SS Lazio facts for kids
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| Full name | Società Sportiva Lazio S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Biancocelesti (The White and Sky Blues) I Biancazzurri (The White and Blues) Le Aquile (The Eagles) Le Aquilotti (The Young Eagles) Capitolini (Capitoline) |
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| Founded | 9 January 1900, as Società Podistica Lazio | |||
| Ground | Olimpico | |||
| Capacity | 70,634 | |||
| Owner | Claudio Lotito (66.70%) | |||
| Chairman | Claudio Lotito | |||
| Head coach | Marco Baroni | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A, 8th of 20 | |||
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Società Sportiva Lazio (often just called Lazio) is a famous Italian sports club based in Rome. It is best known for its football team. The club was started in 1900 and has spent most of its history playing in the top Italian football league, Serie A.
Lazio has won the Serie A championship twice, in 1974 and 2000. They have also won the Coppa Italia seven times and the Supercoppa Italiana five times. In Europe, they won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup once each.
Their first big win was the Coppa Italia in 1958. The 1990s were a very successful time for Lazio. They reached the UEFA Cup final in 1998 and won two European trophies in 1999. They also won their second Serie A title in 2000. After some financial problems in 2002, the club's success in the league slowed down. However, they have still won four more Coppa Italia titles since then.
Lazio's team colours are sky blue shirts and white shorts with white socks. These colours remind people of ancient Greece, which is important to Rome's history. Their home stadium is the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which holds over 70,000 fans. They share this stadium with their big rivals, Roma. Matches between Lazio and Roma are known as the Derby della Capitale, which means "Derby of the capital city."
Lazio is a large sports club with over 40 different sports teams, not just football.
Contents
- Lazio's Journey: A Club History
- Lazio's Look: Colours, Badge, and Nicknames
- Home Ground: Stadio Olimpico
- Lazio Fans and Their Rivals
- Lazio's Achievements: Trophies and Honours
- Lazio's Players: Current Squad and Records
- Club Officials and Staff
- Famous Coaches Who Won Trophies
- Lazio as a Business: Financial Health
- Images for kids
- See also
Lazio's Journey: A Club History
Società Podistica Lazio was founded on January 9, 1900, in the Prati area of Rome. For the first ten years, the club played at an amateur level. In 1912, they officially joined the Italian Football League. They reached the national championship final three times before 1927 but never won.
In 1927, the Fascist government tried to combine all the major Roman football teams into one club, which became Roma. Lazio was the only big club in Rome that managed to avoid this merger. In 1929, Lazio played in the first official Serie A season. Led by the famous Italian striker Silvio Piola, they finished second in 1937, which was their best result before World War II.
Ups and Downs: Mid-Century Success and Challenges
The 1950s saw Lazio finish in various positions, sometimes in the middle of the table and sometimes higher up. They won their first Coppa Italia in 1958. In 1961, Lazio was relegated to Serie B (the second division) for the first time. However, they returned to the top league two years later. After a few years in the middle of the table, they were relegated again in 1970–71.
When they returned to Serie A in 1972–73, Lazio surprised everyone by challenging for the Scudetto (the league title). They had a strong team with players like captain Giuseppe Wilson and striker Giorgio Chinaglia. They narrowly missed out on the title on the last day of the season.
First Serie A Title and Difficult Times
Lazio built on their success and won their first Serie A title in 1973–74. This was a huge moment for the club. However, after this triumph, the team faced tough times. Key players and their coach left or passed away, which affected the team's performance. Despite this, Bruno Giordano became the league's top scorer in 1979.
In 1980, Lazio was forced to move down to Serie B due to a betting scandal. They stayed in the second division for three seasons, which was a very difficult period for the club. They returned to Serie A in 1983 but struggled again, finishing last in 1984–85.
In 1986, Lazio faced another challenge when they were deducted nine points because of another betting scandal. They had to fight hard to avoid being relegated to Serie C (the third division). This struggle proved to be a turning point. Lazio returned to Serie A in 1988 and slowly became a strong team in the top league.
The Cragnotti Era: Big Spending and Major Trophies
In 1992, Sergio Cragnotti became the club's owner. He invested a lot of money to buy new players and make Lazio a team that could win the Scudetto. He signed famous players like English midfielder Paul Gascoigne. This transfer helped increase interest in Italian football in the United Kingdom.
