Pierluigi Cera facts for kids
.jpg)
Cera at Cagliari in 1969
|
||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pierluigi Cera | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1941 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Legnago, Verona, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder Defender |
|||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1957–1964 | Verona | 141 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1964–1973 | Cagliari | 240 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 1973–1979 | Cesena | 97 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 478 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1963 | Italy under-21 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1969–1972 | Italy | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Pierluigi Cera (born February 25, 1941) is a former Italian football player. He played as a midfielder or a defender. Cera is best known for his time with Cagliari and the Italy national football team. He helped Cagliari win their only Serie A league title in 1970.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Pierluigi Cera was born in Legnago, Italy. He started his club career playing for Verona from 1957 to 1964. He played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A, on May 4, 1958. This game was against Milan, and Verona lost 2–0.
Time at Cagliari
Cera then moved to Cagliari in 1964. He played there until 1973. During his time at Cagliari, he became the team's captain. In the 1969–70 season, he led Cagliari to win the Serie A title. This was a very special moment because it was the first and only league title in the club's history.
Later Career
After Cagliari, Cera played for Cesena from 1973 to 1979. He had a long and successful career in Italian football.
Playing for Italy
Pierluigi Cera also played for the Italy national football team. He played 18 games for his country between 1969 and 1972.
World Cup Experience
His first game for Italy was on November 22, 1969. It was a 3–0 win against East Germany in a World Cup qualifying match. Cera was part of the Italian team that played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Italy reached the final of the tournament. They played against Brazil but lost 4–1, finishing in second place.
How He Played
Cera was a very flexible player. He could play in different positions on the field.
Midfielder and Defender
He was good at playing as a midfield playmaker. This meant he could create scoring chances for his team. He was also a strong defender.
Role as a Sweeper
Later in his career, Cera often played as a sweeper. This position is also known as a Libero. A sweeper plays behind the main defenders. Cera was excellent in this role because he had great vision and could pass the ball well. He was also creative and good at bringing the ball out from the back of the field. His consistent defensive skills made him one of the first "offensive sweepers" of his time. He was seen as similar to the famous German player Franz Beckenbauer in this role.
Achievements
Club Honours
Cagliari
- Serie A: 1969–70
International Honours
Italy
- FIFA World Cup (Runner-up): 1970
Individual Honours
- Cagliari Greatest XI of all-time
See also
In Spanish: Pierluigi Cera para niños
