Of course, Mario wasn’t the first Italian superstar to make it in the English Premier League. The trail was blazed by some players who would become legends – like Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola – and some who would fail to settle and make an impact and exit virtually as anonymously as they arrived. Indeed, the first Italian to ever play in the Premier League would fall into that rather sad category.
Andrea Silenzi arrived at Nottingham Forest in the summer of 1995 as one of the feted signings of manager Frank Clark. The Italian cost what was then a hefty fee of £1.8million from Torino. Silenzi was brought in as a like for like replacement for Stan Collymore, who had left the City Ground a few weeks earlier to join Liverpool for a then British transfer record of £8.5million. But the centre forward turned out to be a disaster – he just wasn’t cut out for the hectic nature of British football with his overtly laid-back, languid style. In fact, some pundits and Forest fans wondered aloud if he was cut out for any type of football – and wondered how he had had such a seemingly garlanded career in Italy for the previous 11 years!
Silenzi had seemingly cut it at five other clubs before Forest were landed with him – including major outfits like Torino and Napoli. Silenzi even played up front with the legendary Diego Maradona at Napoli before moving to Torino. In his second season with Torino his two goal haul in the final helped his new club win the Italian FA Cup for the fourth time in their history as they outplayed Roma.
But there was never any indication that he would help deliver the same sort of glory to the City Ground – and the fans quickly tired of him. He stayed just over one season at Forest before being shipped out for good by new boss Dave Beasant, who was never impressed by his ability or attitude. In total, Silenzi made only 20 appearances (seven starts) for Forest, scoring just twice – once in the FA Cup against Oxford United and once in the League Cup against Bradford City.
The fans and the Press were relieved to see the back of him. Reuters’ Patrick Johnston described his time at Forest in this way, ‘Known affectionately as the Big Brush, Silenzi is was the first Italian to appear in the Premier League when he arrived in 1995 at a cost of 2.65 million euros, but he managed just two goals in his 20 games against the formidable Bradford and Oxford in cup competitions. He left, having had his contract torn up by manager Dave Bassett, for the sanctuary of Reggina two seasons later.’
The Guardian’s David Hills chose him as No 3 when the paper did a ‘Top Ten Worst Foreign Buyers Ever in the Premier League’ in 2000. Hills commented, ‘Earning a then-enormous £30,000 a month, his laid-back control, finishing and approach play soon had management and supporters worried. His only excess was in the length of his first touch. It took just weeks for the deal to look suspect, a month for it to look plain wrong and another to collapse. Half way through his first season, he had lost his place to Jason Lee, was loaned to Venezia, and when told to return by Dave Bassett, refused. Forest tore up his contract – meaning the whole deal, including wages and bonuses, had cost the club £2.75m. “The whole business turned into a complete fiasco,” said Bassett.’
Noel Draper of football website The Daisy Cutter also made the valid point that not only did Silenzi’s flop reflect badly upon him, it also helped get Frank Clark the sack, ‘Frank Clark, the then manager of Nottingham Forest, paid £1.8 million for the services of Andrea Silenzi in 1995. What he had hoped he had signed was a tall centre forward with an eye for a goal. What he actually got was a tall centre forward with an eye for a nice wage. At the time, £30,000 pounds a month was a huge salary, especially for an unproven journeyman from Italy. Bemused by the signing but still trusting the wisdom of their manager, Forest fans gave Andrea the benefit of the doubt. Within a few games they began to wish they hadn’t. Silenzi was a 6ft 3in forward with a bad touch, poor finishing and non-existent build up play. Forest fans and the Forest board were appalled by Clark’s judgment and the signing of Silenzi contributed to his removal as the manager.’
Another disaster from Italy was Manchester United keeper Massimo Taibi. It isn’t that often that Sir Alex Ferguson drops a clanger when splashing out for new talent but when he does – yes, I’m thinking of you, Bebe, and you, Juan Veron! – he does it big-time. Veron set United back a then record British record fee of £28.1million in 2001 but failed to make a regular impact. But if it is any consolation to the Argentine midfielder, the Italian Taibi was even worse! He was snapped up from Venezia for £4.5million – to replace United’s greatest ever keeper, Peter Schmeichel. The great Dane had bowed out after winning the Champions League in May 1999 and Taibi arrived a few months later. The BBC reported the signing at the time, pointing out Taibi was experienced and was expected to challenge Mark Bosnich for the No 1 spot at the club, ‘Taibi, who has joined United in a deal which is worth a reported £4.5m, has signed a four-year contract. The 29-year-old keeper completed a medical at Old Trafford on Tuesday before heading back to Italy. He will be back in Manchester later this week where he will be unveiled at a media conference. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has moved for Taibi to increase competition among his goalkeepers. Ferguson has turned to 36-year-old Dutchman Raimond van der Gouw to cover for the injured Mark Bosnich but now has three experienced keepers to choose from.’
