ACF Fiorentina facts for kids
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| Full name | ACF Fiorentina S.r.l. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Viola (The Purples / The Violets) I Gigliati (The Lilies) |
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| Founded | 29 August 1926, as Associazione Calcio Fiorentina 1 August 2002, as Florentia Viola then ACF Fiorentina |
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| Ground | Stadio Artemio Franchi | |||
| Capacity | 43,147 | |||
| Owner | New ACF Fiorentina S.r.l. | |||
| Chairman | Rocco B. Commisso | |||
| Head coach | Raffaele Palladino | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2023–24 | Serie A, 16th of 20 | |||
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ACF Fiorentina, often called Fiorentina, is a professional football club from Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The club was first created in August 1926 when two older clubs joined together. The current club was restarted in August 2002 after facing financial problems. Fiorentina has spent most of its history playing in the top Italian football league, Serie A. Only four other clubs have played more seasons in Serie A.
Fiorentina has won the Italian league title twice, in 1955–56 and 1968–69. They have also won the Coppa Italia six times and the Supercoppa Italiana once. In Europe, Fiorentina won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61. They have also been runners-up in five European finals. This includes the 1956–57 European Cup, where they were the first Italian team to reach the final. They also lost in the finals of the 1961–62 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Conference League in 2022–23 and 2023–24. They are the first club to reach and lose two Conference League finals in a row.
Fiorentina is one of only fifteen European teams to have played in the finals of all three main UEFA club competitions. These are the European Cup/Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and the UEFA Cup/Europa League. In 2023, by reaching the Europa Conference League final, Fiorentina became the first team to reach all four major European club competition finals.
Since 1931, the club has played at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. This stadium can hold 43,147 fans. It has had different names and updates over the years. Fiorentina is known by the nickname Viola, which means "The Purples" in Italian. This refers to their famous purple team colors.
Contents
History of Fiorentina Football Club
How Fiorentina Started (Before World War II)
Associazione Calcio Fiorentina was founded in 1926. It was created by a local noble, Luigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano. He brought together two older clubs from Florence, CS Firenze and PG Libertas. The goal was to create a strong team for Florence. This team could then compete with the powerful clubs from Northern Italy. This also tied into a cultural interest in Calcio Fiorentino, an old form of football.
After a tough start, Fiorentina reached Italy's top league, Serie A, in 1931. That same year, their new stadium opened. It was first named after Giovanni Berta, but is now called Stadio Artemio Franchi. To improve the team, Fiorentina signed new players, like Uruguayan star Pedro Petrone. They finished fourth in one season but were relegated the next year. However, they quickly returned to Serie A. In 1941, they won their first Coppa Italia. But World War II stopped them from building on this success.
Winning the First Scudetto (1950s–1960s)
In the 1950s, Fiorentina consistently finished in the top five of the league. The team had great players like goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti and Brazilian player Julinho. This strong team won Fiorentina's first scudetto (Italian championship) in 1955–56. They finished 12 points ahead of Milan. The next year, Milan beat them for the top spot. Fiorentina became the first Italian team to play in a European Cup final. They lost 2–0 to Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid.
Fiorentina finished as runners-up in the next three seasons. In the 1960–61 season, the club won the Coppa Italia again. They also had European success, winning the first Cup Winners' Cup against Scottish team Rangers.
After several second-place finishes, Fiorentina's performance dropped slightly in the 1960s. They usually finished between fourth and sixth place. However, the club did win the Coppa Italia and the Mitropa Cup in 1966.
Second Scudetto and the 1970s
Many people didn't think Fiorentina could win the league title in the 1960s. But the 1968–69 season changed that. Milan started strong, but then Gigi Riva's Cagliari took the lead. Fiorentina had a slow start but then moved to the top of Serie A. The second half of the season was a close race between Milan, Cagliari, and Fiorentina.
