Pierluigi Casiraghi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pierluigi Casiraghi

Casiraghi during a charity match in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	(1969-03-04) 4 March 1969 (age 56)
Place of birth	Monza, Italy
Height	1.82 m
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1989	Monza	94	(28)
1989–1993	Juventus	98	(20)
1993–1998	Lazio	140	(41)
1998–2000	Chelsea	10	(1)
Total		342	(90)
National team
1988–1990	Italy U21	7	(1)
1991–1998	Italy	44	(13)
Teams managed
2002–2003	Monza (youth team)
2003–2004	Legnano
2006–2010	Italy U21 / Italy Olympic
2014–2015	Cagliari (assistant)
2015–2016	Al-Arabi (assistant)
2016–2017	Birmingham City (assistant)
Honours Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1994
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Pierluigi Casiraghi (born 4 March 1969) is an Italian football coach and former player. He played as a striker, scoring many goals.

Casiraghi started his playing career in Italy in 1985 with Monza. He then played for famous clubs like Juventus and Lazio. Later, he moved to England to play for Chelsea in the Premier League. He had to stop playing football because of a serious knee injury in 1998.

Pierluigi was part of the Italy national football team that reached the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final. He also played for Italy in the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament. After he retired from playing, he became a coach in 2002. He coached youth teams and the Italy U-21 team. From 2014, he worked as an assistant coach for Gianfranco Zola at different clubs.

Playing Career

Playing in Italy

Casiraghi playing for Lazio in 1993

Pierluigi Casiraghi was born in Monza, Italy. He began his football journey with his hometown team, AC Monza, in 1985. In his first season, the team went down to Serie C, a lower league. But he helped them get promoted back to Serie B in 1988. He scored 28 goals in 94 games for Monza.

In 1989, he joined Serie A giants Juventus. He scored 20 goals in 98 games for Juventus. While at Juventus, he helped the team win two UEFA Cups in 1990 and 1993. They also won one Italian Cup in 1990. He scored a goal in the 1990 UEFA Cup Final, helping Juventus beat Fiorentina. During his time at Juventus, he played his first game for the Italian national team.

He moved to Lazio in 1993. He scored 41 goals in five years with the club. His best season was in 1996–97, when he scored 14 goals in 28 league games. With Lazio, he won another Italian Cup in 1998. In his last season, he did not play as much. The manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, preferred other players. So, Casiraghi looked for a new team.

Playing for Chelsea

Casiraghi joined the English club Chelsea in May 1998 for about £5.4 million. His time in London was unlucky. He only scored one goal in ten games for the club. This goal was against Liverpool in a 1–1 draw.

His Chelsea career ended early because of a serious knee injury. He got this injury in November 1998. It happened when he collided with West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop. He had ten operations, but he could not recover. His contract with Chelsea ended in July 2000. Chelsea received money from an insurance payout.

International Career

As an Italian international, Casiraghi played for the Italy national under-21 football team from 1988 to 1990. He played 7 games and scored 1 goal for the U-21 team. He then played 44 games and scored 13 goals for the senior Italy team between 1991 and 1998.

He played his first senior international game on 13 February 1991 against Belgium. He scored his first goal for Italy in a 4–0 win against San Marino in 1992. He was part of the Italy squad that reached the final of the 1994 World Cup in the USA. They lost to Brazil on penalties after a 0–0 draw.

During the 1994 World Cup, Casiraghi played in group games against Norway and Mexico. He also played in the semi-final win against Bulgaria. He was also in the Italy team for UEFA Euro 1996. He scored both goals in Italy's 2–1 win against Russia. However, Italy was knocked out in the first round.

He helped Italy qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored the only goal in a play-off match against Russia in 1997. But he was not chosen for the final World Cup squad by manager Cesare Maldini.

Style of Play

Pierluigi Casiraghi mainly played as a centre-forward. He was an athletic player and could play anywhere along the front line. He was known for his great ability to head the ball. He also scored amazing acrobatic goals.

He was a strong, hardworking, and goal-scoring forward. He moved well without the ball. He often used his physical strength to hold the ball and create chances for his teammates. This also helped him make space for others to score.

Coaching Career

Casiraghi became the manager of the Italian team Legnano in May 2003. On 24 July 2006, he was named head coach of the Italy U-21 national team. His former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola was his assistant.

As a coach, Casiraghi led the U-21 team to the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. They finished in fifth place. He also coached them in the 2008 Summer Olympics. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to Belgium. He also helped them win the 2008 Toulon Tournament. In the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, his team lost in the semi-final to Germany.

In December 2016, he joined EFL Championship club Birmingham City as an assistant coach. He worked again with Zola, as he had done before at Cagliari and Al-Arabi.

International Goals

Trophies and Awards

Club Trophies

Monza

• Coppa Italia Serie C: 1987–88

Juventus

• Coppa Italia: 1989–90
• UEFA Cup: 1989–90, 1992–93

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 1997–98

Chelsea

• UEFA Super Cup: 1998

International Trophies

Italy

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1994

See also

In Spanish: Pierluigi Casiraghi para niños