Fergie had been unhappy with Bosnich, but would end up even more frustrated by Taibi as he tried desperately to plug the gap left by the virtually irreplaceable Schmeichel. Taibi ended up playing only four matches for the Red Devils – including a 5-0 defeat by Chelsea. Just a couple of months after his arrival he was gone, back to Italy on loan – and would eventually sign for Reggina for £2.5million. He was ultimately seen as a figure of fun – with one paper famously dubbing him ‘The Blind Venetian’ – although my view is that he didn’t really stand a chance. No one could have replaced Schmeichel at the time…he was THAT good.
Fergie himself realised that was the case and eventually went out and bought the only keeper on the planet who could show his medals and lay claim to being the new No 1 keeper in the world. Yes, French World Cup winner Fabien Barthez arrived at Old Trafford in 2000 to finally replace Schmeichel (and, let’s be honest, even he wasn’t really in Peter’s league!). The ave.it.net website summed up the way Taibi was seen as he eventually returned to Italy for good, ‘Sir Alex signed him to replace Peter Schmeichel? In 1999, with Raimond van der Gouw always wearing his bridesmaid’s outfit and Mark Bosnich too cocky by half, Sir Alex Ferguson splashed out £4.5m on Venezia journeyman Massimo Taibi. The omnipresent tracksuit bottoms should have caused Ferguson to pause for thought. Instead, Taibi conceded two sloppy goals at Liverpool on his debut and one to Wimbledon the following week. Then the fun began: Southampton scored three at Old Trafford, including a Matthew Le Tissier “shot” that trickled through Taibi’s legs and was so soft, it barely crossed the line. Eight days later, Chelsea put five past him at Stamford Bridge and this Italian’s job was over, little more than a month after it had begun. Taibi rotted in the reserves until Reggina took him on loan before a £2.5m purchase at season’s end. He was, noted a generous Roy Keane, “clearly a good keeper”. Clearly.’
Having seen Taibi suffer I was pleased for him when he regained some of his credibility at Reggina – especially when he scored for them in the Serie A match at home to Udinese in the 2000/01 season, when they had been losing 1-0! The so-called clown had the last laugh…
But while there were a few flops from Italy in our top-flight, there were many more players who arrived and left behind a lasting impression for their obvious talent and craft.
Arguably the best of the lot was the wonderful Gianfranco Zola – who starred for Chelsea from 1996 to 2003. He joined the Blues for a fee of £4.5million under the continuing foreign revolution implemented at the club by then boss Ruud Gullit. Zola wore the No 25 shirt and would become a hero among the Chelsea fans for his intelligent play and passion for the cause. Zola was signed from Parma but was probably best remembered in Italy for his time at Napoli, when he initially played understudy to Maradona and then took on his role when the Argentine genius left.
‘I learnt everything from Diego,’ Zola would later admit. ‘I used to spy on him every time he trained and learned how to curl a free-kick just like him. After one year I had completely changed. I saw him do things in training and in matches I had never even dreamed possible. He was simply the best I’ve ever seen. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have been a good player if I had not played with him at that stage of my career but I do know I wouldn’t be the player I am now.’
With Maradona gone, Zola became the main man for a couple of seasons in Naples before then joining Parma, where he helped them win the UEFA Cup. But when Carlo Ancelotti joined as manager, he decided Zola did not fit into his plans and put him up for sale. Aged 30, Zola could have wondered who would now have faith in him. He needn’t have worried as Gullit came in and bought him; the Dutch master instinctively recognising the quality and experience the little Sardinian could bring to his team. Gullit would now build the team around Zola.
In the autumn of his career, the Italian now produced his best football and found his true spiritual home. He would stay at Chelsea for seven seasons, scored 80 goals and was voted Premier League Player of the Year in 1997. Finally, at the age of 37 he decided it was time to return home to Italy and ended his career at Cagliari.
In 2003 Chelsea’s fans voted him the greatest player ever to wear the blue of Chelsea – a remarkable achievement when you consider he was up against stars including the legendary Peter Osgood. In turn, Zola would eventually admit that of all the stops on his wonderful footballing career – also including Napoli and Cagliari – he enjoyed his time at the Bridge most of all, ‘The team where I had the best time of my career.’
