Cagliari Calcio facts for kids
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| Full name | Cagliari Calcio S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Gli Isolani (The Islanders) Casteddu (Cagliari in Sardinian language) Rossoblù (Red and Blue) I Sardi (The Sardinians) |
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| Founded | 30 May 1920 1935 (re-founded as Unione Sportiva Cagliari) |
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| Ground | Unipol Domus | |||
| Capacity | 16,416 | |||
| Owner | Fluorsid Group | |||
| President | Tommaso Giulini | |||
| Head coach | Fabio Pisacane | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A, 15th of 20 | |||
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Cagliari Calcio, often called Cagliari, is an Italian football club. It is based in Cagliari, a city on the island of Sardinia. The team plays in Serie A, which is the top football league in Italy. Their home games are played at the Unipol Domus stadium, which can hold 16,416 fans.
The club was started in 1920. They won their first and only Italian league title, known as the Scudetto, in the 1969–70 season. This amazing win was led by Gigi Riva, who is still the top goal scorer for the Italian national team. It was also the first time a team from southern Italy (south of Rome) won the league. Cagliari's best performance in a European competition was reaching the semi-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup (now called the UEFA Europa League).
Cagliari's main colors are blue and red, just like the flag of their city. The club's badge also features the flag of Sardinia.
Contents
Club History: Cagliari's Journey in Football
Early Years and Rise to Serie A
Cagliari made history by becoming the first team to win the Serie C league outright in the 1951–52 season. Before that, the championship was shared. After this, they spent the 1950s playing in Serie B, which is the second division. They almost got promoted to Serie A in 1954 but lost in a play-off.
In the early 1960s, Cagliari briefly went down to Serie C. However, they quickly rose through the ranks and earned promotion to Serie A in 1964. This was a very fast climb for the team.
First Time in Serie A: The Golden Era (1964–1976)
When Cagliari first played in Serie A, they had great players like defender Mario Martiradonna, midfielders Pierluigi Cera, Nené, and Ricciotti Greatti, and forward Gigi Riva. Their first half of the season was tough, putting them in last place. But they had an incredible second half, beating strong teams like Juventus and Milan. They finished in seventh place, which was a great achievement.
A couple of seasons later, Gigi Riva became Serie A's top scorer for the first time. Cagliari also had the best defense in the league that year.
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In the summer of 1967, Cagliari played in a new league in North America called the United Soccer Association. European and South American teams played in American and Canadian cities, using local names. Cagliari played as the Chicago Mustangs. Their player Roberto Boninsegna was the league's top scorer with ten goals.
Cagliari became serious contenders for the Serie A title in 1968–69. They were in a close race with Fiorentina and Milan. Fiorentina won that year, but the next season brought Cagliari their greatest success. With Angelo Domenghini joining the team, Cagliari won the league title in 1970. They only lost two games and let in just 11 goals, which is still one of the fewest goals conceded in any major European league. Riva was also the league's top scorer again. Many players from this team, including Albertosi, Niccolai, Boninsegna, Gori, Cera, Domenghini, and Riva, played in Italy's 1970 World Cup final team.
After this golden period, the 1970s saw Cagliari's performance slowly decline. They were relegated from Serie A in 1976, and Riva's career ended around that time.
Ups and Downs: 1976–2000
After being relegated, Cagliari returned to Serie A in 1979. With players like Franco Selvaggi and Mario Brugnera (who was part of the 1970 winning team), they stayed in the top league for four years. They were relegated again in 1983. The 1980s were a difficult time, and they even dropped to Serie C1 in 1987.
Cagliari spent two seasons in Serie C1. In 1988, Claudio Ranieri became coach. He led the team to two promotions in a row, bringing them back to Serie B in 1989 and then to Serie A in 1990.
In the 1992–93 season, under coach Carlo Mazzone, Cagliari played very well and earned a spot in a European competition. The next season, they had their best-ever run in the UEFA Cup. They even beat Juventus in the quarter-finals! They were eventually knocked out by fellow Italian team Internazionale in the semi-finals.
After this, Cagliari spent a few years in the middle of the Serie A table. They were relegated again in 1997 but bounced back to Serie A after just one year. However, their next stay in the top league only lasted two seasons.
Recent History: 2000 Onwards
Cagliari spent four seasons in Serie B. In 2003–04, with the help of veteran striker Gianfranco Zola, who was born in Sardinia, the team won promotion back to Serie A.
In 2005–06, without Zola, the team changed managers several times. But Nedo Sonetti managed to save them from relegation, thanks to many goals from Honduran striker David Suazo.
Cagliari usually finished in the bottom half of Serie A, except for a 9th-place finish in 2008–09. They were relegated again in 2014–15. However, they won the Serie B championship the very next season and were promoted back to Serie A.
In 2014, Massimo Cellino sold the club after 22 years as president to Tommaso Giulini. Cagliari was relegated at the end of the 2021–22 season. But they brought back Claudio Ranieri as coach halfway through the 2022–23 season. Under Ranieri, Cagliari won the 2022–23 Serie B playoffs and returned to Serie A.
Cagliari's Home: The Stadium
Cagliari moved from their old stadium, Stadio Amsicora, to the Stadio Sant'Elia in 1970, right after winning their league title. The Sant'Elia stadium was updated for the 1990 FIFA World Cup hosted by Italy. It even hosted all of England's group games during that tournament.
