Francesco Graziani
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Graziani at Torino in 1976–77 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 December 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Subiaco, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1967–1970 | Bettini Quadraro | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1970–1973 | Arezzo | 48 | (11) |
| 1973–1981 | Torino | 221 | (97) |
| 1981–1983 | Fiorentina | 52 | (14) |
| 1983–1986 | Roma | 57 | (12) |
| 1986–1988 | Udinese | 33 | (8) |
| 1988 | APIA Leichhardt | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 413 | (142) | |
| National team | |||
| 1973 | Italy U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1975–1983 | Italy | 64 | (23) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1989–1990 | Fiorentina | ||
| 1990–1991 | Reggina | ||
| 1991–1992 | Avellino | ||
| 2001–2002 | Catania | ||
| 2003–2004 | Montevarchi | ||
| 2004–2006 | Cervia | ||
| 2013 | Vigevano Calcio (Allievi) | ||
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (born 16 December 1952) is an Italian football manager and former football player who played as a forward.[1]
With 122 total goals scored for Torino, he is the seventh highest scorer in the history of the Torinese club behind Valentino Mazzola (123) and with 23 official goals, the ninth highest all-time scorer for the Italian national team (tied with Christian Vieri). He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
He is the father of Gabriele, who was also a footballer.
Club career
Graziani was born in Subiaco, in the province of Rome. A prolific and physical striker, he started his footballing career in Bettini Quadraro before moving to Arezzo and then to Torino in 1973.[2] Graziani played eight seasons for Torino, making his debut in Serie A on 18 November 1973 against Sampdoria and scoring his first goal in the top flight on 16 December of that same year against Bologna. In total, Graziani scored 122 goals in 289 games for Torino, divided as follows: 221 appearances (97 goals) in the league, 45 appearances (17 goals) in the Coppa Italia and 23 appearances (8 goals) in European competition. He won the Scudetto in 1975–76.[1]
During the next season, Graziani emerged as the top-scorer in Serie A with a tally of 21 goals. He formed, in those years, the famous "Gemelli del gol" with strike partner Paolo Pulici (nicknamed Puliciclone).
Graziani left Torino when, with his teammate Pecci, he transferred to Fiorentina for two seasons in 1981, missing the title by a single point in the 1981–82 season.
In 1983 he was signed by AS Roma, with whom he won the Coppa Italia twice, in 1984 and 1986, also the 1984 European Cup final, losing in a penalty defeat to Liverpool (Graziani himself missed a penalty in the shoot-out during the match).
After two seasons with Udinese and a brief appearance in the Australian National Soccer League, Graziani abandoned his playing career. He totalled 353 appearances, with 130 goals, in the Italian Serie A.[1]
International career
Graziani was also an important international player for Italy, representing the Azzurri at the 1978 FIFA World Cup (where they finished in fourth place after reaching the semi-final), their victorious 1982 FIFA World Cup campaign, and the 1980 European Championship (where they finished in fourth place after reaching the semi-final, once again). He debuted 19 April 1975 against Poland and scored his first goal on 7 April 1976 against Portugal.
He scored one goal in the 1982 FIFA World Cup against Cameroon which proved to be decisive for the Azzurri's qualification to the knockout phase, who advanced on number of goals scored, at the expense of the African team.
He returned to the national team for the 25th anniversary of the 1982 FIFA World Cup Final on 27 July 2007 in Stuttgart, scoring twice, with the final score of 4–4. With 23 goals in 64 caps between 1975 and 1983,[3] he is ranked as the ninth highest all-time scorer for his national team.
Managerial career
Graziani coached a number of teams with little fortune: Fiorentina in 1989, Reggina in 1990, and Avellino in 1993. In the 2001–2002 season, Graziani, who was the managing director of Catania in Serie C1, was successively appointed as manager, and led the Sicilian team to a promotion in Serie B.
He then resigned as football coach after the ninth match of the next season, and in 2003–2004 he coached Montevarchi of Serie C2 with little success, being fired before the end of the season.
From 2004 to 2006, he coached Cervia, an amateur team of Emilia-Romagna from Eccellenza league which was subject of an Italian reality show, Campioni – Il Sogno. He led the team to an immediate promotion to Serie D, being popular to the public because of his hot-blooded attitudes, especially during league matches. He currently works for Mediaset as a football pundit.
Honours
Club
- Torino
- Roma
- Coppa Italia: 1983–84, 1985–86
International
- Italy
Individual
- Serie A – Top scorer: 1976–77 (21 goals)
- Coppa Italia – Top scorer: 1980–81 (5 goals)
Managerial
- Cervia
- Eccellenza: 2004–05 (Group B)
References
External links
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