Cragnotti continued to break transfer records, signing stars like Juan Sebastián Verón, Christian Vieri, and Hernán Crespo. Lazio finished second in Serie A in 1995 and were strong contenders every year.
With players like Siniša Mihajlović, Alessandro Nesta, Marcelo Salas, and Pavel Nedvěd, and coach Sven-Göran Eriksson, Lazio won their second Scudetto in 2000. They also won the Coppa Italia that year, completing a "double" (winning two major trophies in one season).
Lazio also won the Coppa Italia in 1998 and 2004. They won the last-ever UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1999 and the UEFA Super Cup in 1999, beating Manchester United. In 2000, Lazio became the first Italian football club to be listed on the Italian stock market.
Recent Years: New Ownership and Continued Success
After 2002, Lazio faced financial difficulties, and many star players had to be sold, including their captain Alessandro Nesta. In 2004, businessman Claudio Lotito bought most of the club.
Under new ownership, Lazio continued to win trophies. They won the Coppa Italia in 2004, 2009, 2013, and 2019. In 2009, they also won the Supercoppa Italiana by beating Inter Milan in Beijing. A memorable win was the 2013 Coppa Italia final, where they beat their rivals Roma 1–0.
Lazio's Look: Colours, Badge, and Nicknames
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| First kit ever worn by the club |
Lazio's colours are white and sky blue. These colours were chosen because they are similar to the national emblem of Greece. This choice shows that Lazio is a club for many sports, and it connects the club to the Ancient Olympic Games and the history of sports in Europe, which started in Greece.
At first, Lazio wore a shirt with white and sky blue quarters. Now, they usually wear a sky blue shirt with white trim, white shorts, and white socks. Sometimes, they use sky blue and white striped shirts. Because of their colours, one of their Italian nicknames is Biancocelesti, meaning "The White and Sky Blues."
The traditional symbol for Lazio is the eagle. One of the club's founders, Luigi Bigiarelli, chose it. The eagle was a symbol of power and victory for the ancient Roman legions and emperors. It also connects the club to its home city of Rome. Because of the eagle, Lazio has two other nicknames: le Aquile ("the Eagles") and Aquilotti ("Eaglets"). The current club badge shows a golden eagle above a white shield with a blue border. Inside the shield are the club's name and a smaller shield with the club's colours.
Home Ground: Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main stadium in Rome. It is the home ground for the Italy national football team and both of Rome's local teams, Lazio and Roma. The stadium first opened in 1937. After its latest updates in 2008, it can hold 70,634 people.
The Stadio Olimpico has hosted many big events. It was used for the 1960 Summer Olympics. It also hosted the World Athletics Championships in 1987, the European Championship final in 1980, the World Cup in 1990, and the Champions League finals in 1996 and 2009.
Near the Stadio Olimpico is the Stadio dei Marmi, or "marble stadium." It was built in 1932 and has 60 white marble statues around its tiers. These statues were gifts from Italian cities to honour 60 athletes.
For a short time in 1989–90, Lazio and Roma played their games at the Stadio Flaminio while the Stadio Olimpico was being renovated. Lazio's president, Claudio Lotito, has mentioned plans for Lazio to build its own new stadium in the future.
Lazio Fans and Their Rivals
Lazio is the sixth most popular football club in Italy and the second most popular in Rome. About 2% of Italian football fans support Lazio. Historically, many Lazio fans in Rome come from the northern parts of the city.
The biggest group of Lazio fans are called Irriducibili Lazio, formed in 1987. They are known for their lively displays during the Derby della Capitale, the match against their main rivals, Roma. This derby is one of the most intense football rivalries in the world. Sadly, there have been incidents of violence and racist behaviour by a small number of fans during these matches. The Irriducibili group officially broke up in 2020, and Lazio's fans are now known as Ultras Lazio.
Lazio also has strong rivalries with clubs like Napoli, Livorno, Pescara, and Atalanta. They also have competitive rivalries with Fiorentina, Juventus, and Milan.
On the other hand, Lazio's fans have friendly relationships with fans of Internazionale, Triestina, and Hellas Verona. Internationally, Lazio fans have a strong friendship with supporters of the Bulgarian club Levski Sofia.
