Top 10 Italian players in Serie A Week 1: Vergara, Esposito and Cisse star
Quick summary
Football Italia ranks the top 10 Italian performers from the opening weekend of Serie A, highlighting standout contributions from Vergara, Esposito, and Cisse.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceThe first weekend of 2026-27 Serie A action is behind us and of the Italy representatives that took part in Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s matches, it is a collection of youngsters who have been rated the highest by the press. Check out the top 10 highest-rated Italy hopefuls from Serie A Week 1 below!
Football Italia brings you the top 10 Italy internationals and Azzurri hopefuls from the first weekend of 2026-27 Serie A action. Eight matches have been played thus far with Bologna vs. Lazio and Roma vs. Fiorentina on the Monday evening schedule. Check back on Tuesday to see the updated list in full.
MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Francesco Pio Esposito of Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with teammates during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 22, 2026 in Milan. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Reigning champions Inter kicked off the 2026-27 season in style with a 4-1 victory over newly-promoted Monza in San Siro on Saturday evening. Italy international Pio Esposito was given the highest average rating of 7.5/10 by the media after his stunning flick and assist in the second half.
Napoli’s Antonio Vergara, who scored a late goal to seal a last-gasp 2-0 victory away against Genoa on Saturday night, has also been given the same rating by the majority of outlets in Italy (7.5/10).
GENOA – AUGUST 22: Antonio Vergara of Napoli (left) celebrates with his team-mate Leonardo Spinazzola after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) 19-year-old Italy youth international Alphadjo Cisse netted the first Serie A goal of his career during Milan’s 2-1 victory over Torino on Sunday evening and was given an average rating of 7/10. The same average rating was also given to Atalanta’s Giacomo Raspadori, Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone and Cagliari’s Alessandro Romano, who has represented Switzerland at youth international level but remains eligible for Italy at senior level.
Top 10 Italy players in Serie A Week 1 so far GENOA – AUGUST 22: Antonio Vergara of Napoli celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) Antonio Vergara (Genoa 0-2 Napoli) – 7.5
Pio Esposito (Inter 4-1 Monza) – 7.5
Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta 2-1 Sassuolo) – 7
Alphadjo Cisse (Torino 1-2 Milan) – 7
Wladimiro Falcone (Venezia 0-2 Lecce) – 7
*Alessandro Romano (Parma 0-1 Cagliari) – 7
Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta 2-1 Sassuolo) – 6.5
Pietro Comuzzo (Torino 1-2 Milan) – 6.5
Alessandro Marcandalli (Genoa 0-2 Napoli) – 6.5
Daniel Maldini (Parma 0-1 Cagliari) – 6.5
*Alessandro Romano has represented Switzerland at youth level but remains eligible to play for Italy at senior level.
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What happened
Following the first matchday of the new Serie A season, Football Italia has compiled a list of the top 10 Italian nationals who impressed in Week 1. The list features players like Vergara, Esposito, and Cisse as the headline names, reflecting the early-season form of homegrown talent across the league. The round-up serves as an indicator of which Italian players are hitting the ground running as the campaign gets underway.
Chance analysis
Opening-weekend performance lists rarely move the needle in isolation, but they do offer an early read on which Italian players are in form and which are still finding their feet. Vergara, Esposito, and Cisse headline a list that spotlights domestic talent across Serie A's first round — a useful snapshot for fans tracking Azzurri contenders and breakout candidates early in the season.
Provides a snapshot of early-season Italian player form in Serie A, with no direct impact on a specific upcoming match or team.