The official Chelsea website, www.chelseafc.com, would sum up his time at the Bridge in this way, ‘Over seven seasons Gianfranco Zola captivated Chelsea supporters to the extent that he was twice made Player of the Year and in 2003 was voted as the club’s greatest ever player, receiving 60% of the votes in a poll on Chelsea’s official website. He helped win four trophies and scored the winner in the 1998 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final just seconds after coming on as substitute. In all Franco, scored 80 goals in 312 games, with many of them being spectacular efforts.
‘Goals that will live long in the memory include the mid-air back flick against Norwich City, an effort against Manchester United that left opposition goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel motionless and a brilliant turn and shot in the 1997 FA Cup semi-final win over Wimbledon. Above all, Franco always played football as if he enjoyed it and was almost universally popular amongst opposition fans.’
The BBC succinctly detailed that winning strike in the 1998 Cup Winners’ Cup Final, ‘Gianfranco Zola was the hero as Chelsea won the European Cup Winners’ Cup 1-0 against Stuttgart in Stockholm. He had been on the pitch for barely 30 seconds when Dennis Wise clipped the ball into space down the Chelsea left. At once, Zola was away, skating clear of the Stuttgart back line as he sped into the box. As goalkeeper Franz Wohlfahrt came off his line, Zola unleashed a guided missile with his right foot that screamed past the Austrian and into the roof of the net. It was Zola’s fourth goal in the competition and his 12th of the season.’
Former Blues chairman Ken Bates had no doubt that Zola had earned his place in the elite annals of the club. ‘Zola was undoubtedly one of Chelsea’s greatest players ever,’ he told Channel 4’s Football Italia. ‘He’s been a joy to watch and a great influence both on and off the field, particularly because of his great interest with young fans. We owe him a hell of a lot of thanks.’
Zola himself was delighted with the accolades from the fans, the people whom, in his always modest, always humble, opinion, mattered most. He would say, ‘My greatest satisfaction is off the pitch for the way people consider me and the respect they give me. Many people excel in games but when you have achieved that level of respect it is something special. Money can give you many things but respect cannot be bought. What I have achieved in the way people regard me, in my mind, is remarkable.’
If we are agreed on Zola being the greatest Italian ever to grace the Prem, the man who shared much of the glory with him in later years at the Bridge can’t be that far behind. Yes, step forward into the limelight Gianluca Vialli. As both a player and manager at the Bridge, Vialli also earned his place in the club’s book of legends.
Like Zola, Vialli signed up at Chelsea in 1996 from Juventus, where he had been a champion and a hero. He left the club on the biggest high – captaining the side that won the Champions League by beating Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 on penalties in the final after the match itself had ended 1-1.
He arrived in London on a salary reputed to be around £1million a year and showed why as he helped the team win the FA Cup in his first season as they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley. But he and boss Gullit endured a fractious relationship and Vialli was hardly a regular choice by the time Gullit was dismissed in February 1998.
But it was to Vialli that the Blues’ board would turn when it came to a replacement for the fallen Dutchman – and he gladly took up the gauntlet as the club’s player-manager.
BBC Sport was one of many organisations to express surprise at the choice, ‘A year ago, Gianluca Vialli cut a sorry figure left on the bench, rebelliously smoking cigarettes, as Ruud Gullit took Chelsea to Wembley and beyond. The Italian was furious at his lack of opportunity, but there were clear signs earlier this season that he had taken a more responsible attitude. Out went the fags and veiled criticisms of Gullit, in came a determination to do all he could to win a place in the starting line-up, and to accept without complaint when he was dropped. It must have impressed the powers-that-be at Chelsea, but even so their choice of him as a replacement for Gullit is a huge surprise.’
A shock maybe, but within just over a year the Italian had won three trophies! Under his guidance Chelsea triumphed in the League Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup (thanks to compatriot Zola’s winner) and the European Super Cup. The latter involved them beating Champions League winners Real Madrid. In those first two seasons in charge Vialli also took Chelsea to fourth and third place finishes in the Premier League.
He played his final game for the club in 1999 which meant he had made 88 appearances and scored 40 goals, not far off one every two games – and not at all bad when you consider his breakdown of relationship with Gullit meant he was in and out of the team during the latter end of the Dutchman’s reign, so consistency of form was not easy to establish.
As manager, he also took the club to the last eight of the Champions League in 2000 where they were defeated by Barcelona and led them to an FA Cup Final win over Aston Villa at Wembley. At the start of the 2000/01 season he also led them to an FA Charity Shield win over Manchester United but he was sacked after a poor start to the league campaign and fallouts with several stars including Zola and the tough Frenchman Didier Deschamps.