Lazio's Achievements: Trophies and Honours
Lazio has won many important trophies throughout its history, both in Italy and in Europe.
Italian Trophies
- Serie A (Italian League Championship)
- Winners (2): 1973–74, 1999–2000
- Runners-up (7): 1912–13, 1913–14, 1922–23, 1936–37, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2022–23
- Serie B (Italian Second Division)
- Winners (1): 1968–69
- Coppa Italia (Italian Cup)
- Winners (7): 1958, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2018–19
- Runners-up (3): 1960–61, 2014–15, 2016–17
- Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup)
- Winners (5): 1998, 2000, 2009, 2017, 2019
- Runners-up (3): 2004, 2013, 2015
European Trophies
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Winners (1): 1998–99
- UEFA Super Cup
- Winners (1): 1999
Lazio's Players: Current Squad and Records
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The current Lazio squad includes many talented players. You can see a list of them below.
Current Squad
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Lazio Primavera (Youth Team)
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Players on Loan to Other Clubs
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Retired Jersey Numbers
12 – Since the 2003–04 season, the number 12 jersey has been retired. This is a special way to honour the fans in the Curva Nord section of the Stadio Olimpico. They are seen as the "12th man" on the field, always supporting the team.
Club Records: Appearances and Goals
Ștefan Radu holds the record for the most official appearances for Lazio, having played 416 games. The goalkeeper with the most appearances is Luca Marchegiani, with 339 games.
The all-time top goalscorer for Lazio is Ciro Immobile, who has scored 206 goals. He is followed by Silvio Piola with 159 goals. Piola is also the highest goalscorer in Serie A history with 274 goals. Immobile also holds the record for most goals in European competitions for Lazio, with 26 goals.
Lazio's highest home attendance was about 80,000 fans for a Serie A match against Foggia on May 12, 1974. This was the game where Lazio won their first Scudetto. This is also the record attendance for the Stadio Olimpico, even including games played by Roma and the Italian national team.
Club Officials and Staff
The people who run the club and coach the team are very important. Here are some of the key officials and technical staff at Lazio:
Board of Directors
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner |  Claudio Lotito (66.70%) |
| President | Claudio Lotito |
| CEO | Marco Cavaliere |
| Sporting Director | Angelo Fabiani |
| Head of Youth Development | Enrico Lotito |
Current Technical Staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Marco Baroni |
| Assistant coach | Fabrizio Del Rosso |
| Goalkeeping coaches | Cristiano Viotti Mauro Lamberti |
| Fitness coaches | Andrea Petruolo Federico Di Dio |
Famous Coaches Who Won Trophies
Many great coaches have led Lazio to victory. Here are some of the managers who have won at least one trophy with the club:
| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
| Fulvio Bernardini |
1958–1960 | Coppa Italia |
 Juan Carlos Lorenzo |
1968–1971 | Serie B |
| Tommaso Maestrelli |
1971–1976 | Serie A |
 Sven-Göran Eriksson |
1997–2001 | 2 Coppa Italia, 2 Supercoppa Italiana, Serie A, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup |
| Roberto Mancini |
2002–2004 | Coppa Italia |
| Delio Rossi |
2005–2009 | Coppa Italia |
| Davide Ballardini |
2009–2010 | Supercoppa Italiana |
 Vladimir Petković |
2012–2014 | Coppa Italia |
| Simone Inzaghi |
2016–2021 | 2 Supercoppa Italiana, Coppa Italia |
Lazio as a Business: Financial Health
In 1998, Lazio became the first Italian football club to be listed on the stock market. This means people could buy shares in the club.
After some financial issues in 2002, Claudio Lotito bought most of the club in 2004. As of 2018, he owns over two-thirds of Lazio's shares. Lazio is one of only three Italian clubs listed on the Borsa Italiana (Italian stock exchange).
Lazio is known for being financially healthy and often makes a profit each season. Unlike some other big clubs, Lazio has managed its money well and followed the rules set by Financial Fair Play. This shows good management of the club's finances.
In 2022, Lazio announced a new deal with sportswear company Mizuno. This five-year agreement is worth €20 million.
Images for kids
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The performance of Lazio in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929–30)
See also
In Spanish: Società Sportiva Lazio para niños
- Football in Italy
- Lazio (futsal)
- Lazio Women
