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Cagliari Calcio

Cagliari Calcio,commonly referred to asCagliari(Italian:[ˈkaʎʎari]ⓘ), is anItalian footballclub based inCagliari,Sardinia,that plays inSerie A,the first tier ofItalian football.The club currently plays home matches at the 16,416-seatUnipol Domus.

Cagliari
Full nameCagliari CalcioS.p.A.
Nickname(s)Gli Isolani(The Islanders)
Casteddu(Cagliari inSardinian language)
Rossoblù(Red and Blue)
I Sardi(The Sardinians)
Founded30 May 1920;104 years ago(1920-05-30)
1935;90 years ago(1935)(re-founded as Unione Sportiva Cagliari)
GroundUnipol Domus
Capacity16,416
OwnerFluorsid Group
PresidentTommaso Giulini
Head coachDavide Nicola
LeagueSerie A
2023–24Serie A, 16th of 20
Websitecagliaricalcio
Current season

Founded in 1920, they won their first and onlyScudettoin1969–70,when they were led by theItalian national team's all-time leading scorer,Gigi Riva.The triumph was also the first by a club from south ofRome.The club's best European performance was in the1993–94 UEFA Cup,reaching the semi-finals before losing to eventual winnersInternazionale.

As with the flag of its city, Cagliari's colours are blue and red. The club badge incorporates theflag of Sardinia.

History

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Before Serie A

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1930–31 Club Sportivo Cagliari

Cagliari became the first ever out-right champions ofSerie Cduring the 1951–52 season; prior to that in the league, the championship was shared amongst more than one team. They spent the 1950s from then on inSerie B,losing a promotion play-off in 1954. After descending to Serie C in the early 1960s, Cagliari's rise would be meteoric, eventually achieving promotion toSerie Ain 1964.

First Serie A adventure: 1964–1976

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The squad for theRossoblu's debut season in Serie A featured players like defenderMario Martiradonna,midfieldersPierluigi Cera,NenéandRicciotti Greatti,and forwardGigi Riva.A poor first half of the season, however, saw Cagliari in last place with nine points at the halfway mark. An astonishing second half of the season saw Cagliari defeat the likes ofJuventusandMilanand finish in seventh place with 34 points. Two seasons later, Riva finished as Serie A's top scorer for the first time while Cagliari finished with the league's best defensive record.

ForwardGigi Rivaled Cagliari to their firstSerie Atitle in 1969–70.

During the summer of 1967, Cagliari played a season in North America as part of a fledgling league called theUnited Soccer Association.This league included teams from Europe and South America set to play in American and Canadian cities, with each club bearing a local name. Cagliari played as theChicago Mustangs,and finished joint second in the league's Western Division with 13 points, two behind the division champion and eventual league championLos Angeles Wolves.The league's leading scorer was Chicago/Cagliari'sRoberto Boninsegna,who scored ten goals while playing in 9 of the team's 12 games.

Cagliari first emerged as serious Serie A title contenders in1968–69with a three-horse race involving them,Fiorentinaand Milan. Fiorentina would win the league, but the following season would bring ultimate glory. WithAngelo Domenghinijoining the side, Cagliari would win the title in 1970 with only two games lost, 11 goals conceded (the fewest in any major European league to date) and Riva as league top scorer once more. Players like Albertosi, Niccolai, Boninsegna, Gori, Cera, Domenghini and Riva played in Italy's1970 World Cupfinal team.

The 1970s would see a gradual decline (though were title contenders two years after their one and onlyScudettowin). Cagliari were finally relegated in 1976, with Riva's career having effectively ended during that season.

Up and down again: 1976–87

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After relegation, Cagliari lost a play-off for promotion the following season and would return to Serie A in 1979. Players likeFranco Selvaggi,Mario Brugnera(a survivor of the 1970 team) andAlberto Marchettiensured a respectable four-year stay in the top flight before a second relegation in 1983. The 1980s would then prove to be a darker time compared to the previous two decades with relegation to Serie C1 in 1987.

