Beckham, Souness, Charles: British stars who lit up Serie A ahead of new season

The 2025-26 Serie A season kicks off this month, as Italy's football giants prepare to do battle once again in pursuit of eternal glory and silverware success across the nation.

Football fans looking to enjoy La Dolce Vita won't be short of action too, with DAZN set to be the home of top-flight action from the Mediterranean over the coming months.

Defending champions Napoli will hope to make it back-to-back triumphs, and will once again lean on their unlikely hero - Scotland international midfielder Scott McTominay.

One of a handful of British stars to win Serie A, the ex-Manchester United man is leading a fresh wave of exports, but he is not the first to make a splash in pursuit of the Scudetto.

Here, DAZN News profiles others who captured the hearts and minds of a soccer-mad nation and remain fondly remembered for their life and times in continental football.

John Charles (Juventus 1957-1962, Roma 1962-1963)

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Signed from Leeds United in 1957, the Wales international would not just go on to be an overseas success story - he would set the benchmark for British players abroad too.

In five years with the Bianconeri, Charles fired them to three Serie A triumphs and two Coppa Italia victories, and was dubbed Il Gigante Buono, or The Gentle Giant for his play.

He returned to Leeds in 1962 but could not settle, and swiftly returned to Italy where he played a single campaign with Roma. In Turin, he remains a legend of Juventus.

Trevor Francis (Sampdoria 1982-1986, Atalanta 1986-1987)

A double European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough, the capture of the England international from Manchester City was seen as something of a coup.

Francis spent four years at Sampdoria, and helped them to the first major honour of their career in his third campaign, as they were crowned Coppa Italia champions in 1985.

He finished as the tournament's top scorer, and inspired Atalanta to reach the final two years later in his only campaign in Bergamo, as only their second-ever Englishman.

Graeme Souness (Sampdoria 1984-1986)

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With Francis already on board, Sampdoria went one better two years later when they signed the Liverpool captain, fresh off a continental treble including the European Cup.

His capture was a masterstroke. In his first year, the Scotland star helped mould a team that featured a slew of rising stars and future Italian heroes such as Roberto Mancini.

He and Francis won the 1985 Coppa Italia Final, before Souness stuck around for one last season, subsequently moving into management as player-coach with Rangers.

Ray Wilkins (Milan 1984-1987)

The former Chelsea and Manchester United regular made the leap to the continent with one of Serie A's true giants of the game, spending three seasons at San Siro.

During his time, he was part of a steady Milan rebuild following a few years in the doldrums, helping them to the Coppa Italia Final in 1985 - which he lost to Souness and Francis.

Wilkins was nevertheless held in high regard by fans, even after he departed in 1987. Upon his sudden death in 2018, the club paid tribute during the Derby della Madonnina.

David Beckham (Milan 2008-2010)

Much as with Wilkins, the England international didn't take any major honours during his spell with the Rossoneri - but he remains a totemic figure in their history of overseas stars.

Loaned initially from LA Galaxy in 2009, in part to retain match fitness for England, Beckham spent the latter half of the 2008-09 season and reportedly came close to a full move.

He returned for a second loan spell the following year, only to tear his left Achilles tendon. It meant an early end to his tenure and a missed 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign too.