It had been a shock that Vialli had been appointed manager in the first place. Now, after a surprising level of success that had seen him lift five trophies, it was a shock that he had been sacked. The Independent led the way in reporting his dismissal at the time, ‘Gianluca Vialli was fired today as Chelsea’s manager with the club saying in a statement he had been “released from his duties” immediately. Vialli, 36, who joined Chelsea in the summer of 1996 on a free transfer from Juventus, took over as player manager in 1998 after Ruud Gullit was fired. That season he guided Chelsea to the European Cup Winners Cup title and the domestic League Cup title. The club has won only one of its first five matches this season in the English Premier League with doubts its cosmopolitan side can compete with powers like Manchester United and Arsenal. In a statement, the west London club expressed admiration for Vialli’s two and a half year reign but said in a “wider context it is in our best interests to seek a change of direction.” No successor has yet been appointed and “for the immediate future” the current staff, led by coach Graham Rix, will take charge of the team.’
Vialli would now go off to manage Watford in the First Division – and eventually end up as a commentator on Sky Italia.
While we are concentrating on Chelsea, it makes sense to mention the third of the Italian triumvirate that took the club to such heights in the late nineties and early Noughties. Roberto di Matteo would be the man who would score the first goal for the club in the 2-0 FA Cup Final win over Middlesbrough in 1997. It was the same match in which his friend Zola played – and that goal itself went down in history as the fastest goal (42 seconds) ever scored in an FA Cup Final at the old Wembley. Di Matteo was born in Switzerland to Italian parents, but he always made it clear he saw himself as an Italian. Indeed he was capped 34 times for Italy and scored two goals for the national side. And he came to Chelsea’s attention specifically because of his exploits with Rome giants Lazio, with whom he starred from 1993 to 1996.
In ’96 he was snapped up by Ruud Gullit for Chelsea for a then club record fee of £4.9million. As well as the FA Cup, he helped the Blues win the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the League Cup. He became part of a formidable four-man midfield at the Bridge along with Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet and Dan Petrescu. In 2000 he scored again at Wembley as Chelsea beat Aston Villa to win the FA Cup, this time his goal came on 70 minutes and was the winner as Chelsea emerged triumphant 1-0. Not only that, but Di Matteo made history yet again – his goal was the final one scored in the FA Cup at the old Wembley. Soon the stadium would be knocked down with a new one rising in its place.
Di Matteo would admit his sadness at its demise, saying, ‘It’s a shame they’re tearing the old place down – it has been a very lucky ground for me.’
Two years later, in February 2002, his Chelsea dream would come to an end when he was forced to retire at the age of 31. Eighteen months earlier he had suffered a triple fracture in a Uefa Cup game against Swiss side St Gallen. Di Matteo said at the time: ‘I have worked hard to try and get back but unfortunately I am still experiencing problems and I have had to face up to the sad decision that my playing days are over. I have loved my time at Chelsea and I am glad to have played my part in bringing success to the club and the fans, who have always been great to me.’
Club managing director Colin Hutchinson was just as saddened by his demise, saying: ‘This is devastating news and we feel for Roberto. He has worked long and hard to try and get back playing. He has endured a series of painful operations and slogged away on the training ground but cruelly the injury has beaten him.’
Beaten maybe, but not out for the count. No, Di Matteo would show some of the fighting qualities that made him such a competitive, class midfielder by now moving into management. He would do a good job at MK Dons, so good in fact that West Bromwich Albion would come calling for him. He took the Baggies up to the Premier League from the Championship but would then be sacked five months later as Albion went through a rough patch. Chairman Jeremy Peace said it was not a move he relished, adding, ‘On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Roberto for his efforts over the past 19 months, particularly for his contribution towards last season’s promotion success and our very promising start to the current campaign. We wish him and his family well for the future. ‘Roberto embraced the structure in which we wanted him to work and he has been a good colleague. However, we are in a results-driven industry and felt we had no choice but to act now.’
Roberto stayed silent but the fans spoke out on his behalf. They were stunned at the decision after the job the Italian had done at the Hawthorns. ‘Just who the hell do WBA think they are?’ asked one. ‘They have serious delusions of grandeur if they expect to finish anywhere above the bottom 6 in the Premier League in their first season back. RDM is one of the best up and coming managers around and was working on a shoestring. As per usual the owners expect too much and panic and good people pay the price. It’s to be hoped that RDM will get another chance with a club more worthy of his undoubted managerial talent. As for the Baggies, they deserve all they get…and that will no doubt be relegation, then they can sack RDM’s replacement!’