Over the years, there were disagreements about fixing up the Sant'Elia stadium. Because of this, Cagliari had to play some home games in other cities. For example, in 2011–12, they played in Trieste, which is on the Italian mainland. They also played at the Stadio Is Arenas for a while, but it was not considered safe.
The Sant'Elia stadium was torn down in 2017 to make way for a new stadium. Since then, the club has been playing at the temporary Unipol Domus stadium, which is right next to where the new stadium will be built.
Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames
Cagliari's official colors, red and blue, come from the city's coat of arms. The red represents the House of Savoy, a royal family that once ruled the Kingdom of Sardinia. The blue part of the coat of arms shows the sky, the sea, and a castle. This is because the old part of Cagliari is a walled city called the Castello. Because of these colors, the team is often called rossoblu, which means "red and blue."
Cagliari has had different logo designs over the years, but all of them feature the flag of Sardinia. The main changes have been the shape or border color. Since June 2015, the badge has a shield shape with red and blue halves. The club's name is written above the Sardinian flag. The "Moors' heads" on the flag were updated in 2015 to face right, matching the modern Sardinian flag.
Since Cagliari is the main football club from the island of Sardinia, they are also nicknamed the "Isolani", which means "Islanders."
Cagliari's Achievements
National Titles
- Serie A (Top League):
Winners (1): 1969–70
Runners-up (1): 1968–69
- Serie B (Second League):
- Winners (1): 2015–16
- Runners-up (4): 1953–54, 1963–64, 1978–79, 2003–04
- Serie B (Second League) Play-offs:
- Winners (1): 2022–23
- Serie C / Serie C1 (Third League):
- Winners (4): 1930–31, 1951–52, 1961–62, 1988–89
- Coppa Italia (Italian Cup):
- Runners-up (1): 1968–69
- Coppa Italia Serie C:
- Winners (1): 1988–89
Other Trophies
- Trofeo Sardegna:
- Winners (6): 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Individual Player Awards
Some Cagliari players have won special awards:
- Top Scorer: Gigi Riva won this three times in Serie A (1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70).
- Panchina d'Oro (Best Coach): Massimiliano Allegri won this in 2008–09.
- African Footballer of the Year: Patrick M'Boma won this in 2000.
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: David Suazo won this in 2006.
Current Players
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Players on Loan
These players are still part of Cagliari but are playing for other teams for a while.
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Retired Jersey Numbers
Cagliari has retired two jersey numbers to honor special players:
- 11 –
Gigi Riva, a forward who played from 1963 to 1978. - 13 – Davide Astori, a defender who played from 2008 to 2014. This number was retired in his memory.
Famous Former Players
Many great players have played for Cagliari. Here are some of the most well-known:
- Enrico Albertosi
- Davide Astori
- Nicolò Barella
- Roberto Boninsegna
- Daniele Conti
- Enzo Francescoli
- Diego Godin
- Mauricio Isla
- Patrick Mboma
- Radja Nainggolan
- Nené
- Gigi Riva
- David Suazo
- Gianfranco Zola
Cagliari has a special connection with Uruguayan players. Many players from Uruguay have played for the club, including Diego López, who played over 300 games.
Club Management Team
| 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 |
Cagliari in European Competitions
Cagliari has played in a few European tournaments.
UEFA Champions League
Cagliari played in the top European club competition once.
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | Reference |
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| 1970–71 | First Round |  Saint-Étienne |
3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
| Second Round |  Atlético Madrid |
2–1 | 0–3 | 2–4 |
UEFA Cup
Cagliari had a great run in the UEFA Cup in the 1990s.
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | First Round |  Olympiacos |
0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | |
| 1993–94 | First Round |  Dinamo București |
2–0 | 2–3 | 4–3 | |
| 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 |
Cagliari Fans and Rivalries
Supporters Groups
In the 1970s, special fan groups called "ultras" started to form in Italy, including for Cagliari. The first group was called Brigate Rossoblù in 1977. Another group, Fossa Ultrà, became very active in the early 1980s, traveling to support the team.
Later, new groups like Commando Ultrà Young Supporters and Ultrà Cagliari formed. In 1987, some members created the Sconvolts, who joined with an older group called the Eagles. In 1989, the Furiosi group also started. These two groups were the main fan groups in the 1990s and early 2000s. After some disagreements, the Furiosi group ended in 2004. Today, the Sconvolts are the main ultras group in the Curva Nord section of the stadium.
Friendships and Rivalries
The Sconvolts, Cagliari's main fan group, have friendly relationships with fans of other teams like Olbia, Atalanta, Parma, and U.S. Lecce.
In the past, they also had friendships with fans of Foggia, Sampdoria, and Inter FC.
Cagliari has some big rivalries. Their main rival is Torres, and their matches are known as the Sardinia Derby. They also have a strong rivalry with Napoli.
Other teams that Cagliari has rivalries with include:
- Palermo
- S.S.C. Bari
- Hellas Verona
- A.C.Milan
- Juventus FC
- Inter FC
- Catania
- Genoa
- Brescia
- Venezia FC
- Lazio
- ACF Fiorentina
- Salernitana 1919
- Ancona
- Pogoń Szczecin
See also
In Spanish: Cagliari Calcio para niños
