Balotelli Italy World Cup Home Jersey 2014It's unlikely that you will find anyone in the soccer community this year that is surprised that Italy is on its way to the World Cup. Behind this year's host country, Brazil, the Italy national football team is the most successful nation in the history of the storied and revered FIFA event, with four championship titles to its name. As the team prepares for tough competition from around the world this summer, you can bet that many a fan is pulling out his or her Italy football shirt in anticipation of a potential fifth World Cup title.

If you are looking for Italy gear to show your support for the beloved football team, head to the Soccer Box online store to check out our full range of Italy and World Cup based gear. In addition to the team's generic blue and white Puma jerseys, the Soccer Box selection this year includes the Balotelli Italy World Cup home jersey 2014. As the star player of the Italian team, Mario Balotelli will be carrying the hopes of many fans on his shoulders this summer, and what better way to show support for him than by wearing his branded jersey on your shoulders?

Italian Football Team Will Push to Recapture Championship Glory in Brazil

Currently, the FIFA/Coca Cola world rankings show the Italy national football team as the ninth best soccer team on the planet. The teams currently ahead of Italy in the rankings include defending champions Spain (1) and hosts Brazil (6).

However, despite the fact that Italy is not being talked about as one of the prime contenders for World Cup victory this year, the Italy football shirt will still be popular in Brazil come June and July, if only because you can never count the Italians out of contention.

In addition to holding four World Cup trophies, Italy won both one of the first World Cup events (1934, in a 2-1 final match-up against Czechoslovakia) and one of the most recent (2006, beating France in a 5-3 penalty shootout after extra time resulted in a draw). In between those two bookend victories, the Italy team won two other World Cup tournaments (one in 1938 and the other in 1982) and came in second place twice (in 1970 and 1994). Two other top four positions in 1990 (third place) and 1978 (fourth place) only further solidify the team as one of the true titans of the sport of soccer.

The Era of Mario Balotelli

When football fans see the Balotelli Italy World Cup home jersey 2014 at this year's World Cup, they will be seeing the reach of a player who has taken the soccer world by storm. Balotelli a 23-year-old striker whose resume includes league play in both England (Manchester City) and Italy (A.C. Milan) first joined the Italy national soccer team after the nation's disastrous performance at the 2010 World Cup.

Despite being defending champions, the Italian team failed to make a strong showing at the South Africa World Cup in 2010. In the group stage, the team was held to draws or losses, resulting in a last-place finish in their group and a quick elimination from the tournament. It was the only time in World Cup history that Italy had failed to win a single tournament game.

Balotelli joined up with the team for their first post-World Cup match and has been a strong presence ever since. Not only has Balotelli made a reputation for himself as a prolific scorer, helping Italy toward a successful performance in Euro 2012. Perhaps the definitive moment of Balotelli's career thus far came in the semi-final game, when two incredibly skillful goals helped Italy win the match and knock Germany out of the tournament.

The presence of the Balotelli in this year's Brazil tournament was solidified as Italy fought for qualification. Balotelli scored a number of key goals to help his team secure a berth in the 2014 World Cup. Now, the famed striker who was also the first black player to ever join the Italy national team will work to help his nation regain World Cup glory.

Interested in cheering on Balotelli and the rest of the Italian team at this summer's World Cup? Head to Soccer Box to pick up an Italy football shirt,