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 | Davide Nicola | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A, 15th of 20 | |||
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Cagliari Calcio, often called Cagliari, is a football club from Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. They play in Serie A, which is the top football league in Italy. Their home matches are played at the Unipol Domus stadium, which can hold 16,416 fans.
The club was started in 1920. They won their 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 club from southern Italy (south of Rome) had won the league. Cagliari also did well in Europe, reaching the semi-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup before losing to Internazionale.
Cagliari's main colours are blue and red, just like the flag of their city. The club's badge also features the flag of Sardinia.
Contents
Cagliari Calcio: A Brief History
Early Years and Rise to Serie A
Cagliari made history in the 1951–52 season by becoming the first team to win the Serie C league all by themselves. Before that, the championship was shared. After this, they spent the 1950s playing in Serie B, which is the second tier of Italian football. They almost got promoted to Serie A in 1954 but lost in a play-off game.
In the early 1960s, Cagliari went down to Serie C again. But then, they quickly rose through the ranks, finally reaching Serie A in 1964. This was a huge step for the club!
First Time in Serie A: The Golden Era (1964–1976)
When Cagliari first joined Serie A, they had great players like defender Mario Martiradonna, midfielders Pierluigi Cera, Nené, and Ricciotti Greatti, and the famous forward Gigi Riva. Their first season started slowly, and they were in last place halfway through. But they had an incredible second half, beating strong teams like Juventus and Milan. They finished in seventh place, which was a great achievement for a new team in the top league.
A couple of seasons later, Gigi Riva became the top scorer in Serie A for the first time. Cagliari also had the best defense in the league that year.
In the summer of 1967, Cagliari even played in North America! They were part of a new league called the United Soccer Association. They played as the Chicago Mustangs and finished second in their division. Their player, Roberto Boninsegna, was the league's top scorer with ten goals.
Cagliari became serious title challengers in 1968–69, competing with Fiorentina and Milan. Fiorentina won that year, but the next season brought them ultimate glory! With Angelo Domenghini joining the team, Cagliari won the Serie A title in 1970. They only lost two games all season and let in just 11 goals, which is still one of the fewest goals conceded in any major European league! Gigi Riva was also the league's top scorer again. Many players from this winning team, like Albertosi, Niccolai, Boninsegna, Gori, Cera, Domenghini, and Riva, played for Italy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup final.
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After their big win, the 1970s saw Cagliari slowly decline. They were relegated from Serie A in 1976. This was also around the time Gigi Riva's amazing career ended.
Ups and Downs: 1976–2000
After being relegated, Cagliari tried to get back to Serie A. They lost a play-off game the next season but finally returned to the top league in 1979. With players like Franco Selvaggi, Mario Brugnera (who was part of the 1970 winning team), and Alberto Marchetti, they stayed in Serie A for four years. But in 1983, they were relegated again. The 1980s were tough for the club, and they even dropped down to Serie C1 in 1987.
Cagliari spent two seasons in Serie C1. In 1988, Claudio Ranieri became the 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 their first two seasons back in Serie A, Cagliari had to fight hard to avoid relegation. But in the 1992–93 season, under coach Carlo Mazzone, they played well enough to earn a spot in a European competition!
The next season, they had their best-ever run in the UEFA Cup. They reached the semi-finals, even beating Juventus in the quarter-finals. They were finally knocked out by fellow Italian team Internazionale after a close game (winning the first leg 3-2 at home, but losing 5-3 on aggregate).
After this, Cagliari spent a few years in the middle of the Serie A table. They were relegated again in 1996–97 after losing a play-off. But they bounced back quickly, getting promoted after just one year. However, their next stay in Serie A only lasted two seasons.
Recent Years: 2000 Onwards
Cagliari spent the next 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, the first season without Zola, the team changed managers three times. But Nedo Sonetti, who took over in November, managed to save the team from relegation. This was largely thanks to the many goals scored by Honduran striker David Suazo.
Cagliari usually finished in the bottom half of Serie A for several years, 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. The new owner was Tommaso Giulini, who owns a chemical company called Fluorsid. Cagliari was relegated in Giulini's first season, but they won the Serie B championship in 2016. They have mostly stayed in the top division since then, though often finishing in the lower half of the table. Cagliari was relegated again at the end of the 2021–22 season.
In the middle of the 2022–23 season, Claudio Ranieri returned as coach when the club was in fourteenth place. Under his leadership, Cagliari won the 2022–23 Serie B play-offs and earned promotion once more!
