Luigi Simoni

Luigi Simoni

Gigi Simoni with Torino FC
Personal information
Date of birth (1939-01-22) January 22, 1939
Place of birth Crevalcore, Italy
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Gubbio (technical director)
Youth career
Fiorentina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1959–1961 Mantova 47 (10)
1961–1962 Napoli 11 (1)
1962–1964 Mantova 48 (8)
1964–1967 Torino 81 (18)
1967–1968 Juventus 11 (0)
1968–1971 Brescia 100 (12)
1971–1974 Genoa 88 (13)
Teams managed
1974–1978 Genoa
1978–1980 Brescia
1980–1984 Genoa
1984–1985 Pisa
1985–1986 Lazio
1986–1987 Pisa
1987–1988 Genoa
1988–1989 Empoli
1989–1990 Cosenza
1990–1992 Carrarese
1992–1996 Cremonese
1996–1997 Napoli
1997–1998 Internazionale
1999–2000 Piacenza
2000–2001 Torino
2001–2002 CSKA Sofia
2002–2003 Ancona
2003–2004 Napoli
2004–2005 Siena
2005–2006 Lucchese
2011–2012 Gubbio (caretaker)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Luigi "Gigi" Simoni (born January 22, 1939) is an Italian football technical director, currently in office with Gubbio of Serie B, and a former player and coach.

Biography

Luigi Simoni was born in Crevalcore, Emilia-Romagna, in Italy.

Career

A good footballer, who played for Mantova, SSC Napoli, Torino, Juventus, Brescia and Genoa, Simoni started his successful managing career with Genoa itself, in season 1974–75. The next year, he was able to bring the rossoblu back to Serie A.

After a long series of promotions, with Pisa, Brescia and Cremonese among them, and good results with outsider teams (Cremonese again, and Napoli), Simoni was called by Massimo Moratti to coach Internazionale of Milan in 1997. With an in-form Ronaldo on his side, Simoni won the UEFA Cup over Lazio in 1998, and managed a second place finish in Serie A, behind Juventus.[1][2]

The following season, Simoni was fired by Internazionale on November 30, 1998, although he was still appreciated and well-remember by the team's fans.[1]

After a few other experiences, including Piacenza, Torino, and a brief disappointing spell in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia,[1] Gigi Simoni led Ancona Calcio to Serie A in 2003, but was surprisingly fired before the start of the new season. His Serie A comeback, in 2004, with Siena, was not a particularly good one, however, as he was fired once again during the course of the season. In late 2005, Simoni took the head coaching role of Serie C1 team Lucchese, but with little success.

On February 2009, at the age of 70, Simoni accepted a job at Lega Pro Seconda Divisione's Gubbio, where he will serve as technical director until the end of the season.[3] He was later confirmed to his role also for the 2009–10 season, with former Genoa defender Vincenzo Torrente acting as "on-pitch" head coach. Under the guidance of Simoni and Torrente, Gubbio ensured a historic promotion to Serie B that year; after Torrente decided to accept an offer from Bari, Simoni and Gubbio agreed to appoint Fabio Pecchia as new head coach.
Pecchia's term as Gubbio boss turned out however unsuccessful, and on 18 October 2011 Simoni agreed to serve as caretaker head coach for a Serie B game against his former club, league toppers Torino.[4] The game ended in a surprising 1–0 win for his side, and led the club to keep Simoni in charge as long as a valid replacement coach would be found. The following two games led Gubbio to win four more points, a draw and a win. He guided the team until 20 March 2012, when he handed over his first team duties to assistant coach Marco Alessandrini, and moving back to his previous role of technical director at Gubbio.[5]

Honours

Coach

Inter[1]

Individual

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Simoni named as CSKA coach". UEFA.com. 9 December 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "1997/98: Zamorano leads Inter success". UEFA.com. 1 June 1998. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Gigi Simoni riparte da Gubbio" (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport Stadio. 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  4. ↑ "Gubbio: Simoni torna in panchina contro il Toro" (in Italian). A.S. Gubbio 1910. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Alessandrini nuovo allenatore, Simoni torna a fare il d.t." (in Italian). A.S. Gubbio 1910. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "Albo "Panchina d'Oro"" (in Italian). Alleniamo.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
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