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Dominic Hougham loves everything about Italy. Having travelled there extensively, he enjoys the food, the wine, the culture, the weather and the scenery. He has even picked up some rudimentary Italian, although he will confess that it is rusty, and he still cannot roll his Rs. But more than anything, he loves Italian football. So much in fact that he decided to write a book about it.

Like many Englishmen, Dominic was the perfect age for Italia ’90, a student able to watch every game. And while it was technically a disappointing World Cup, it was a tournament of iconic moments, that would live on long in the memory. Schillaci’s wild-eyed celebrations, Milla’s dance moves and Baggio’s weaving run come to mind. And then there was the Republic of Ireland’s run and, of course, England reaching the semi-finals. Gazza’s tears, Des Lynam, missed penalties and Nessun Dorma. The graphics, the stadia…it all had a profound influence on a generation. 

When that was followed by Channel 4’s decision to air Serie A football, that same generation got to see the greatest players in the world plying their stuff on a weekly basis. While English clubs had been banned from Europe following the tragedy of Heysel, Italian clubs had taken over the mantle. Sparked initially by Maradona’s surprise move to Napoli and then Silvio Berlusconi’s takeover of Milan, money flowed freely from Italian clubs set on buying the best. Transfer records were routinely broken, Ballon d’Ors routinely won and Italian clubs dominated the European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and, in particular, the UEFA Cup. It was a golden period of football.

It is this period that Dominic Hougham covers in his book “Veni, Vidi, Vici…When Italian Football Ruled Europe.” When researching the topic, he was surprised to find that no-one had covered those 11 marvelous seasons from 1988 to 1999. Obviously, there was John Foot’s seminal work, “Calcio” but that covered the whole history of Italian football. He felt this era deserved closer attention and knew writing it would be a labour of love rather than a chore. 

When the cover was first put on X by the publisher, Dominic was stunned by the level of interest it generated. “It went up at 4pm on a Saturday and I spent almost all night replying to posts from people saying how they loved this period and were happy someone had covered it. It was really gratifying and humbling. Many were pre-ordering and my immediate thought was I hope they enjoy it and I haven’t let them down! You feel a responsibility to have done a good job.”

It seems so far that Dominic need not worry. Currently #1 bestseller under World Football on Amazon UK, the early reviews have been glowing. It does appear that a whole generation is enjoying a trip down memory lane, while younger readers are getting the opportunity to learn about an incredible time in footballing history. And, to be honest, what is there not to love about a league that boasted the likes of Maradona, Van Basten, Gullit, Matthaus, Baggio and Asprilla. A league where players wore iconic kits, strode around stunning stadia in front of ultras, tifos and flares. Reading the book will transport you to those heady days. Goooolazzzoo.

“Veni, Vidi, Vici” represents Dominic Hougham’s second published book, his first being “Fifty Great World Cup Matches”, both available from Amazon UK/US from Pitch Publishing. Dominic also writes regularly for the excellent These Football Times magazine, as well as appearing on podcasts such as Nessun Dorma. He is currently deep into a third book, which will bring him back to the Premiership.

You can follow Dominic Hougham on:

X: @DominicHougham