI before joining permanently last summer. This season he has played a key role in Milan's title challenge.

Tomori was regarded as one of Chelsea’s most promising young players and his exit from the club upset fans.