Francesco Graziani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Francesco Graziani

Graziani at Torino in 1976–77
Personal information
Date of birth	(1952-12-16) 16 December 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Subiaco, Italy
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1967–1970	Bettini Quadraro
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1970–1973	Arezzo	48	(11)
1973–1981	Torino	221	(97)
1981–1983	Fiorentina	52	(14)
1983–1986	Roma	57	(12)
1986–1988	Udinese	33	(8)
1988	APIA Leichhardt	2	(0)
Total		413	(142)
National team
1973	Italy U21	1	(0)
1975–1983	Italy	64	(23)
Teams managed
1989–1990	Fiorentina
1990–1991	Reggina
1991–1992	Avellino
2001–2002	Catania
2003–2004	Montevarchi
2004–2006	Cervia
2013	Vigevano Calcio (Allievi)
Honours Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Winner 1982 Spain
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani is a famous Italian football player and manager. He was born on December 16, 1952. He played as a forward, scoring many goals for his teams.

Graziani started his career with Arezzo in 1970. He then moved to Torino in 1973. With Torino, he won the Serie A league title in 1976. He was also the top goalscorer in Serie A in 1977. He scored 122 goals for Torino, making him one of their best scorers ever.

Later, he played for Fiorentina and Roma. With Roma, he won the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) twice. He also reached the final of the European Cup in 1984. He finished his playing career in Australia with APIA Leichhardt in 1988.

For the Italian national team, Graziani helped them win the FIFA World Cup in 1982. He also played in the 1978 World Cup and Euro 1980. He is one of Italy's top goalscorers of all time, with 23 goals.

Club Career Highlights

Francesco Graziani was born in Subiaco, Italy. He began his football journey at a young age. He was a strong and skilled striker.

Playing for Torino

Graziani joined Torino in 1973. He played eight seasons for the club. His first game in Serie A was in November 1973. He scored his first goal in December of the same year.

He scored a total of 122 goals in 289 games for Torino. This included 97 goals in the league. In the 1975–76 season, he helped Torino win the Scudetto, which is the Serie A league title.

In the next season, Graziani was the top scorer in Serie A. He scored 21 goals that year. He and his teammate Paolo Pulici were known as the Gemelli del gol (Goal Twins). They were a very strong attacking pair.

Moving to Other Clubs

After Torino, Graziani played for Fiorentina for two seasons, starting in 1981. They almost won the league title in the 1981–82 season, missing it by just one point.

In 1983, he moved to Roma. With Roma, he won the Coppa Italia twice, in 1984 and 1986. He also played in the 1984 European Cup final. Roma lost that final to Liverpool after a penalty shootout.

Graziani then played for Udinese for two seasons. He finished his playing career in 1988 with APIA Leichhardt in Australia. In total, he played 353 games in the Italian Serie A, scoring 130 goals.

International Career with Italy

Graziani was also a very important player for the Italian national team. He played in several major tournaments.

World Cup and European Championship

He represented Italy at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Italy finished in fourth place in that tournament. He also played in the 1980 European Championship held in Italy. He scored one goal there, and Italy again finished fourth.

Graziani made his first international appearance in April 1975. He scored his first goal for Italy in April 1976 against Portugal.

Graziani playing for Italy in 1977

He played a key role in Italy's victory at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He scored a crucial goal against Cameroon. This goal helped Italy move forward in the tournament. He played in all of Italy's matches as they won the World Cup for the third time.

In the final against West Germany, he had to leave the game early due to a shoulder injury. Italy still won the match 3-1, becoming world champions. Graziani played his last official game for Italy in May 1983. He scored 23 goals in 64 games for Italy between 1975 and 1983. This makes him one of Italy's top all-time goalscorers.

Playing Style

Francesco Graziani was known as "Ciccio." He was a very effective and flexible forward. He was good at scoring goals and stayed calm when shooting. He could play as a main striker or even on the wing.

He improved his skills a lot during his career. He was determined, worked hard, and was good at heading the ball. These qualities made him an excellent centre-forward.

Managerial Career

After retiring as a player, Graziani became a football manager. He coached several teams.

He managed his former club Fiorentina in the 1989–90 season. They avoided being relegated and reached the 1990 UEFA Cup Final. He also coached Reggina and Avellino.

In the 2001–02 season, Graziani was the managing director for Catania. He then became their manager and led the team to get promoted to Serie B.

From 2004 to 2006, he coached Cervia. This was an amateur team that was part of a popular Italian reality TV show called Campioni – Il Sogno. He helped them get promoted to a higher league. He was popular on the show for his passionate reactions during games. After coaching, he also worked as a football expert for TV.

Honours

Player

Torino

• Serie A: 1975–76
• Coppa Italia: runner-up 1979–80

Roma

• Coppa Italia: 1983–84, 1985–86
• European Cup: runner-up 1983–84

Italy

• FIFA World Cup: 1982

Individual

• Serie A Top scorer: 1976–77 (21 goals)
• Coppa Italia Top scorer: 1980–81 (5 goals)
• Torino FC Hall of Fame: 2017
• ACF Fiorentina Hall of Fame: 2019

Manager

Cervia

• Eccellenza: 2004–05 (Group B)

Images for kids

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  Graziani at Torino in 1976–77

• 

  Graziani playing for Italy in 1977

See also

In Spanish: Francesco Graziani para niños