Ruggiero Rizzitelli
Encyclopedia
Ruggiero Rizzitelli is a former Italian
football (soccer)
player, in the role of striker
.
team Cesena
during the 1984–85 season, making his Serie A
debut in the 1987–88 season
. He played four seasons with the small side from Emilia-Romagna
before joining AS Roma
in 1988, where he scored a total of 29 goals in six seasons with the giallorossi, winning a Coppa Italia
in 1991. In the same year they got to the UEFA Cup Final, but his goal was unable to prevent them from going down to Inter Milan. From 1994 to 1996 he then played for Torino
, scoring a very impressive 30 goals in 60 appearances with the granata. Despite his good performances, Torino relegated to Serie B in 1996, and Rizzitelli agreed for a move to German
team FC Bayern Munich
, then coached by fellow Italian Giovanni Trapattoni
. He seldom appeared as a regular starter on the Bayern Munich team sheet, but proved to be a more than useful player on the bench, thanks to his quickness that made him skillful and dangerous on the counter-attack. He scored a total of 11 goals in 45 appearances with the Bavarian team, winning a Bundesliga
title in 1997 and a DFB-Pokal
(German Cup) in 1998. He returned to Italy in 1998 to join Piacenza
where he however failed to impress. Rizzitelli retired in 2001 after a season with Cesena.
, making his debut on 20 February 1988 in a friendly match against USSR
, played at Stadio San Nicola
, Bari
and won 4-1 by the azzurri. He scored a total of two goals with the Italian team and was selected for the Euro 88 squad but played no part in the tournament.
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...
football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, in the role of striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
.
Club
Rizzitelli started his professional career for Serie BSerie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
team Cesena
A.C. Cesena
Associazione Calcio Cesena is an Italian football club based in Cesena, Romagna. The club was formed in 1940 and won the first promotion to Serie A in 1973. Since then, the club have been in the Italian Premier League for a total of in 11 seasons, reaching the best achievement in 1976 with the 6th...
during the 1984–85 season, making his 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...
debut in the 1987–88 season
Serie A 1987-88
The 1987/1988 Serie A season marked A.C. Milan's first Scudetto under the Silvio Berlusconi era and their first since the 1978/1979 season. S.S.C. Napoli, with a team including Diego Maradona, Ciro Ferrara and Careca were pre-season favourites. The championship went down to the last day of the...
. He played four seasons with the small side from Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
before joining AS Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
in 1988, where he scored a total of 29 goals in six seasons with the giallorossi, winning a 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...
in 1991. In the same year they got to the UEFA Cup Final, but his goal was unable to prevent them from going down to Inter Milan. From 1994 to 1996 he then played for Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
, scoring a very impressive 30 goals in 60 appearances with the granata. Despite his good performances, Torino relegated to Serie B in 1996, and Rizzitelli agreed for a move to German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
team FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, then coached by fellow Italian Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
. He seldom appeared as a regular starter on the Bayern Munich team sheet, but proved to be a more than useful player on the bench, thanks to his quickness that made him skillful and dangerous on the counter-attack. He scored a total of 11 goals in 45 appearances with the Bavarian team, winning a Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
title in 1997 and a DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup) in 1998. He returned to Italy in 1998 to join Piacenza
Piacenza Calcio
Piacenza Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Piacenza. The club was formed in 1919 and currently plays in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione B. The team's colors are red and white, prompting one of the team's nicknames, the Biancorossi. They are also known as the Papaveri , and...
where he however failed to impress. Rizzitelli retired in 2001 after a season with Cesena.
International
Rizzitelli received a total of nine caps with the Italian teamItaly 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...
, making his debut on 20 February 1988 in a friendly match against USSR
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
, played at Stadio San Nicola
Stadio San Nicola
The Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Associazione Sportiva Bari. It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final, won by Red Star Belgrade. The stadium itself resembles a...
, Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
and won 4-1 by the azzurri. He scored a total of two goals with the Italian team and was selected for the Euro 88 squad but played no part in the tournament.