Passion for football, Cagliari is among the most loved teams
Rossoblù in eighth place in Italy, Juventus leads the standings
The Curva nord of the Unipol Domus, a regular meeting place for organized Cagliari fans
It is not easy to draw a map of football support in Italy, surveys and numbers are constantly fluctuating: however, all the cross-referenced data leads to outlining a rough ranking of the shirts that most ignite the passion of football lovers. Juventus is always the undisputed queen of three stars (reserved for those who have at least thirty championships), while Cagliari makes a splendid impression, confirming itself among the most loved teams in Italy. Outside national borders, however, the widest consensus is for Milan, which can count on a winning tradition in European cups.
Cagliari
“One land, one people, one team” is the slogan launched in recent years which illustrates the extent of support for the rossoblù club, followed and loved throughout the island. An almost unique peculiarity compared to what happens with other Italian teams, where bell towers and rivalries break the local support into several parts. In Sardinia there is no lack of passion for the "big" teams of the North (Juventus, Inter, Milan) but nothing affects the Sardinians' love for Cagliari. Even the rivalry with Sassari and Torres (very fast in Serie C) plays a secondary role compared to the affection that Pavoletti and his teammates receive throughout the island. The rossoblù can count on ample support overseas (and also outside the Italian borders), partly the result of emigration, partly of the passion that erupted at the time of Gigi Riva and the 1970 scudetto. According to cross-referenced findings, the active fans of the Cagliari are a little more than 500 thousand, which ensure a prestigious eighth place in the absolute classic of Italian football. If the idea of a restricted elite Serie A on the model of American professional sport ever took shape, with the most important teams on the pitch, without relegations (a proposal made by several parties and just relaunched by Napoli president De Laurentiis), the rossoblù club would have no problem appearing in the front row in the championship of the most important clubs in Italy.
The ranking
Juventus is clearly in first place, with a number of fans of between eight and nine million. On its side it has the peculiarity of receiving support in all regions, starting from those of the South. The Bianconeri are the first team in Piedmont, Val d'Aosta, Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, Umbria and Marche. There is the paradox: right under the Mole there would be a slight majority of Torino fans. On the other steps of the podium are the rivals of the Meazza stadium - Inter and Milan - who attract around four million fans each. In the rankings of recent years, the Nerazzurri team prevails by a few tens of thousands of votes, having overturned the hierarchies compared to the supremacy of Milan in the Berlusconi era. Inter is first in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, the Rossoneri prevail in Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. In fourth place is Napoli, strengthened by the championship won last season: the Azzurri have around 2 million 800 thousand supporters, concentrated mainly in Campania but with a notable presence also in the Northern regions. Fifth place for Roma, with one million and 900 thousand fans, present above all in the capital: the Giallorossi are also the first team in Lazio. In sixth place is Fiorentina - 700 thousand fans - the most loved team in Tuscany. Followed by Lazio, another Capitoline club, which above all enjoys the support of the provinces outside the metropolitan city of Rome: 600 thousand fans and seventh place. Cagliari is eighth, then there is Torino (almost 500 thousand fans) who have many admirers also in memory of the legendary ride of the 1940s.
The other teams
Bologna appears in tenth place with 300 thousand fans, who in recent weeks have been dreaming of the successes of Motta's team. Eleventh position for Sampdoria, the most loved team in Liguria, with more than 250 thousand fans, followed closely by Atalanta, the first team in the rankings to have never won a Scudetto. Genoa are thirteenth (around 200 thousand supporters), who in recent decades have handed over the scepter to their Sampdoria cousins under the Lanterna. Then we go to the Northeast: Udinese is in 14th place, Verona is in 15th place.
Rivalries in the South
Support in the southern regions is very fragmented: in Sicily Palermo, Catania and Messina share the main numbers of fans, so much so that the highest number on the island comes from Juventus supporters. The same scenario recurs in Puglia, with the great rivalries between Bari, Lecce, Foggia, Taranto, Brindisi: here too the split effect rewards the Bianconeri of Turin. Similar situation in Calabria, with fans divided between Reggina, Catanzaro, Cosenza and Crotone, while Juventus is once again full of supporters.
In the world
Even if Serie A no longer has the appeal of the last twenty years of the twentieth century, the big names in Italian football are also very followed abroad. On the international side, however, the hierarchies are reversed: Milan is in command, with 95 million fans spread across the world. The Rossoneri club is in eighth place in the overall standings ahead of its Nerazzurri cousins: Inter is in ninth place with around 60 million supporters. Juventus has to settle for thirteenth position, thanks to its almost 30 million supporters, while Roma is fifteenth (22 million). In any case, the Italian teams find themselves in secondary positions compared to the greats of English and Spanish football, followed by a colossal number of fans. On such impressive numbers, however, the figures must be considered in spades, cross-referencing the many surveys scattered around the world.
The big names in Europe
In a ranking that sees the absolute domination of European football, the most loved team in the world is Manchester United (with over 600 million fans), followed by Barcelona (450 million). In third place is Real Madrid (400 million ), which however, thanks to its unrivaled list of successes, is first in the restricted fan rankings in Europe (ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal). Outside the world podium there is a sequence of English teams: fourth is Chelsea, with 150 million fans, in fifth place is - with great growth - Manchester City (over 140 million fans). Followed by Arsenal (seventh, 120 million) and Liverpool (eighth, 100 million). After Inter and Milan, Bayern Munich is in tenth place (50 million fans). Paris Saint Germain is eleventh (40 million), Tottenham is twelfth (35 million). Juventus follows. Fourteenth, just before Roma, is Borussia Dortmund with its 23 million fans.
