Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio says he owes his Italy breakthrough to Calciopoli.

Marchisio first established himself at Juve when they were demoted to Serie B.

He said: "I would like to once again thank Calciopoli because if it hadn't been for the scandal I would have got here much later.

"I often played in the reserve team under Deschamps, but then I found space in the first team.

"For all our youngsters Calciopoli was an opportunity, not just at Juve, but also for Roma and Milan to focus on youngsters.

"Amid the scandal, financial and image problems, different clubs had the courage that they might not otherwise have found."