There and back: 1987–2000

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Cagliari spent two seasons in Serie C1. In the first one it barely avoided relegation in Serie C2. In 1988,Claudio Ranieriwas appointed coach, and led the team to two successive promotions, to Serie B in 1989 and to Serie A in 1990. The first two seasons back in Serie A saw Cagliari fight relegation, with safety being achieved by excellent second half runs. But the1992–93 seasonwould see Cagliari fight for a European place and succeed under the management ofCarlo Mazzone.The following season saw a best-ever run to thesemi-finalsof theUEFA Cup,taking outJuventusin the quarter-finals before being eliminated 5–3 on aggregate by compatriotsInternazionale,having won the first leg 3–2 at home.[1]

The next few years would see Cagliari return to mid-table anonymity, before a struggle in1996–97saw Cagliari relegated after losing a play-off toPiacenza.Once more they bounced back after just one year, but their next stay in Serie A lasted just two seasons.

Once and again: 2000 onwards

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Cagliari spent the next four seasons in Serie B, until in2003–04with Sardinian-born veteran strikerGianfranco Zola,the team won promotion.[2]In2005–06,the first season without Zola, the team changed their manager three times beforeNedo Sonetti,appointed in November, was able to save the team from relegation, especially thanks to the excellent goal contribution from Honduran strikerDavid Suazo.

Apart from finishing 9th in2008–09 season,Cagliari regularly finished in the bottom half of Serie A under a sequence of managers, before being relegated in2014–15.[3]They gained promotion back the following season as champions of Serie B.[4]

In 2014, the company passed, after 22 years ofMassimo Cellino's presidency, into the hands of Tommaso Giulini, president and owner ofFluorsid,a multinational in the chemical sector. Relegation took place in the first season, but the team won theSerie B championshipin 2016, returning permanently to the top division, albeit always finishing in the second half of the table. Cagliari was relegated at the end of the2021–22 season.They reappointedClaudio Ranierihalfway through the2022–23 seasonwith the club in fourteenth place. Under Ranieri's management, Cagliari won the2022–23 Serie B playoffs.

Stadium

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Cagliari played at theStadio Sant'Eliafrom 1970 to 2017.

Cagliari moved from theStadio Amsicorato theStadio Sant'Eliain 1970, after winning their only league title. It was renovated for Italy's hosting of the1990 FIFA World Cupwhere it hosted all ofEngland's group games, ostensibly to confine the team's notorious hooligans to an island.[5]

Disputes with the city council over renovation of the publicly owned stadium meant that Cagliari played their final home games of 2011–12 at theStadio Nereo RoccoinTriesteon the Italian mainland.[6]For most of the following season, the club played at theStadio Is Arenasin the neighbouring municipality ofQuartu Sant'Elena.It was deemed unsafe by the league, forcing them to play behind closed doors before leaving the ground in April 2013.[7]The Sant'Elia was demolished for a new stadium in 2017, and the club moved to the temporarySardegna Arenanext to it.[8]

Colours, badge and nicknames

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Cagliari's badge incorporates theflag of Sardinia.

The official red and blue colours of Cagliari mirror those featured on thestemmaofCagliari.[9]The red parts of the stemma are a reference to thecoat of armsof theHouse of Savoy,a family which was previously the monarchy of Italy and more relevantly to Cagliari in particular, theKingdom of Sardinia.[9]The blue part of thestemmafeatures the sky and the sea, also acastle;this is because the old historic centre of Cagliari is walled and called theCastello.[9]Due to the use of these colours on their shirt in halves, the club is commonly nicknamedrossoblu.[10]

Cagliari have had several different logo designs during their history, all of which feature theflag of Sardinia.[11]Usually the badge also features the club colours; if there is a change, the main difference has been the colour of the border or the shape.[11]Since June 2015, the badge features an "Old French" -shapedescutcheonwith red and blue halves, with the club's name written in white just above the flag of Sardinia. The Moors' heads have, for the first time, been turned to the right as of 2015 so as to match the Sardinian flag after it was updated in 1992.[12]

Because Cagliari are the main club from the island of Sardinia, they are nicknamed the "Isolani"(" Islanders ").[13]

