GdS: A ‘global battle’ – Inter vs. Milan a worldwide affair with 18 nations represented

The game between Inter and AC Milan at San Siro on Sunday night will see two Italian powerhouses face each other, but with a global feel.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write, 18 nations are involved tonight and 18 players are already confirmed for the World Cup. The total isn’t 36, but it’s a global battle. The Scudetto derby is also a worldwide derby, both in terms of television audience and the nationalities represented.

France are the dominant country after Italy in terms of representation: seven Frenchman will be in the squads (Thuram, Bonny, Diouf for Inter; Maignan, Rabiot, Fofana, and Nkunku for Milan). There are also plenty of Swiss players: Sommer and Akanji on one side, Jashari on the other, plus the injured Athekame.

For now, Massimiliano Allegri is coaching more ‘happy’ players, because Milan have 12 players who have directly qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Inter have only six so far because they have a strong Italian presence, so for Barella, Bastoni, Dimarco, Frattesi and Pio Esposito it depends on the play-offs.

Milano goes international

Internazionale still lives up to their name though, starting with coach Chivu, who is Romanian, and assistant Kolarov, who is Serbian (like Milan’s Pavlovic).

Two continents are embraced: Europe and South America, not to mention the slice of Asia in the form of the Turkish player Calhanoglu, the great former player, who is also the team’s strange top scorer (5 goals) and has already scored three goals against Milan in derbies.

South America also has a say, with reigning World Cup-winning captain Lautaro leading the way. Brazilians Carlos Augusto and Luis Henrique are also present: the former hopes to win over Ancelotti in time for the World Cup, after being called up in October.

Tonight’s Milan also has an eye on America through its group of foreign players: only one is from the south, the Ecuadorian Estupinan, while the other was born in the USA, which is of course Pulisic. Gimenez and Pulisic will be ‘hosts’ of the World Cup next year, in North America.

Santi can reclaim with his national team what he struggled to achieve at his club: a leading role in a tournament broadcast worldwide. For Chris, Captain America, the opposite is true today: at Milan he’s a leader, but for the USA he’s struggling to gain public praise because he isn’t always available.

The Milan-national team combination is curious. For example, Nkunku is a certainty for Deschamps, the French coach, even more so than he is for Allegri today. De Winter, Loftus-Cheek (called up last month) and Estupinan have already led Belgium, England and Ecuador to the next World Cup.

Leao and Modric should be key players this evening. Rafa is heading to his second World Cup with Portugal (he played just 83 minutes in the first in Qatar). Modric will be the first Croatian to appear at five World Cups.