Milan focused on the European Cup, and Cagliari seemed set to win. But after Cagliari lost to Juventus, Fiorentina took over first place. The team then won all their remaining matches. They beat rivals Juve in Turin near the end of the season to win their second, and last, national title. The next year, in the European Cup, Fiorentina had good results. They even won in the Soviet Union against Dynamo Kyiv. But they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Celtic.
The 1970s were not as successful for the Viola. After finishing fifth in 1971, they mostly stayed in the middle of the league table. They even came close to being relegated in 1972 and 1978. However, the Viola did win the Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1974. They also won the Coppa Italia again in 1975. The team had young talents like Vincenzo Guerini and Giancarlo Antognoni. Antognoni became a huge fan favorite. Because of their young players, the team was called "Fiorentina Ye-Ye".
The Pontello Era (1980s)
In 1980, Flavio Pontello, from a wealthy building family, bought Fiorentina. He changed the team's song and logo, which upset some fans. But he started to bring in top players. These included Francesco Graziani and Eraldo Pecci from Torino, and Daniel Bertoni from Sevilla. He also signed young talents like Daniele Massaro and Pietro Vierchowod.
The team was built around Giancarlo Antognoni. In 1982, Fiorentina had an exciting battle for the league title with rivals Juventus. After Antognoni got a bad injury, the title was decided on the final day. Fiorentina had a goal disallowed against Cagliari and couldn't win. Juventus won the title with a penalty that was debated. This caused a big rivalry between the two teams.
The next few years were mixed for Fiorentina. They went from high finishes to fighting to avoid relegation. Fiorentina also bought interesting players like El Puntero Ramón Díaz and, importantly, the young Roberto Baggio.
In 1990, Fiorentina fought to avoid relegation until the last day. But they reached the UEFA Cup final, where they again played Juventus. Juventus won the trophy. Fiorentina fans were very unhappy because the second game was played in Avellino. This city had many Juventus fans, and star player Roberto Baggio was sold to Juventus on the day of the final. Pontello faced money problems and had to sell the club after big protests in Florence. The famous filmmaker Mario Cecchi Gori then bought the club.
Cecchi Gori Era: From Champions League to Bankruptcy
Under Cecchi Gori's ownership, the first season was about getting the club stable. Then, the new chairman started signing good players. These included Brian Laudrup, Stefan Effenberg, and Francesco Baiano. Most importantly, he signed Gabriel Batistuta, who became a legendary player for the team in the 1990s. In 1993, Cecchi Gori died, and his son, Vittorio, took over. Despite a good start to the season, Vittorio fired coach Luigi Radice and replaced him with Aldo Agroppi. The team's results became very bad. Fiorentina dropped to the bottom half of the league and was relegated on the last day of the season.
Claudio Ranieri became the coach for the 1993–94 season. That year, Fiorentina easily won Serie B, Italy's second division. When they returned to Serie A, Ranieri built a strong team. It was centered around top scorer Batistuta. They also signed young talent Rui Costa from Benfica and Brazilian defender Márcio Santos. Rui Costa became a fan favorite, but Márcio Santos was sold after one season. The Viola finished tenth that season.
The next season, Cecchi Gori bought more important players, like Swedish midfielder Stefan Schwarz. The club showed its strength in cup competitions. They won the Coppa Italia against Atalanta and finished third in Serie A. That summer, Fiorentina became the first team not to be national champions to win the Supercoppa Italiana. They beat Milan 2–1 at the San Siro.
Fiorentina's 1996–97 season was disappointing in the league. But they reached the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final. They beat teams like Gloria Bistrița, Sparta Prague, and Benfica. They lost the semi-final to Barcelona, who went on to win the competition. Key new players that season were Luís Oliveira and Andrei Kanchelskis. Kanchelskis, however, had many injuries.
At the end of the season, Ranieri left Fiorentina for Valencia in Spain. Cecchi Gori hired Alberto Malesani as the new coach. Fiorentina played well but struggled against smaller teams. They still managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Malesani left after only one season, and Giovanni Trapattoni took over. With Trapattoni's guidance and Batistuta's goals, Fiorentina challenged for the title in 1998–99. They finished third, which qualified them for the Champions League. The next year was disappointing in Serie A. But the Viola played some memorable Champions League matches. They beat Arsenal 1–0 at the old Wembley Stadium. They also beat Manchester United 2–0 in Florence. They were knocked out in the second group stage.
