Gattuso playing against Belgium in 2008
Gattuso was capped 73 times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, the 2009 Confederations Cup, and the 2010 World Cup. He made his senior international debut under Dino Zoff, at the age of 22, in a 1–0 friendly home victory over Sweden, on 23 February 2000. He made his first start for Italy later that year, under Giovanni Trapattoni, on 15 November, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 friendly home victory over England with a powerful strike from outside the area; this was his first and only goal for Italy.
Gattuso was one of the key players in Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning team under Marcello Lippi; he won the Man of the Match award in a 3–0 victory in the quarter-finals of the tournament, against Ukraine. He and Andrea Pirlo formed a formidable partnership in the heart of midfield, with Gattuso supporting Pirlo’s creative playmaking duties with his work-rate and ability to break down possession. While Pirlo finished as one of the top assist providers in the tournament, Gattuso won 31 challenges and completed 351 passes out of the 392 he attempted; he also provided an assist during the tournament, helping to set up Filippo Inzaghi’s goal in a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic in Italy’s final group match of the tournament on 22 June. Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his post-match celebrations after Italy won the World Cup final on penalties against France on 9 July, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch in his underwear, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up. He was named to the tournament’s All Star Team for his performances.
Under Roberto Donadoni at Euro 2008, Gattuso played in the matches against Netherlands (0–3 loss) and France (2–0 win) in the group stage, but was suspended for the quarter final against Spain along with Andrea Pirlo, where Italy went on to lose 4–2 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw.
On 19 November 2008, he made his first appearance as Italy’s captain, taking the armband following Fabio Cannavaro’s substitution in the 61st minute of a friendly against Greece. Despite having only recently recovered from a serious knee injury, Lippi included Gattuso in Italy’s squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they suffered a first round elimination.
In June 2010, he announced that he would retire from international duty after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he participated in his nation’s final group match against Slovakia – his last game for the national side, as Italy suffered a first round elimination following a 3–2 defeat.