While another added, ‘What exactly were the WBA board expecting to achieve in their first season after promotion? I can’t help but think they have made a huge mistake. But for dodgy refereeing decisions they would be safe by now. Even now they are still not in the relegation places. Absolute joke!’
Di Matteo would get another chance to prove himself – and, ironically, it would come after another manager was sacked. In 2011, he became assistant to Andre Villas Boas when the Portuguese took over at Roberto’s old club, Chelsea. But when Villas Boas was sacked in March 2012, Roberto took over the reins as a caretaker manager until the end of the season.
Under his more stable stewardship, results improved dramatically as the Blues headed for a Champions League semi-final with Barcelona. They had lost 3-1 in Napoli under Villas Boas but Di Matteo engineered a remarkable comeback – as Chelsea thrashed Maradona’s former club 4-1 in the return at the Bridge. He then masterminded their win over Benfica in the quarter finals while also leading them to an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham after they crushed Leicester 5-2 in the last eight. And of course, Di Matteo also guided Chelsea to their first Champions League win, over Bayern Munich in May 2012, only to be sacked the following November.
But it wasn’t just at Stamford Bridge that the Italian pioneers prospered. Another of Gianluca Vialli’s old mates would light up the north east of England during the 1990s. Fabrizio Ravanelli, who won the Champions League in the same Juventus side as Vialli in 1996. Indeed it was Ravanelli who scored the Boro goal in normal time, before the match went to penalties.
After that glorious triumph, Ravanelli, like Vialli, left Juventus and head for England. But while Vialli ended up at the Bridge, Ravanelli joined Bryan Robson’s Middlesbrough revolution in the industrial heartlands of the north east. He cost £7million and received a warm welcome from the fans at the Riverside (as well as a £1.3million a year, four-year deal). Robson justified the signing, saying, ‘You have to spend a lot of money to get this type of player’. He also insisted that the Italian was one of the world’s top four strikers.
The Independent superbly summed up what his signing meant to Boro and English football generally at the time, ‘The arrival of Fabrizio Ravanelli at Middlesbrough for £7million yesterday was another pointer to the growing power of the Premiership on both the home front and in Europe. At 27, the silver-haired Italian international is a gilt-edged striker, who may have been surplus to requirements at over-staffed Juventus, but was coveted by other Italian clubs. That he chose the Premiership - along with a string of other front-line players in what is turning out to be a golden summer for overseas signings – shows that the game here is now operating on the same exalted level as Serie A – the big-money league of Europe.
‘Two years ago Ravanelli swapping Turin for Teesside would have been laughed at. Then came the Brazilians Juninho and Branco, coupled with a new stadium, a flood of cash from a share of satellite television with pots more to come, and Middlesbrough start looking less like Hartlepool United and more like Manchester United.’
And Ravanelli’s career at Boro couldn’t have got off to a better start – he grabbed a hat-trick on his league debut against Liverpool on the opening day of the 1996/97 season. But it turned sour – largely because the wins dried up and Ravanelli himself turned sour. He did himself no favours by moaning about the city, the weather and the training facilities at the club.
In a topsy-turvy season, Boro were relegated the season he joined but he helped take them to the finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup. Unfortunately, they lost both – 2-0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup at Wembley and 1-0 to Leicester in the League Cup final replay at Hillsborough. In the first match at Wembley Ravanelli earned Boro their replay when he put them ahead in the 95th minute, only for Emile Heskey to equalise.
In the replay, Boro simply could not find the back of the net and Steve Claridge’s goal in extra time won it for the Foxes. His travels would then take him on to Marseilles and Lazio in Rome, but he would return to England in 2001 when Derby County took a punt on his service. Memorably, he arrived with his advisers at the club, all in sunglasses and sharp suits and the Press made the astute comment that they looked as if they were heading for the set of Reservoir Dogs! The Mail announced his arrival at the club, ‘Fabrizio Ravanelli ended weeks of speculation yesterday when he promised to sign for Derby tomorrow. The former Italy striker decided on the move after meeting Lazio general director Massimo Cragnotti yesterday at the club’s training camp in Riscone Di Brunico. He said: “I am going to Derby and I am looking forward to joining them. I will go there on Friday to sign a contract but it is still to be decided whether it is for two or three years.” The former Juventus frontman, 32, who scored eight goals in 22 appearances for Italy, still had two years left on his contract at Lazio. It appears he reached a compromise with Cragnotti, clearing the way for his return.’
