Francesco Antonioli

Francesco Antonioli

Antonioli with Milan in 1988
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-09-14) 14 September 1969
Place of birth Monza, Italy
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Cesena (goalkeeper coach)
Youth career
Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1988 Monza 23 (0)
1988–1994 A.C. Milan 13 (0)
1990 → Cesena (loan) 0 (0)
1990–1991 → Modena (loan) 30 (0)
1993–1994 → Pisa (loan) 26 (0)
1994–1995 Reggiana 30 (0)
1995–1999 Bologna 103 (0)
1999–2003 Roma 102 (0)
2003–2006 Sampdoria 104 (0)
2006–2009 Bologna 119 (0)
2009–2012 Cesena 106 (0)
Total 656 (0)
National team
1989–1992 Italy U21 23 (0)
1992 Italy Olympic team 6 (0)
2000 Italy 0 (0)
Teams managed
2013– Cesena (goalkeeper coach)

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


Francesco Antonioli (born 14 September 1969) is an ex-Italian footballer and goalkeeper. He was the oldest footballer in Serie A until his club Cesena were relegated to Serie B at the end of the 2011–12 season, after which he retired from profesisonal football. Antonioli began his club career with Monza and played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, winning titles with A.C. Milan, Bologna and Roma. Despite never being capped at senior international level, he was an unused member of the Italy squad the took part at Euro 2000, reaching the final. At youth level, he represented Italy at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Club career

Grown as a player in the youth ranks of A.C. Milan, Antonioli was later loaned out to Monza, making his professional debut with the club in 1986, at the age of 16, in a 1–0 defeat to Juventus in the Coppa Italia.[1] He also made his Milan debut in the Coppa Italia, in a 2–1 home win over Lazio, on 3 September 1988, and made his Serie A debt with the club on 18 April 1992, in a 1–0 win over cross-city rivals Inter.[2] Due to some promising performances, he was brought to the Milan starting lineup at the beginning of the 1992–93 season, featuring in Milan's 2–1 victory over Parma in the 1992 Supercoppa Italiana;[3] however, a string of mistakes, including a dreadful fumble in the Milan derby, which gifted Luigi de Agostini a soft goal, allowed Sebastiano Rossi to reclaim his starting spot in goal. Milan won the league title that season, also reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League. Antonioli made his final appearance for Milan on 29 November 1992, in 1–0 away win over Juventus, in Serie A, making 27 appearances for the club in total.[2]

After joining Bologna in 1995, he became the undisputed first-choice keeper for the club (apart from the 1997–98 season, during which he backed up Giorgio Sterchele); he immediately helped the club obtain Serie A promotion, winning the 1995–96 Serie B title, later helping Bologna to win the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and subsequently reach the semi-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia.[4] In 1999 he joined Roma for 10 billion Italian lire[5] and in 2001, he won a Scudetto and a Supercoppa Italiana with A.S. Roma, also reaching the final of the Coppa Italia in 2003.

In the summer of 2003, Antonioli joined U.C. Sampdoria on a free transfer.[6][7] In 2006–07, with Luca Castellazzi's emergence between the posts, Antonioli left for former club Bologna on another free transfer.

He led Bologna to win Serie A promotion once again in mid-2008.[4]

After the end of 2008–09 season, he was released and replaced by U21 internationals Emiliano Viviano. Antonioli then joined Serie B newcomer A.C. Cesena in July and the club sent the former first choice Nicola Ravaglia to lower division. He was the first choice ahead Michele Tardioli. Antonioli was also protagonist of the club's second consecutive promotion in 2010, thus having another chance of top flight football at the age of 41 in the 2010–11 Serie A season. The team survived from relegation battle by finished 15th and he was offered a new 1-year contract.[8]

International career

Antonioli never debuted for the senior side, but was selected in the Italy squad that finished second at Euro 2000, as third-choice goalkeeper, behind Christian Abbiati and Francesco Toldo, but only because Italy's number one goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, had injured himself in an international friendly warm-up a few days before the beginning of the tournament.[2][9]

Antonioli was the first-choice goalkeeper of the Italy national under-21 football team that won the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; with the Italian squad, he also took part in the 1992 Olympic Games.[2][9]

Style of play

Antonioli was regarded as one of Italy's most talented and promising goalkeepers in his youth, although several pundits consider him to have failed to realise his potential due to several injuries as well as his character.[10]

Honours

Club

Milan[2]
Bologna[4]
A.S. Roma[11]

International

Italy[11]

Orders

5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Antonioli e quella gara con la Juve" (in Italian). Sport Mediaset. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Francesco Antonioli" (in Italian). magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Sorin Arotaritei; Roberto Di Maggio (5 November 2015). "Italy Super Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Tanti auguri a F. Della Rocca e Antonioli" (in Italian). Bologna F.C. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "BILANCIO D'ESERCIZIO E CONSOLIDATO DI GRUPPO AL 30 GIUGNO 2000" (PDF). AS Roma (in Italian). Borsa Italiana Archive. 28 June 2001. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Antonioli signs for Sampdoria". UEFA.com. 15 July 2003. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  7. ↑ "Il Mercato al 16 luglio 2003" (PDF) (in Italian). AS Roma. 16 July 2003. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Francesco Antonioli prolunga fino al 2012". AC Cesena (in Italian). 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Nazionale in cifre: Antonioli, Francesco" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  10. ↑ LICIA GRANELLO (4 October 1994). "SETTIMO PORTIERE, E' IL CT DEI TORMENTI" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  11. 1 2 "F. Antonioli". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "ONORIFICENZE". quirinale.it (in Italian). 12 July 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/31/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.