The idea of bringing together four wonderful number 10s at Coverciano before the start of the European Championship was proposed by Luciano Spalletti in an interview given on 30 April to the director of 'Il Corriere dello Sport', Ivan Zazzaroni

When we meet for preparation for the European Championship," said the coach, "I would like to bring four world-class number 10s to Coverciano: Baggio, Del Piero, Totti, and Antognoni. I've already discussed it with President Gravina. Imagine if 'that 40' attended one of our training sessions; it would motivate the boys to elevate their performance. The official invitation from the Federation will be sent out soon".

On Monday 3 June, the day of the number 10s will arrive, and in the meantime, they have increased from four to five. In addition to the initial 'invitees', an invitation was also sent to another special number 10, Gianni Rivera. The 'Fantastic 5', as the coach has since dubbed them, are the most representative number 10s in the history of the national team from the 60s to today, World Champions or Ballon d'Or winners (Rivera in 1969, Baggio in 1993). Here they are in strict alphabetical order: Giancarlo Antognoni, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianni Rivera, and Francesco Totti. The program for 3 June includes a day with the Azzurri for the 'Fantastic 5', who will be in a training retreat from 31 May at Centro Tecnico Federale to prepare for EURO 2024. They will arrive in the late morning, meet the coach, and then have lunch with the team. In the afternoon, they will don special jerseys and join the group on the field during the training session.

The Azzurri's expedition to EURO 2024," declared the federal president Gabriele Gravina, "begins under the bright light and valuable advice of five stars of our sport. The availability of unforgettable champions such as Antognoni, Baggio, Del Piero, Rivera, and Totti represents a beautiful testimony of love for the Azzurri jersey. It is a shining example of how the history of the national team is a precious legacy that, passing through different generations, continues to burn with spirit and pride, even before kicking a ball. I thank the 'Fantastic 5' for enthusiastically accepting our invitation and for sharing the spirit of this day. I also extend my thanks to Coach Spalletti, who had this wonderful idea, for which the FIGC immediately went to work and which, in our intentions, aims to be a great model of involvement for all enthusiasts".

THE LEGACY OF THE NUMBER 10's. Together, the 'Fantastic 5' have a total of 338 caps and 84 goals for the Azzurri, representing nearly 58 years in the national team (Del Piero the longest with a span of 13 years and 6 months, followed by Baggio with 13 years and 5 months, Rivera with 12 years and 1 month, Antognoni with 9 years, and Totti with 7 years and 9 months). They have been key figures in the history of the Azzurri, with some of them playing together at times, from 13 May 1962 (Rivera's debut in Belgium 1-3 Italy in Brussels) to 10 September 2008 (Del Piero's last match in Italy 2-0 Georgia in Udine). At least one of them has been on the field from the 1962 World Cup to the 2006 World Cup, with the only exception being Mexico '86. Rivera in 1962, 1966, 1970, and 1974; Antognoni in 1978 and 1982; Baggio in 1990, 1994, and 1998, the latter alongside Del Piero, who then participated with Totti in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Their honours include the 1982 and 2006 World Cups, second place in 1970 and 1994, third place in 1990, and fourth place in 1978. Not to mention winning the 1968 European Championship, and second place in 2000.