A fast winger, with an eye for goal, Gabbiadini was an experienced player at international level, who made over 100 caps for the Italy women's national football team. She is a veteran of Italy's 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017 UEFA Women's Championship campaigns, being voted to the Squad of the Tournament in the 2013 edition of the tournament. She was voted the Serie A Female Footballer of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2016.