) is an Italian former football player, most remembered for his time with AC Milan and Genoa

Genoa C.F.C.

Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...

. Eranio played as a winger and represented Italy

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...

 20 times between 1990 and 1997. He was voted one of Derby County's 11 greatest ever footballers.

Clubs

Stefano Eranio started his professional football career with Genoa

Genoa C.F.C.

Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...

 in August 1984. His first five seasons at Genoa were in Serie B

Serie 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...

 before in 1989 the club were promoted to 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...

. In total, Eranio played for the club for eight seasons before he moved to AC Milan

A.C. Milan

Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 in August 1992. At Milan he won three league titles (1993, 1994 and 1996), three Italian Super Cups (1992, 1993 and 1994) and he also played in two Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 finals. The first was in 1992–93 when Milan lost 1–0 to Olympique de Marseille

Olympique de Marseille

Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

, and the second was in 1994–95 when his club lost 1–0 to Ajax Amsterdam

Ajax Amsterdam

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...

. Part of the team's successful campaign in 1993–94, he did not play in the final due to injury. He added to his trophy collection with the 1994 European Super Cup

European Super Cup

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...

.

In May 1997 he moved for free to the English club Derby County

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 where he became a fans favourite, and he made his Derby, and FA Premier League

FA Premier League

The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 debut, on the 9 August 1997 against Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers F.C.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

. His first goal for the Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

 club came on the 30 August 1997 when he scored in a league game against Barnsley

Barnsley F.C.

Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...

. In this season, Derby County moved from their former home at the Baseball Ground

Baseball Ground

The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...

 to their new home, Pride Park Stadium

Pride Park Stadium

Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...

, and Eranio's goal, to take the score to 1–0 against Barnsley was the first that was scored at Derby's new home ground. Eranio had thought of retiring after the 2000–01 season, but manager Jim Smith

Jim Smith (footballer)

James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...

 persuaded him to stay on. When Smith was fired in October 2001, Eranio chose to leave Derby County. He retired in 2003 after spending a season with lowly fourth division Serie C2

Serie C2

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...

 side Pro Sesto

A.C. Pro Sesto

Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Nuova Pro Sesto is an Italian association football club, based in Sesto San Giovanni, Lombardy. The club was founded in 1913. Pro Sesto currently plays in Promozione, having last been in Serie B in 1950. The team's colors are white and blue...

, where he was featured in a player/assistant manager position.

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential players to play for Derby County and, on 1 May 2006, Eranio and Ted McMinn

Ted McMinn

Kevin Clifton "Ted" McMinn is a Scottish former association footballer who played as a winger. His nickname is The Tin Man.-Early years:...

 were inducted as Derby Legends.

National team

Eranio debuted for the Italian team on the 22 December 1990 in a game against Cyprus

Cyprus national football team

The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...

. The game was a qualification match for the 1992 European Championships

1992 UEFA European Football Championship

The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...

, and Italy won the game 4–0. His first international goal came against the Netherlands

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 on the 9 September 1992. Italy won the game 3–2.

On 29 March 1997, Eranio played his last game for Italy, against Moldova

Moldova national football team

The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...

 in a 3–0 home win. In total, he received 20 caps, and scored three goals, with six of the appearances in qualifiers for World Cups, and other five in qualification for European Championships.

Post-playing career

Eranio is part of the AC Milan

A.C. Milan

Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 youth coaching staff since 2005, and he is currently working as head of the Giovanissimi Nazionali (under-15) team.

Club games

	Club	Contract	Club games	League games	Club goals	League goals	Dates
	Genoa	Contract	?	212	?	13	08/1984 - 05/1992
	Milan	Contract	?	98	?	6	08/1992 - 05/1997
	Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...	Contract	108	95	10	7	05/1997 - 10/2001

Sources

• Mortimer, Gerald (2004): The Who's Who of DERBY COUNTY.
  Breedon Books Publishing, Derby. ISBN 1-85983-409-4

External links

Player profile at Soccerbase Overview of Eranio's international career (RSSSF)