Luigi Di Biagio facts for kids
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Di Biagio as head coach of Italy U21 in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Luigi Di Biagio | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 June 1971 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rome, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Lazio | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Lazio | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Monza | 62 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1995 | Foggia | 87 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Roma | 114 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Inter Milan | 117 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Brescia | 93 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | Ascoli | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 482 | (66) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Italy | 31 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Italy U20 | |||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Italy U21 | |||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Italy (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||
| 2020 | SPAL | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Dinamo City | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Luigi Di Biagio (born 3 June 1971) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He was known as a strong defensive midfielder.
Di Biagio played for several Italian clubs during his career. These included famous teams like Roma and Inter Milan. He finished his playing career with Ascoli in 2007. He also played 31 times for the Italian national team between 1998 and 2002. He scored two goals for Italy. He represented his country in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He also played in Euro 2000, where Italy reached the final match.
Contents
Luigi Di Biagio's Club Career
Starting Out: Lazio, Monza, and Foggia
Luigi Di Biagio was born in Rome, Italy, on 3 June 1971. He started his football journey with Lazio in 1988. He made his first appearance in Italy's top league, Serie A, with them.
After Lazio, he played for Monza from 1989 to 1992. Monza was in Serie B and Serie C1, which are lower divisions. While at Monza, he helped the team win the Coppa Italia C1 in 1991. This was his first trophy.
He then moved to Foggia in 1992. Under coach Zeman, he helped Foggia get promoted back to Serie A. He became a key player in the middle of the field. He was known for defending well and also helping to start attacks. With Foggia, he reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia in the 1994–95 season. This made bigger clubs notice him.
Playing for Roma
Di Biagio became more famous in Italy when he joined Roma in 1995. He played for Roma for five seasons until 1999. During this time, he also started playing in European club tournaments.
At Roma, he helped the team finish fourth in the 1997–98 season. They also reached the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup and the 1997–98 Coppa Italia. His strong performances made him a regular player for the Italian national team. He played 140 games for Roma and scored 18 goals.
Time at Inter Milan
In 1999, Di Biagio moved to Inter Milan. He quickly became an important player for the team. In the 2001–02 season, Inter almost won the Serie A title. They lost it on the very last day to Juventus.
Di Biagio stayed at Inter until 2003. In his four years there, he played 163 games and scored 18 goals. Even though he didn't win a major trophy with Inter, he helped them reach the semi-finals of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup. They also made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2003. They lost to their city rivals, Milan, in a very close match. He also finished second in the Serie A in 2003, the Coppa Italia in 2000, and the Italian Supercup in 2000.
Later Years: Brescia and Ascoli
After Inter, Di Biagio joined Brescia in 2003. He played alongside the famous Roberto Baggio in the 2003–04 season. Di Biagio often played as a sweeper or a central defender. He scored a personal best of nine goals in Serie A the next year. However, Brescia was relegated to Serie B in the 2004–05 season. He played his final season at Brescia in Serie B.
Di Biagio then signed with Ascoli in November 2006. He played his first game for Ascoli on 14 January 2007. He played seven games that season and scored two goals. Ascoli was relegated to Serie B that season. He retired from playing at the end of the season.
Even though he was a very good midfielder, Di Biagio didn't win many big trophies in his club career. His only major club trophy was the Coppa Italia Serie C1 with Monza.
Luigi Di Biagio's International Career
Di Biagio was a regular player for the Italian national team from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. He played 31 games for Italy and scored two goals. He also played for the Italy Under-23 team in the 1993 Mediterranean Games, where they reached the final.
He made his first appearance for the senior Italian team on 28 January 1998. This was in a friendly match against Slovakia, which Italy won 3–0.
1998 FIFA World Cup
After a great season with Roma, Di Biagio played for Italy in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played in all five of Italy's matches. He scored a goal with his head from a Roberto Baggio cross in a 3–0 win against Cameroon. This goal was Italy's 100th goal in World Cup matches!
In the next round, against Norway, Di Biagio helped set up Vieri's winning goal. Italy won 1–0 and kept a clean sheet. Di Biagio had a very strong tournament and was seen as one of the best midfielders. However, in the quarter-final against hosts France, the game ended 0–0 after extra time. It went to a penalty shootout. Di Biagio took the decisive penalty but hit the crossbar, and Italy was knocked out.