Honours

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Divisional movements

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Series Years Last Promotions Relegations
A 43 2023–24 - 6 (1976,1983,1997,2000,2015,2022)
B 30 2022–23 7 (1964,1979,1990,1998,2004,2016,2023) 4 (1935✟,1948,1960,1987)
C 13 1988–89 4 (1931,1952,1962,1989) 1 (1940)
86 out of 92 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
Sardinia 6 1946–47 2 (1937, 1947√) never

Players

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Current squad

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As of 4 February 2025[24]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK ITA Giuseppe Ciocci
3 DF ITA Tommaso Augello
6 DF ITA Sebastiano Luperto
8 MF FRA Michel Adopo(on loan fromAtalanta)
9 FW ROU Florinel Coman(on loan fromAl-Gharafa)
10 MF ITA Nicolas Viola
14 MF ITA Alessandro Deiola(vice-captain)
16 MF ITA Matteo Prati
18 MF ROU Răzvan Marin
19 MF ITA Nadir Zortea
21 MF CZE Jakub Jankto
24 DF ARG José Luis Palomino
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 GK ITA Elia Caprile(on loan fromNapoli)
26 DF COL Yerry Mina
28 DF ITA Gabriele Zappa
29 MF CGO Antoine Makoumbou
30 FW ITA Leonardo Pavoletti(captain)
33 DF SVK Adam Obert
70 MF ITA Gianluca Gaetano(on loan fromNapoli)
71 GK ALB Alen Sherri
77 FW ANG Zito Luvumbo
80 FW ZAM Kingstone Mutandwa
91 FW ITA Roberto Piccoli(on loan fromAtalanta)
97 FW ITA Mattia Felici

Cagliari Primavera

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As of 9 February 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
22 GK LVA Henrijs Auseklis
31 GK BUL Velizar-Iliya Iliev
No. Pos. Nation Player
34 DF ITA Andrea Cogoni
35 FW ITA Alessandro Vinciguerra

On loan

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As of 4 February 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK SRB Boris Radunović(atBariuntil 1 January 2025)
— GK ITA Simone Scuffet(atNapoliuntil 30 June 2025)
— DF ITA Etienne Catena(atVirtus Veronauntil 30 June 2025)
— DF ITA Alessandro Di Pardo(atModenauntil 30 June 2025)
— DF GRE Pantelis Hatzidiakos(atCopenhagenuntil 30 June 2025)
— DF ITA Riyad Idrissi(atModenauntil 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF ITA Luigi Palomba(atVis Pesarountil 30 June 2025)
— DF ITA Davide Veroli(atSampdoriauntil 30 June 2025)
— DF POL Mateusz Wieteska(atPAOKuntil 30 June 2025)
— MF ITA Nicolò Cavuoti(atFeralpisalòuntil 30 June 2025)
— MF CRO Marko Rog(atDinamo Zagrebuntil 30 June 2025)
— FW SVN Nik Prelec(atAustria Wienuntil 30 June 2025)

Retired numbers

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Main article:Retired numbers in football

11–Gigi Riva,Forward(1963–78)
13–Davide Astori,Defender(2008–14) – posthumous honour[25]

Notable former players

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See also:Category:Cagliari Calcio players

This shortlist only includes players with at least 100 appearances for the club and/or an appearance in an edition of theFIFA World Cup.

Cagliari have a long history of Uruguayan players,[26][27]numbering 16 as of 2014; the most utilised of them wasDiego Lópezwith 314 games, while others includeEnzo Francescoli,José Herrera,Fabián O'Neill,Darío Silva,Nahitan Nandez,andDiego Godin.[28] In addition, UruguayanÓscar Tabárezmanaged the team from 1994 to 1995.[29]

Presidential history

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Cagliari have had numerous presidents over the course of their history, some of which have been the owners of the club, others have been honorary presidents, here is a complete list of them:[30]