At the end of the season, Trapattoni left the club. Turkish coach Fatih Terim replaced him. More importantly, Batistuta was sold to Roma, who won the league title the next year. Fiorentina played well in 2000–01. They stayed in the top half of Serie A, even after Terim resigned and Roberto Mancini arrived. They also won the Coppa Italia for the sixth and last time.
The year 2001 brought big changes for Fiorentina. The club's financial problems became clear. They couldn't pay salaries and had debts of about US$50 million. The owner, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, tried to raise more money. But it wasn't enough to keep the club going. Fiorentina was relegated at the end of the 2001–02 season. In June 2002, the club went into a special type of bankruptcy. This meant the club was not allowed to play in Serie B for the 2002–03 season. Effectively, the club stopped existing.
Della Valle Era: From Fourth Tier to Europe (2000s and 2010s)
The club was quickly re-established in August 2002. It was named Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola. Shoe and leather businessman Diego Della Valle became the new owner. The club was allowed to join Serie C2, the fourth level of Italian football. The only player who stayed with the club was Angelo Di Livio. His loyalty made him even more popular with the fans. With Di Livio and striker Christian Riganò, who scored 30 goals, the club easily won its Serie C2 group. This would normally lead to promotion to Serie C1.
However, due to a strange situation called the Caso Catania, the club skipped Serie C1. They were allowed to join Serie B instead. This happened because the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) decided to increase the number of teams in Serie B. They promoted Fiorentina for "sports merits." In 2003, the club bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name and its famous purple shirt design. They officially became ACF Fiorentina again. The club finished sixth in the 2003–04 season. They won the playoff against Perugia to return to the top league.
In their first season back in Serie A, the club struggled to avoid relegation. They only managed to stay up on the last day of the season. In 2005, Della Valle hired Pantaleo Corvino as the new sports director. Then, Cesare Prandelli became the head coach for the next season. The club signed several new players, including Luca Toni and Sébastien Frey. This led to a great season, as they finished fourth with 74 points. This earned them a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds. Luca Toni scored 31 goals in 38 games. He was the first player to score over 30 goals since Antonio Valentin Angelillo in 1958–59. For this, he won the European Golden Boot.
On 14 July 2006, Fiorentina was sent down to Serie B. This was because of their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. They were also given a 12-point penalty. The team was put back into Serie A after an appeal. But they still had a 19-point penalty for the 2006–07 season. Their Champions League spot was also taken away. After the season started, Fiorentina's penalty was reduced to 15 points. Despite this, they managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Even after Luca Toni left for Bayern Munich, Fiorentina started the 2007–08 season strongly. Many, including Italy's national team coach, thought they could surprise everyone and challenge for the scudetto. While their form dipped later, the Viola still qualified for the Champions League. In Europe, the club reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. They were eventually defeated by Rangers in a penalty shootout. The 2008–09 season continued this success. A fourth-place finish secured Fiorentina's spot in the 2010 Champions League playoffs. Their European journey was similar to the previous year. They were moved to the 2008–09 UEFA Cup and were knocked out by Ajax.
In the 2009–10 season, Fiorentina started well in the league. But they slowly lost momentum and ended up in the middle of the table. In Europe, the team was a surprise success. After losing their first away game against Lyon, they won five matches in a row. This included beating Liverpool both at home and away. The Viola qualified as group winners. However, they lost to Bayern Munich due to the away goals rule. This was controversial because of a referee's mistake. The referee, Tom Henning Øvrebø, allowed a clearly offside goal for Bayern in the first game. Bayern later reached the final of the tournament. This incident highlighted the need for video replays in football. Despite a good European run and reaching the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Fiorentina failed to qualify for Europe.