Home Stadiums
Cagliari moved from their old stadium, Stadio Amsicora, to the Stadio Sant'Elia in 1970, right after they won their only league title. This stadium was updated for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It hosted all of England's group games, partly to keep their fans, who were known for causing trouble, on an island.
Over the years, there were disagreements with the city about fixing up the stadium. This meant Cagliari had to play some home games far away in Trieste in 2012. For most of the next season, they played at the Stadio Is Arenas nearby, but it was considered unsafe, so they sometimes had to play without fans. The Sant'Elia stadium was torn down in 2017 to build a new one. The club then moved to a temporary stadium called Sardegna Arena next to it.
Team Colours, Badge, and Nicknames
Cagliari's official red and blue colours come from the stemma (coat of arms) of the city of Cagliari. The red parts of the stemma represent the House of Savoy, a royal family that used to rule Italy and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The blue part of the stemma shows the sky and the sea, and also a castle. This is because the old part of Cagliari is a walled city called Castello. Because of their red and blue shirts, the team is often called rossoblu, which means "red and blue".
Cagliari has had different logo designs over time, but all of them feature the flag of Sardinia. The badge usually has the club's colours. Since 2015, the badge has a shield shape with red and blue halves. The club's name is written in white above the flag of Sardinia. The "Moors' heads" on the flag were changed in 2015 to face right, matching the updated Sardinian flag from 1992.
Since Cagliari is the main football club from the island of Sardinia, they are often nicknamed the "Isolani", which means "Islanders".
Club 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 (Group South), 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 (Selected)
- Top Scorer
- Gigi Riva (Serie A): 1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70
- Panchina d'Oro (Best Coach Award):
- Massimiliano Allegri: 2008–09
- African Footballer of the Year
- Patrick M'Boma: 2000
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year
- David Suazo: 2006
Divisional History
Cagliari has spent most of its history moving between Italy's top three football leagues:
- Serie A (Top League): 43 seasons, with 6 relegations.
- Serie B (Second League): 30 seasons, with 7 promotions and 4 relegations.
- Serie C (Third League): 13 seasons, with 4 promotions and 1 relegation.
Overall, Cagliari has played 86 out of 92 years in professional Italian football since 1929.
Current Players
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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 after he passed away.
Famous Former Players
Many great players have played for Cagliari. Here are some of the most notable ones, including those who played over 100 games or appeared in a FIFA World Cup:
- Robert Acquafresca
- Mauricio Isla
- Enrico Albertosi
- Davide Astori
- Nicolò Barella
- Roberto Boninsegna
- Pierluigi Cera
- Daniele Conti
- Andrea Cossu
- Angelo Domenghini
- Enzo Francescoli
- Diego Godin
- José Herrera
- Victor Ibarbo
- Antonio Langella
- Diego López
- Alessandro Matri
- Patrick Mboma
- Roberto Muzzi
- Radja Nainggolan
- Nahitan Nandez
- Nené
- Luís Oliveira
- Fabian O'Neill
- Gigi Riva
- Marco Sau
- Franco Selvaggi
- Darío Silva
- David Suazo
- Gianfranco Zola
Cagliari has a special connection with Uruguayan players. As of 2014, 16 players from Uruguay had played for the club. Diego López played the most games (314). Other famous Uruguayan players include Enzo Francescoli, José Herrera, Fabián O'Neill, Darío Silva, Nahitan Nandez, and Diego Godin. Also, Uruguayan coach Óscar Tabárez managed the team from 1994 to 1995.
Club Management
The club has a team of people who manage the players and the daily operations.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Sporting director |  Nereo Bonato |
| Technical director | Roberto Muzzi |
| Head coach | Davide Nicola |
| Assistant coach | Simone Barone |
| Goalkeeper coach | Lorenzo Squizzi |
Cagliari in European Competitions
Cagliari has played in European football tournaments a few times.
UEFA Champions League (formerly European Cup)
Cagliari played in the top European club competition once, in the 1970–71 season.
- They won their first match against Saint-Étienne from France (3-1 on total score).
- In the next round, they lost to Atlético Madrid from Spain (2-4 on total score).
UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League)
Cagliari also played in the UEFA Cup. Their best performance was in the 1993–94 season.
- They beat Dinamo București (Romania), Trabzonspor (Turkey), and Mechelen (Belgium).
- In the Quarter-Finals, they had a big win against fellow Italian giants Juventus (3-1 on total score).
- They reached the Semi-Finals but were knocked out by Internazionale (3-5 on total score), who went on to win the competition.
See also
In Spanish: Cagliari Calcio para niños