But by November 2001, with Derby languishing at the bottom of the Premiership, Ravanelli was talking publicly about how he now regretted having left Lazio. ‘Now the coach is Alberto Zaccheroni at Lazio and, with him, maybe I would have the possibility to play more,’ Ravanelli said, in an interview with website Planet Football. ‘Of course, I am still in contact with the guys back there. They tell me about Zaccheroni, about his attacking tactics. Who knows how many games I would have played?’
It was an echo of his time at Boro when he complained out loud although, to give him his due, the Italian did his best to save Derby from the drop. But, ultimately, he was unable to do it on his own and the club were relegated in 2002 and by 2003 Ravanelli would be gone from English football for good.
But the website forzaitalianfootball.com made the claim – substantiated by several fans of Boro and County that I have spoken to – that there remains a fondness at the two clubs for the Italian, ‘Although his 2 seasons in the Premier League have ended in relegation he is still a well-loved figure at the two clubs. Recently he expressed a desire to be at Middlesbrough again, but this time as manager. 31 goals in 84 appearances for struggling clubs showed his ability to find the net and added with his “shirt over the head” celebrations has secured him a place in Premiership folklore.’
Another Italian who would earn hero status in England was the fiery Paolo Di Canio. He played for Italian giants Lazio, Milan, Napoli and Juventus before arriving in the UK with Glasgow Celtic in 1996. He spent a year in Scotland and then began his odyssey in England with Sheffield Wednesday. He became the Premier League’s most controversial Italian import before Balotelli, making headlines as much for his controversial exploits as his undoubted talents. He was the Balotelli prototype as he clashed with his own team-mates and officials. His moment of greatest infamy came in September 1998, when he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent off while playing for Wednesday against Arsenal at Hillsborough. The incident led to him being fined £10,000 and banned for 11 matches.
The ban – which included a three-match suspension for the sending off and another eight matches for the push – meant Di Canio would not play for the club again from the end of October in 1998 until almost the end of the year. Afterwards a contrite Di Canio announced, ‘I want to say that I’m very, very sorry for what’s happened. I had a fair hearing. I’ll see the Sheffield Wednesday fans on Boxing Day, the first game after my suspension.’ The FA’s director of public affairs, David Davies, said, ‘Following the hearing, the commission was unanimous that an urgent recommendation should go to the FA’s disciplinary committee to ask that it should be made clear to all concerned that stronger penalties should be imposed immediately on any player who manhandles a match official.’
Di Canio would also be accused of far Right views during his career but, like Balotelli, he had another side to his character. That side saw him win the Scottish Player of the Year award in 1997 and a FIFA Fair Play Award four years later. The latter honour came his way while he was at West Ham. The London Evening Standard explained why he had been honoured – and how it represented a turnaround in the player’s fortunes, ‘Paolo Di Canio today won FIFA’s prestigious fair play award for his amazing act of sportsmanship during West Ham’s Premiership clash with Everton last December. It is a remarkable achievement for a player who, until the incident at Goodison Park, was better known for his temperamental behaviour and the 11-match ban he served for pushing over referee Paul Alcock in 1998. But FIFA’s fair play committee, meeting here ahead of Saturday’s World Cup draw, decided past reputations counted for nothing and rewarded the West Ham player for his sporting gesture. Di Canio won the award, which will be presented to him next month by last year’s winner, Lucas Radebe, of Leeds, for spurning the chance to score while Everton keeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured with a dislocated knee.
‘With the scores level at 1-1, Di Canio had a chance to win the match but instead caught the ball in the penalty area, allowing Gerrard to receive treatment. The Premiership has already given Di Canio a fair play award and earlier this year Gerrard presented Di Canio with a special framed photograph to say thank you for his unselfish act. Now FIFA have followed suit by giving him worldwide recognition.’
FIFA Director of communications Keith Cooper said: ‘His past reputation didn’t come into it at all and those people who know Paolo Di Canio will tell you he never deserved it anyway. This gesture was taken on its own merits. People like him who are impetuous are as likely to do something very honourable as they are to do something dishonourable. ‘There is often a lot of criticism of people like him when they do something bad, so why not honour people when they do something good.
‘One or two of the committee members already knew about Di Canio’s gesture before today. One of the features of the Premiership is it is widely watched. What he did will have been seen in many countries around the world.’
Paul Gerrard himself had said: ‘I was genuinely injured and Paolo realised that. He has a reputation as a controversial character but I owe him a thank-you for what he did. I have never experienced anything like that before. When you are on the pitch you do everything you can to win but Paolo put my welfare first and I appreciate that.’