During this time, on 24 September 2009, Andrea Della Valle stepped down as chairman of Fiorentina. He announced that Mario Cognini, the vice-president, would temporarily take over his duties.
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In June 2010, the Viola said goodbye to their long-time manager, Cesare Prandelli. He was the longest-serving coach in the team's history and was leaving to coach the Italy national team. Siniša Mihajlović, the manager of Catania, was appointed to replace him. The club spent much of the early 2010–11 season in last place. But their performance improved, and Fiorentina finished ninth. After a 1–0 loss to Chievo in November 2011, Mihajlović was fired. Delio Rossi replaced him. After a short period of improvement, the Viola were again fighting relegation. This led to the firing of Sporting Director Pantaleo Corvino in early 2012. This happened after a 0–5 home loss to Juventus.
Their fight to stay in the league was helped by some unexpected away wins. They won against Roma and Milan. During a home game against Novara, the team was losing 0–2. Manager Rossi decided to substitute midfielder Adem Ljajić early. Ljajić clapped sarcastically in frustration. Rossi then physically attacked his player. This action led to Rossi being fired by the club. His replacement, caretaker manager Vincenzo Guerini, then guided the team away from the relegation zone. They finished 13th, ending a difficult year.
To help the club recover after the disappointing season, the Della Valle family invested a lot of money in mid-2012. They bought 17 new players and hired Vincenzo Montella as head coach. The team started the season well, finishing the year in joint third place. They eventually finished the 2012–13 season in fourth. This was enough to qualify for the 2013–14 Europa League.
The club sold fan favorite Stevan Jovetić in mid-2013 to English club Manchester City for €30 million. They also sold Adem Ljajić to Roma and Alessio Cerci to Torino. They used this money to bring in players like Mario Gómez, Josip Iličić, and Ante Rebić. During the season, Fiorentina won their Europa League group. They then beat Danish team Esbjerg fB 4–2 on total score in the round of 32. However, in the next round, the round of 16, they lost to Italian rivals Juventus 2–1 on total score. This knocked Fiorentina out of the competition. At the end of the season, the team finished fourth in the league again. They also finished as Coppa Italia runners-up after losing 3–1 to Napoli in the final.
In the 2014–15 season, during the winter transfer window, the team sold star winger Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea for €30 million. But they were able to get Mohamed Salah on loan in exchange. Salah was a big success in the second half of the season. Their 2014–15 Europa League campaign saw them reach the semi-finals. They were knocked out by Spanish team Sevilla, who went on to win the competition. In the 2014–15 domestic season, Fiorentina again finished fourth. This qualified them for the 2015–16 Europa League. In June 2015, Vincenzo Montella was fired as manager. The club was unhappy that he didn't show enough commitment. Paulo Sousa replaced him and stayed until June 2017. Then, Stefano Pioli was appointed.
Club captain Davide Astori sadly died suddenly at age 31 in March 2018. Astori had a heart attack in a hotel room before an away game. The club later retired Astori's jersey number, 13, in his honor. Fiorentina struggled during the 2018–19 Serie A season. They ended the season with a 14-match winless streak. They finished in 16th place with only 41 points, just 3 points above the relegation zone. On 9 April 2019, Pioli resigned as manager, and Montella replaced him.
The Commisso Era
On 6 June 2019, Italian-American billionaire Rocco Commisso bought the club for about 160 million euros. This sale ended the Della Valle family's seventeen-year connection with the club. Vincenzo Montella was kept as coach for the first season of the new era. This was despite the team's poor finish to the previous season. Fiorentina continued to struggle, spending most of the season in the lower middle of the table. Montella was fired on 21 December after a 7-match winless streak. This left the club in 15th place. Giuseppe Iachini replaced him. In November 2020, Cesare Prandelli returned to Fiorentina, replacing Giuseppe Iachini as coach.
Under coach Vincenzo Italiano, who arrived in 2021, Fiorentina reached two UEFA Europa Conference League finals in a row. They lost both the 2022–23 and 2023–24 finals. This made them the first club to appear in two consecutive finals in the competition's history. They also became the first team to lose two consecutive European finals since Benfica in 2013 and 2014.