  • Antonio Zedda (1921)
  • Gaetano Fichera (1920–21)
  • Giorgio Mereu (1921–22)
  • Angelo Prunas (1922–24)
  • Agostino Cugusi (1924–26)
  • Vittorio Tredici (1926–28)
  • Carlo Costa Marras (1928–29)
  • Enzo Comi (1929–30)
  • Giovan Battista Bosazza (1930–31)
  • Guido Boero (1931–32)
  • Vitale Cao (1932–33)
  • Enrico Endrich (1933)
  • Pietro Faggioli (1933–34)
  • Aldo Vacca (1934–35)
  • Mario Banditelli (1935–40)
  • Giuseppe Depperu (1940–43)
  • Eugenio Camboni (1944–46)
  • Umberto Ceccarelli (1946–47)
  • Emilio Zunino (1947–49)
  • Domenico Loi (1949–53)
  • Pietro Leo (1953–54)
  • Efisio Corrias (1954–55)
  • Ennio Dalmasso (1955–57)
  • Giuseppe Meloni (1958–60)
  • Enrico Rocca (1960–68)
  • Efisio Corrias (1968–71)
  • Paolo Marras (1971–73)
  • Andrea Arrica (1973–76)
  • Mariano Delogu(1976–81)
  • Alvaro Amarugi (1981–84)
  • Fausto Moi (1984–86)
  • Gigi Riva(1986–87)
  • Lucio Cordeddu (1987)
  • Antonio Orrù (1987–91)
  • Massimo Cellino(1991–05)
  • Bruno Ghirardi (2005–06)
  • Massimo Cellino(2006–14)
  • Tommaso Giulini (2014–present)

Management staff

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Position Staff
Sporting director Nereo Bonato
Technical director Roberto Muzzi
Head coach Davide Nicola
Assistant coach Simone Barone
Technical coach Manuele Cacicia
Goalkeeper coach Lorenzo Squizzi
Match analyst Federico Barni
Davide Marfella
Athletic coach Antonio Fais
Vitantonio Pascale
Gabriele Stoppino
Mauro Baldus
Tactical shooting Giovanni Venturella
Head of medical Marco Scorcu
Physiotherapist Salvatore Congiu
Simone Ruggiu
Nutritionist Giovanna Ghiani

Managerial history

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Cagliari have had many managers and trainers, some seasons they have had co-managers running the team, here is a chronological list of them from when they founded in 1920 onwards.[31]

In Europe

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UEFA Champions League

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Season Round Club Home Away Aggregate Reference
1970–71 First Round Saint-Étienne 3–0 0–1 3–1 [33]
Second Round Atlético Madrid 2–1 0–3 2–4

UEFA Cup

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Season Round Club Home Away Aggregate Reference
1972–73 First Round Olympiacos 0–1 1–2 1–3 [34]
1993–94 First Round Dinamo București 2–0 2–3 4–3 [35]
Second Round Trabzonspor 0–0 1–1 1–1 (a)
Third Round Mechelen 2–0 3–1 5–1
Quarter-Final Juventus 1–0 2–1 3–1
Semi-Final Internazionale 3–2 0–3 3–5

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

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Season Round Club Home Away Aggregate Reference
1969–70 First Round Aris Thessaloniki 3–0 1–1 4–1 [36]
Second Round Carl Zeiss Jena 0–1 0–2 0–3