His four years at West Ham, from 1999–2003, were the highlight of his career in England and he admitted he had a special love for the club – which was certainly reciprocated by the fans. He then had a season with Charlton before returning to Lazio. But he would never forget his time in England, particularly at West Ham.
In March, 2008, Di Canio announced his retirement from football after a 23-year playing career and began coaching lessons. Soon he revealed that he wanted to move into club management and that his dream was to become boss at West Ham. Before moving back to England as Swindon manager, he would admit, ‘I believe my future will be in England. In the next few days something will happen, perhaps in an inferior division. English football is loyal, full of pride and I believe I’m close to returning to England. It is the country that I most love from a football standpoint. I am very saddened by West Ham’s relegation. This team has always been in my heart. They have unique supporters. I would give everything for West Ham. I even have a Hammers tattoo.’
In 2010, West Ham had honoured the Italian by opening the ‘Paolo Di Canio Lounge’, within the West Stand of the Boleyn Ground. Di Canio had been in attendance on the big day, unveiling a plaque to commemorate it. Di Canio would say, ‘You can’t imagine how I feel. It is always an emotional moment when I come back, but today is even more a special occasion. To be here for this opening of a new lounge that has been given in my name has made me proud. It is a great honour to be here, to meet the fans and to stay close with this club.
‘I can only say thanks to everyone to everybody and whenever I can, I will come back to the lounge because this stadium is my second home. The very first members of my lounge will always be special to me. It is beautiful, trendy and has style. When I go back to Italy, I will be glad to think that lots of fans are here and looking at me as a player who gave something to this club. To know that my link with this club will remain is fantastic.’
The move highlighted the love-in between the club, the club’s fans and the man himself – and led many pundits to speculate just how long it would be before the Italian was anointed manager at Upton Park.
But first he would have to serve a tough apprenticeship in the lower leagues to prove to the Board that he was capable of being trusted with the job. The man who would be the predecessor for Balotelli in England had a tough grounding. Recently he has been making a name for himself as a manager – at Swindon Town in League Two, and doing a good job in his first role in charge. He took the club to the final of the Football League Trophy at Wembley, where they lost 2-0 to Chesterfield, but also led them on a promotion charge. Typically, his stint at the club has not been without controversy! He was appointed to the post in May 2011 after the Robins had been relegated to League Two and the following August was involved in a pitch-side row with his own striker Leon Clarke, after they had lost in the League Cup to Southampton. Sky summed it up, saying, ‘Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio could be in trouble after getting into a fight with one of his players. The Italian got into an argument with striker Leon Clarke as he left the pitch after Swindon’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton in the Carling Cup. Footage of the incident shows Di Canio trying to push Clarke towards the tunnel.
‘The pair are then seen shoving each other before club staff and stewards intervene. The brawl continued into the tunnel after the game. Following the bust-up, Clarke refused to go into the dressing room and left the ground still wearing his kit, while Di Canio left without attending the post-match news conference.’ Swindon chairman Jeremy Wray pledged to get to the bottom of the matter, saying, ‘Leon and the fitness coach were having words after the game and there was a disagreement between them. As Leon came off the pitch Paolo was conscious these things should be done behind closed doors. There was a misunderstanding there that carried on into the tunnel. It got to a situation where the whole thing blew up very fast. There was frustration on both sides.’
But Wray backed the manager and Di Canio refused to back down, promising that Clarke would never play for the club while he was in charge. The Italian kept to his word: Clarke was loaned out to Chesterfield and Crawley Town.
Di Canio also proved he can cut it as a manger by inspiring Swindon to beat Premier League Wigan Athletic, 2-1 at home in the FA Cup 3rd Round in January 2012. The win meant they had reached the 4th Round for the first time since 1996 and Di Canio was typically buoyant and full of hyperbole afterwards. He said, ‘My lads today deserve to have their names put on this stadium. I know you normally do this when you win something important and I don’t want a big statue but maybe a plaque. Today we did something special. There is no doubt we deserved to win. It is the best moment of my life. Today they did show the dream can come true. We needed to limit Wigan’s chances to get through and we did that well apart from the accident for the penalty. This is something special - an amazing performance against a team three divisions above us. The players have been fantastic because to play under me is difficult.’ He also dedicated the win to his father, who died late in 2011.
It was honest of him to acknowledge that playing under him was ‘difficult’. He was a hard task master and demanded his men gave everything all the time. He was also still combustible with officialdom – not long after the win over Wigan, he was sent to the stands by the referee after complaining about a decision in the league clash with Macclesfield.