Players of Fiorentina
Current Squad
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Fiorentina Youth Team
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Other Players Under Contract
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Players on Loan
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Famous Players of Fiorentina
Retired Jersey Numbers
- 13
Davide Astori, defender (2015–18) – This number was retired to honor him after he passed away.
Management Team
| Role | Staff Member |
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| Head coach | Raffaele Palladino |
| Assistant coach | Stefano Citterio |
| Athletic coach | Fabio Corabi Nicola Riva Damir Blokar |
| Goalkeeping coach | Giorgio Bianchi Alessandro Dall'Omo |
| Technical coach |  Aleksandr Nizelik Federico Peluso |
| Match analyst | Andrea Berti Mattia Casella Andrea Ramponi |
| Head of medical staff | Luca Pengue |
| Club doctor | Giovanni Serni |
| Head of physiotherapists | Stefano Dainelli |
| First team doctor | Niccolò Gori |
| Physiotherapist | Simone Michelassi Andrea Giusti Simone Mazzei Filippo Nannelli David Petrangeli |
| Nutritionist | Cristian Petri |
| Kit manager | Riccardo Degl'Innocenti Simone Segoni Leonardo Marchetti |
| Sporting director | Daniele Pradè |
| Technical director | Roberto Goretti |
| Secretary | Luigi Curradi |
Fiorentina's Coaches Through the Years
Fiorentina has had many different managers and head coaches throughout its history. Here is a list from when the club was founded in 1926 until today.
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Team Colors and Badges
Fiorentina's Badges
The official symbol of the city of Florence is a red fleur-de-lis (a lily flower) on a white background. This symbol has always been a key part of the club's identity.
Over the years, the club's badge has changed several times. But all versions have included Florence's lily in some way. The first badge was simply the city's coat of arms. It was a white shield with the red lily inside. Later, it became a very simple red lily, sometimes without the white background. For about 20 years, the most common symbol was a white diamond shape with the flower inside. When they won the Italian championship, the diamond disappeared, and the flower was placed over the scudetto (championship shield).
The logo introduced by owner Flavio Pontello in 1980 was quite unique. It was half of Florence's city emblem and half of the letter "F" for Fiorentina. Fans didn't like it much. They thought it looked more like a spear than a lily.
Until the 2022–23 season, the club used a new, simpler badge. Before that, the logo was a kite-shaped double diamond with a gold border. The outer diamond was purple with white "AC" and red "F" letters, standing for the club's name. The inner diamond was white with a gold border and the red lily of Florence. This logo was used from 1992 to 2002. After the club's financial crisis and restart, they couldn't use the same logo right away. Florence's city council allowed Florentia Viola to use a simplified city coat of arms. The next year, Diego Della Valle bought the rights to the current logo. He paid €2.5 million for it, making it the most expensive logo in Italian football.
Fiorentina's Kit and Colors
When Fiorentina was founded in 1926, the players wore red and white shirts. These colors came from the city's emblem. The famous and unique purple kit was adopted in 1928. It has been used ever since, leading to the nickname La Viola ("The Purple team"). Legend says Fiorentina got their purple kit by accident. Their old red and white kits were washed in the river, and the colors mixed to create purple.
The away kit has always been mostly white. Sometimes it has purple and red parts, and sometimes it's all white. The shorts used to be purple when the home kit had white shorts. In the 1995–96 season, the away kit was all red with purple edges. It also had two lilies on the shoulders. The red shirt has been the most common third shirt for Fiorentina. However, they also wore rare yellow shirts in some seasons and a silver one, mostly in the Coppa Italia, in 2000–01.
For the 2017–18 season, the club used five different kits. This was a first in their history. There was one home kit (all purple) and four away kits. Each away kit represented one of the historic neighborhoods of Florence: blue for Santa Croce, white for Santo Spirito, green for San Giovanni, and red for Santa Maria Novella.
