Italy

Why this one matters.

“The Italians refused to budge from the throne. On 19 June 1938, at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Paris, Vittorio Pozzo's side became the first nation to retain the FIFA World Cup, beating a gifted Hungary team 4-2 in the final. It was a final of pure attacking brilliance: Gino Colaussi, the winger from Triestina, struck twice, while Silvio Piola — the man who would retire as Serie A's all-time leading scorer — matched him with a brace of his own, his powerful running too much for the Hungarian defence. Pál Titkos and György Sárosi replied for Hungary, but Italy's four goals made them worthy kings. Captain Giuseppe Meazza, playing through injury with a heavily bandaged thigh, led the side with his customary class, and when the whistle blew Pozzo — the stern, methodical architect of the interwar Azzurri — entered history as the only coach ever to win two World Cups (1934 and 1938), a record that still stands. Italy had thus won two of the tournament's first three editions and cemented a dynasty still regarded as one of the finest sides the game has produced. Panini's Champions insert preserves the Paris celebration, with Pozzo lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy, on the ultra-short Gold Power Prizm limited to five copies worldwide; this 03/5 example is a flawless PSA GEM MT 10, a perfect-grade monument to the Azzurri empire's second crowning.”