Francesco Rocca
Encyclopedia
Francesco Rocca is an Italian
professional football coach and former player, who is the coach of the Italy national under-20 football team.
Born in the San Vito Romano
village 40 km from Rome
, he played his club football exclusively for AS Roma from 1972 to 1981. He was nicknamed was "Kawasaki" (after the Japanese brand of motor bikes) because of his work rate and durability in the full-back position. Rocca played 163 games for Roma, including 141 games in Serie A
and 22 in the Coppa Italia
cup, but did not score any goals for the club. He played 18 games for the Italy national football team
from 1974 to 1976, and scored a goal for Italy against the United States national soccer team
. At the age of 26, a serious injury forced Rocca to retire.
As a manager, Rocca managed Italy to a fourth place at the 1988 Summer Olympics
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
professional football coach and former player, who is the coach of the Italy national under-20 football team.
Born in the San Vito Romano
San Vito Romano
San Vito Romano is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 40 km east of Rome. As of December 31, 2004, it had a population of 3,312 and an area of 12.7 km²....
village 40 km from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he played his club football exclusively for AS Roma from 1972 to 1981. He was nicknamed was "Kawasaki" (after the Japanese brand of motor bikes) because of his work rate and durability in the full-back position. Rocca played 163 games for Roma, including 141 games in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and 22 in the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
cup, but did not score any goals for the club. He played 18 games for the Italy national football team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
from 1974 to 1976, and scored a goal for Italy against the United States national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. At the age of 26, a serious injury forced Rocca to retire.
As a manager, Rocca managed Italy to a fourth place at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.