UEFA Euro 2000
Di Biagio continued to be a key player for Italy. He played in Euro 2000. He helped Italy reach the final, where they lost 2–1 to France with a "golden goal."
He had another successful tournament. He scored Italy's first goal against Sweden in their final group match. Italy won 2–1 and topped their group. In the semi-final penalty shootout against the Netherlands, he successfully scored Italy's first penalty. This was a big moment for him, especially after his miss in the 1998 World Cup.
2002 FIFA World Cup
Di Biagio was also part of Italy's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Italy was knocked out by co-hosts South Korea in the Round of 16. Di Biagio only played in one match in this tournament. This was Italy's 2–0 opening win against Ecuador. He assisted Vieri's second goal with a long pass. His last game for Italy was a friendly match against Turkey in November 2002.
Luigi Di Biagio's Playing Style
Luigi Di Biagio was considered one of Italy's best and most consistent midfielders in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was known for his strong leadership on the field.
He was a complete and tough defensive midfielder. His main strength was stopping the other team's attacks quickly. But he could also move forward and help his team score goals. He was good at starting attacks with short passes or long balls after winning the ball back.
Di Biagio was a hardworking player with power, stamina, and smart tactical thinking. He also had good technical skills. He could control the ball well, had good vision, and could make accurate passes. This allowed him to play as a deep-lying playmaker. Even though he played a defensive role, he had a powerful shot from far away. He was also good at taking free kicks and penalty kicks. Despite not being very tall, he was excellent in the air. He could jump high and head the ball accurately, making him a threat during set-pieces.
Luigi Di Biagio's Managerial Career
After retiring as a player in 2007, Di Biagio started coaching youth teams. In 2008, he got his first coaching license.
On 25 July 2011, he became the coach of Italy's Under-20 team. Then, on 2 July 2013, he moved up to coach Italy's Under-21 team. His first game as the Under-21 coach was a 4–1 win against Slovakia. He helped the Under-21 team qualify for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. In that tournament, Italy finished third in their group and were eliminated in the first round.
Di Biagio also led the Italy Under-21 team to the semi-finals of the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. They were defeated by Spain with a score of 3–1.
On 5 February 2018, Di Biagio was chosen as the caretaker manager for the senior Italian team. He managed two friendly matches in March 2018. The first was a 2–0 loss to Argentina. The second was a 1–1 draw against England. After these matches, he returned to coach the Under-21 team.
After the Italy U-21 team was eliminated in the first round of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Di Biagio resigned as their manager on 25 June 2019.
On 10 February 2020, he became the new coach of the Serie A team S.P.A.L.. The team was at the bottom of Serie A when he took over. His contract with SPAL ended on 2 August 2020.
International Goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 June 1998 | Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France |  Cameroon |
1-0 | 3-0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 19 June 2000 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Sweden |
1-0 | 2-1 | UEFA Euro 2000 |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Italy U20 |  |
25 July 2011 | 2 July 2013 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 45 | 33 | +12 | 52.63 |
| Italy U21 | |
2 July 2013 | 25 June 2019 | 59 | 28 | 13 | 18 | 101 | 62 | +39 | 47.46 |
| Italy (caretaker) | |
5 February 2018 | 14 May 2018 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| SPAL | |
10 February 2020 | 2 August 2020 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 37 | −27 | 6.67 |
| Dinamo Tirana |  |
1 August 2023 | 10 October 2023 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 22.22 |
| Total | 103 | 41 | 20 | 42 | 165 | 149 | +16 | 39.81 | |||
Honours
Player
Inter Milan
- Serie A runner-up: 2002–03
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 2000
- Supercoppa Italiana runner-up: 2000
Monza
- Coppa Italia Serie C1: 1990–91
Italy
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
Italy U23
- Mediterranean Games: 4th place 1993
Individual
- AC Monza Hall of Fame
Orders
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000
Images for kids
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Di Biagio as head coach of Italy U21 in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Luigi Di Biagio para niños