It was his third indiscretion of the season but he was defiant afterwards, saying that he would not change his ways, ‘I did not swear or say any bad words but the referee sent me off because he did not like my body language. I am a passionate man and if I want to wave my arms in the air nobody is going to stop me. If the FA charge me I will appeal because if I deserved to be sent off for that I will be in the stands every week. If they send me off 25 times it does not matter because I have a great team and we will still win the league.’
Certainly the fans loved him – and not just at Swindon. Over at his old club West Ham, they were consistently chanting his name and calling for him to replace Sam Allardyce during the final months of the season in 2012. And while some fans across the UK were busy criticising Di Canio for his outbursts, fans at Swindon and West Ham were busy defending him. One Hammers fan said, ‘Stop moaning about PDC – just accept him warts and all. He’s ace and is a future manager of West Ham.’ While a Swindon fan commented, ‘I have Italian background and if you asked me to express myself without moving my arms, then you might as well cut them off as this is what we do! The English game is getting so painfully political it is squeezing what life we have left in this once beautiful game. Wake up and let Paolo express himself, as he is doing no one any harm is he? The ref was an absolute disgrace that day and this summed up his afternoon when he sent our God into the stands. BRAVO DI CANIO. Don’t change for no one (and hands off you Hammers as you are doin’ alright with Allardyce). Swindon is the hand & PDC is our glove!’ They were strong words of defence for a strong character who you either loved or hated – just like Balotelli. As Di Canio continued to divide opinions in England after so many years in the country, so did Mario after just a couple of seasons. Both men were passionate Italians with a fiery nature but also had a good side. As Mario spent a lot of time with disadvantaged children and the poor, so Paolo also supported charitable causes – without blowing his own trumpet publicly as did many footballers.
There was another controversial Italian footballer trying his luck in England before Balotelli – but he could in no way claim to have been as successful as Di Canio or Mario…or even successful at all. His name was Marco Materazzi, a defender who joined Everton. He would last just one season at Goodison. The Everton website toffeeweb commented, ‘Marco Materazzi is a tall, mobile and aggressive player who should have suited English football. He became the first Italian to play for Everton…The initial assessment of Materazzi by Evertonians was not so glowing: He was a bit of a disappointment on the pre-season tour of Holland and Belgium. He was slow on the turn and when starting to run, though once he got into his stride those long legs give him fair pace…But as the season progressed, reports soon began to improve…But his downside was poor discipline. And an annoying tendency for getting himself sent off. Sadly, murmurings of unrest surrounded Mazza as his first season in England ended; his days at Goodison were already numbered. Citing personal reasons and inability to settle on Merseyside.’
It was a succinct summary by an excellent fans’ website.
The Guardian also made the point that he had not lived up to his billing, ‘Materazzi had arrived at Goodison Park from Perugia in 1998 when the then manager Walter Smith convinced his board he was buying a centre-half of immense potential. Unfortunately it remained untapped. “Materazzi got booked 12 times and sent off three times during his season at Everton so it all turned out a bit chaotic for him and everyone else,” said Barry Horne yesterday. “Playing-wise our paths just missed crossing but, even though I’d moved on by the time he joined, I remained an Everton fan and kept in touch with my old team-mates. I certainly don’t remember too many Everton players I talked to suggesting Materazzi had untapped potential or latent talent…”’
Of course, the man dubbed ‘a lunatic’ by many during his one and only season in England would fully live up to his name in the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France (which Italy won on penalties) – when he was involved in an incident which ended with a disgraceful head-butt on him by Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman was playing his last match as a professional but saw red after head-butting the Italian defender in the chest during extra time. Materazzi had apparently made a remark after the France legend complained the Inter Milan centre-back had pulled his shirt throughout the game.
It is the incident that the Italian will always be remembered for – as well as those three red cards at Everton! As the Bleacher Report’s Tommy Nolan once said, ‘Marco Materazzi joined Everton from Perugia in 1998-99. Materazzi’s stay in the Premiership was brief and not so glorious after he became Walter Smith’s first signing for Everton from Perugia in the summer of 1998. Materazzi’s most famous moment at Everton was when he was sent off against Coventry after he was the victim of a Darren Huckerby dive. In that single season Materazzi managed to clock up three red cards and 12 yellows. He rejoined Perugia in the summer of 1999.’
It was a route many pundits in Italy believed Mario himself was destined to follow, given his volatile temperament. City fans had seen both sides to the boy during his first season at the club – but they loved him as he helped them lift the FA Cup. Now they were praying that Balotelli would not let the red mist destroy him in his second season. If he could control his temper, City could surely make a proper go of winning the Premier League. Then Mario would truly be assured of legendary status at the club – for ever.