Gabriele Oriali facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gabriele Oriali

Oriali in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1952-11-25) 25 November 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Como, Italy
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder, right-back
Team information
Current team	Napoli (sports coordinator)
Youth career
1966–1971	Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1970–1983	Inter Milan	277	(33)
1983–1987	Fiorentina	105	(7)
Total		382	(40)
International career
1971–1974	Italy U21	4	(1)
1978–1983	Italy	28	(1)
Managerial career
1988–1994	Solbiatese (sporting director)
1994–1998	Bologna (sporting director)
1998–1999	Parma (technical director)
1999–2010	Inter Milan (technical director)
2014–2023	Italy (team manager)
2019–2021	Inter Milan (team manager)
2024–	Napoli (sports coordinator)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Winner 1982 Spain
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gabriele "Lele" Oriali is a famous Italian former footballer. He was born on November 25, 1952. He mainly played as a defensive midfielder. He could also play as a right-back. Currently, he works as a sports coordinator for the Serie A club Napoli.

As a player, Oriali was known for his amazing energy and hard work. He was great at winning the ball from opponents. He also knew how to stop the other team's attacks.

Oriali played most of his club career with Inter Milan. Later, he played for Fiorentina. He also played for the Italian national team. He was part of the team that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup. After he stopped playing, he worked as a sporting director and team manager.

Oriali's Club Career

Gabriele Oriali was born in Como, Italy. He started playing football in the Inter Milan youth team. He spent four seasons there. Then, he joined Inter Milan's main team. He played most of his career with Inter.

He made his first professional appearance in the 1970–71 season. In that season, Inter won the Scudetto, which is the Italian league title. Oriali was a very important player for Inter during the 1970s and early 1980s.

With Inter, he won the scudetto again in the 1979–80 season. He scored 6 goals that year. He also won the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) twice. His first Coppa Italia win was in the 1977–78 season. His second win came in the 1981–82 season. In total, he played 70 matches and scored 8 goals for Inter in the Coppa Italia.

Oriali also played 45 matches and scored 3 goals for Inter in European club competitions. He was part of the team that reached the 1971–72 European Cup final. However, they lost to Ajax in that match.

People also remember Oriali for a brave performance in a Milan Derby. This was a big match against A.C. Milan on October 25, 1981. In that game, he scored the winning goal. He also needed thirty stitches on his face after being kicked by an opponent. That year, Inter won both of its derby games against AC Milan. This was a special achievement that was not repeated for 26 years.

After winning the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy, Oriali moved to Fiorentina. He played there for four seasons. He stopped playing football in 1987. He had played 382 games and scored 40 goals in Serie A.

Oriali's International Career

Gabriele Oriali was first called to play for the Italy national football team on December 21, 1978. This was for a friendly match against Spain. He quickly became a regular player for the team.

His only goal for Italy came in a friendly game against Sweden. This match was played in Florence on September 26, 1979. Italy won the game 1–0.

Oriali played for Italy in the 1980 European Championship. Italy finished in fourth place in that tournament, which was held in their home country. They lost to Czechoslovakia in a penalty shootout for third place.

In 1982, Oriali was a key player for the Italian National team. They won the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. Oriali played in five games during the tournament. This included the final match against West Germany. Italy won that game 3–1 to win their third FIFA World Cup title. He also played in tough matches against Argentina and Brazil. He also helped Italy defeat Poland in the semi-final.

Oriali's last game for Italy was on May 29, 1983. It was against Sweden in Gothenburg. Italy lost that game 0–2. In total, he played 28 matches for Italy between 1978 and 1983, scoring 1 goal.

Oriali's Managerial Career

After he finished playing football, Oriali started working in the management side of the sport. He first became a sporting director at Bologna. Then he worked at Parma.

He returned to Inter in 1999. He became their technical director. He stayed in that role until 2010. In 2019, Oriali returned to Inter as a technical director again. He also became the team manager for the Italian national team at the same time.

Oriali's Playing Style

Oriali was not known for having the best technical skills with the ball. However, he was a very determined and hard-working player. He was also smart about tactics and could play in different positions. He could play anywhere in midfield and also in defence, usually as a full-back.

He was known for his great stamina as a central or defensive midfielder. He was excellent at understanding the game and stopping opposing players. He was also very good at marking opponents closely. Besides his hard work and defensive skills, he was also good at passing the ball reliably. He often received and passed many balls during matches.

Because of his playing style, Italian newspapers called him an "incontrista." This means a player whose main job is to break up the other team's plays. Then, he would pass the ball to another player to start an attack. He was also praised for his good positioning and his ability to make attacking runs. This allowed him to score goals sometimes and help his team's attack.

In 2012, Oriali said that Daniele De Rossi was the player most similar to him in playing style. However, unlike De Rossi, Oriali was never sent off (given a red card) during his entire career.

Career Statistics

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oriali goal.

List of international goals scored by Gabriele Oriali

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 September 1979	Stadio Comunale, Florence, Italy	Sweden	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Fun Facts About Oriali

• His face appeared on a stamp from Chad in 1983. This stamp was part of a series celebrating the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He is on a 60 franc stamp with Włodi Smolarek from Poland.
• Oriali is mentioned in the song Una vita da mediano (A life as a midfielder) by Luciano Ligabue. This is one of Ligabue's most popular songs. Ligabue is a big fan of Inter Milan.

Honours and Awards

Player Achievements

Inter Milan

• Serie A (Italian League Title):
  • 1970–71
  • 1979–80
• Coppa Italia (Italian Cup):
  • 1977–78
  • 1981–82
• European Cup runner-up: 1971–72

Italy National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 1982

Individual Awards

• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2019

Special Orders

• 3rd Class / Commander: Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2021

See also

In Spanish: Gabriele Oriali para niños