References

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  1. ^Marucci, Lorenzo (30 March 2019)."30 marzo 1994, impresa del Cagliari: nella semifinale d'andata di Uefa batte 3–2 l'Inter"[March 1994, great Cagliari performance: they beat Inter 3–2 in UEFA semi-final first leg] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web.Retrieved8 February2020.
  2. ^Eve, James (1 June 2004)."Zola continues to charm old friends".The Times.Retrieved24 January2020.
  3. ^"Serie A Review: Berardi treble sinks nine-man Milan, Cagliari relegated".FourFourTwo.17 May 2015.Retrieved24 January2020.
  4. ^"Cagliari back in Serie A! – Football Italia".football-italia.net.Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2017.Retrieved2 May2018.
  5. ^Williams, John (11 June 2004)."England Fans Pose a Massive Dilemma".Leicester Mercury.University of Leicester.Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2020.Retrieved1 February2020.
  6. ^"Calcio, il Cagliari giocherà a Trieste anche contro la Juve"[Calcio, Cagliari will play at Trieste against Juve as well].La Nuova Sardegna(in Italian). 19 April 2012.Retrieved20 November2019.
  7. ^"Serie A: Cagliari cancel contract at Stadio Is Arenas in Quartu Sant'Elena".Sky Sports. 2 April 2013.Retrieved1 February2020.
  8. ^"Cagliari, idea per lo stadio provvisorio a due passi dal Sant'Elia"[Cagliari, idea for provisional stadium stone's throw from the Sant'Elia] (in Italian). Cagliari News 24. 7 April 2016.Retrieved1 February2020.
  9. ^abc"Stemma Provincia di Cagliari".Comuni-Italiani. 24 June 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2007.
  10. ^"Cagliari, e' Matri il primo colpo rossoblu: arriva dal Rimini".Eurosport. 24 June 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2009.
  11. ^ab"Cagliari Calcio".WeltFussballArchiv. 24 June 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2012.
  12. ^"Cagliari, cambiano stemma e sito"[Cagliari, badge and website changed].L'Unione Sarda(in Italian). 24 June 2015.Retrieved24 January2020.
  13. ^"Cagliari Calcio".About. 24 June 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 24 August 2007.
  14. ^Steve Holroyd; David Litterer (15 August 2008)."The Year in American Soccer - 1967".US Soccer History Archives. Archived fromthe originalon 28 March 2019.Retrieved10 February2017.
  15. ^Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015)."Italy - Serie A Top Scorers".RSSSF.Retrieved2 December2015.
  16. ^Roberto Di Maggio; Davide Rota (4 June 2015)."Italy - Coppa Italia Top Scorers".RSSSF.Retrieved15 June2015.
  17. ^"Allegri's opportunity, Juve's gain?".Football Italia. 17 July 2014.Retrieved1 December2015.
  18. ^"Riva, the Italian roar of thunder".FIFA. Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2015.Retrieved2 January2015.
  19. ^"Klavan, Ragnar"(in Estonian). ESBL.
  20. ^"Gala Fotbalului 2019: Cine sunt cei mai buni jucători din Moldova".stiri.md.Retrieved11 December2022.
  21. ^"David Suazo: una pantera si aggira per la Serie A"(in Italian). CalcioNews24. 18 May 2016.Retrieved16 March2017.
  22. ^"Historique du meilleur footballeur africain BBC".BBC Afrique.12 November 2016.Retrieved8 November2017.
  23. ^"Copa América 2016: Awards".Copa America Organisation. 27 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 27 June 2016.Retrieved27 June2016.
  24. ^"Prima Squadra".Cagliari Calcio(in Italian).Retrieved16 July2019.
  25. ^"Astori's number 13 shirt retired by Fiorentina and Cagliari following tragic passing".Goal.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2018.Retrieved6 March2018.
  26. ^"Cagliari, i giocatori dell'Uruguay in Sardegna: da Francescoli a Nandez"[Cagliari, the players from Uruguay in Sardinia: from Francescoli to Nández] (in Italian). Sky Sport. 5 November 2019.Retrieved18 December2020.
  27. ^Lippi, Gabriele (30 January 2020)."Ranking definitivo degli uruguaiani del Cagliari"[Definitive ranking of Cagliari's Uruguayans].esquire(in Italian).Retrieved18 December2020.
  28. ^Gaviano, Enrico (5 February 2014)."Sedici gli uruguaiani con la maglia rossoblù"[Sixteen Uruguayans in the red and blue shirt].La Nuova Sardegna(in Italian).Retrieved18 December2020.
  29. ^"Uruguay-Cagliari: con Godin può continuare la storia d'amore"[Uruguay-Cagliari: with Godin the love story continues] (in Italian). Cagliari News 24. 11 September 2020.Retrieved18 December2020.
  30. ^"Presidenti".CalcioCagliari.it. 8 June 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved14 September2007.
  31. ^"Allenatori Dal 1920 Ad Oggi".CalcioCagliari.it. 27 August 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved14 September2007.
  32. ^In regional championships during the wartime period:(page 3) it.
  33. ^"UEFA Champions League 1970–71".UEFA.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2017.Retrieved28 August2017.
  34. ^"UEFA Europa League 1971–72".UEFA.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2017.Retrieved28 August2017.
  35. ^"UEFA Europa League 1993–94".UEFA.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2017.Retrieved28 August2017.
  36. ^"Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1969–70".RSSSF.Retrieved8 February2020.
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