Fiorentina's Anthem
"Canzone Viola" (Purple Song) is the official song of Fiorentina. Today, it's better known as "Oh Fiorentina." It is the oldest official football anthem in Italy and one of the oldest in the world. It was written in 1930, just four years after the club was created. A 12-year-old boy named Enzo Marcacci wrote the lyrics. Maestro Marco Vinicio arranged the music. It became famous quickly thanks to newspapers and a fan club called Ordine del Marzocco. They printed the lyrics and gave them out at a home match on November 22, 1931.
The song was recorded by Narciso Parigi in 1959 and again in 1965. The 1965 version replaced the original as the Fiorentina anthem. Later, Narciso Parigi himself bought the rights to the song. In 2002, he gave these rights to the fan club Collettivo Autonomo Viola.
Kit Suppliers and Sponsors
Kit Manufacturers
- 1978–1981: Adidas
- 1981–1983: J.D.Farrow's
- 1983–1988: Ennerre (it)
- 1988–1991: ABM Diffusion (it)
- 1991–1993: Lotto
- 1993–1995: Uhlsport
- 1995–1997: Reebok
- 1997–2000: Fila
- 2000–2001: Diadora
- 2001–2002: Mizuno
- 2002–2003: Mizuno, Garman, Puma
- 2003–2005: Adidas
- 2005–2012: Lotto
- 2012–2015: Joma
- 2015–2020: Le Coq Sportif
- 2020–present: Kappa
Shirt Sponsors
- 1981–1983: J.D.Farrow's
- 1983–1986: Opel
- 1986–1989: Crodino
- 1989–1991: La Nazione
- 1991–1992: Giocheria (it)
- 1992–1994: 7up
- 1994–1997: Sammontana
- 1997–1999: Nintendo
- 1999–2002: Toyota
- 2002–2004: Fondiaria-Sai
- 2004–2010: Toyota
- 2010–2011: Save The Children
- 2011–2014: Mazda
- 2014–2016: Volkswagen, Save The Children
- 2016–2019: Vorwerk Folletto, Save The Children, Dream Loud
- 2019–present: Mediacom
Official Partners
- EA Sports – Football video gaming partner
- Montezemolo – Fashion partner
- Gruppoaf – Official partner
- Sammontana – Official ice cream
- Synlab – Health partner
- OlyBet.tv – Infotainment partner
Fiorentina's Trophies and Achievements
National Titles
- Serie A (Italian League):
- Winners (2): 1955–56; 1968–69
- Runners-up (5): 1956–57; 1957–58; 1958–59; 1959–60; 1981–82
- Coppa Italia (Italian Cup):
- Winners (6): 1939–40; 1960–61; 1965–66; 1974–75; 1995–96; 2000–01
- Runners-up (5): 1958, 1959–60, 1998–99, 2013–14, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup):
- Winners (1): 1996
- Runners-up (1): 2001
European Titles
- UEFA Champions League (European Cup):
- Runners-up (1): 1956–57
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:
- Winners (1): 1960–61
- Runners-up (1): 1961–62
- UEFA Europa League (UEFA Cup):
- Runners-up (1): 1989–90
- UEFA Europa Conference League:
- Runners-up (2): 2022–23, 2023–24
- Mitropa Cup
- Winners (1): 1966
Other Titles
- Serie B
- Winners: 1930–31, 1938–39, 1993–94
- Serie C2
- Winners: 2002–03
- Coppa Grasshoppers
- Winners: 1957
- Anglo-Italian League Cup
- Winners: 1975
Fiorentina's League History
| Series | Years | Last Season | Promotions | Relegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 85 | 2023–24 | – |  3 (1938, 1993, 2002) |
| B | 5 | 2003–04 |  4 (1931, 1939, 1994, 2004) |
bankruptcy |
| C | 1 | 2002–03 | 1 (2003) |
never |
| 91 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | ||||
Images for kids
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The first Italian champion Fiorentina, 1955–56 season
See also
In Spanish: ACF Fiorentina para niños
