Stefano Fiore facts for kids
Fiore in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stefano Fiore | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 April 1975 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cosenza, Calabria, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Cosenza | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | Parma | 62 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | → Padova (loan) | 24 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | → Chievo (loan | 38 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Udinese | 67 | (18) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Lazio | 95 | (17) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Valencia | 20 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 38 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | → Torino (loan) | 19 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | → Livorno (loan) | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Mantova | 24 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Cosenza | 37 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 451 | (63) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Italy | 38 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Stefano Fiore (born 17 April 1975) is an Italian football manager and former player. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder or on the right wing. He was given a special honor in Italy called the Cavaliere OMRI.
Fiore played for many Italian clubs during his career. He started with Cosenza in 1992. Then he moved to Parma in 1994, where he played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A. He also won the UEFA Cup with Parma. He spent time on loan at Padova and Chievo.
He returned to Parma in 1997 and helped them win another UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia in 1999. After that, he joined Udinese and won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000. He then moved to Lazio, where he won his second Coppa Italia in 2004.
Later, he played for the Spanish team Valencia and won the UEFA Supercup. He was then loaned to Fiorentina, Torino, and Livorno. In 2007, he returned to Italy permanently with Mantova. He finished his career back at his first club, Cosenza, in 2011.
Fiore also played for the Italy national football team 38 times between 2000 and 2004, scoring two goals. He played in UEFA Euro 2000, where Italy reached the final, and UEFA Euro 2004.
Contents
Stefano Fiore's Football Journey
Early Career and Success at Parma
Stefano Fiore was born in Cosenza, Italy. He began his professional football career with his hometown club, Cosenza, in 1992. He played 11 games before joining Parma in 1994.
At Parma, he made his debut in Serie A, Italy's top football league, when he was 19 years old. This was in a game against Genoa in December 1994. That season, Parma finished third in Serie A and reached the final of the Coppa Italia.
His biggest success came when Parma won the UEFA Cup against Juventus. Fiore played in the final match, which helped him gain experience playing against top international teams. Because he didn't play much at Parma, he moved to Padova for one season. He scored one goal in 24 games there.
In the 1996–97 season, Fiore played for Serie B team Chievo. He played very well, scoring two goals and setting up many others. This led Parma to sign him again in 1997. For the next two seasons, he became a more regular player for Parma.
The 1998–99 season was very successful for Fiore. Parma finished fourth in Serie A and won the Coppa Italia against Fiorentina. Fiore also won his second UEFA Cup with Parma, as they beat Marseille 3–0 in the final. He was a key player in Parma's European success that season, scoring two goals in ten UEFA Cup games.
Shining at Udinese
In June 1999, Fiore moved to Udinese. This was part of a deal where Parma also received other players. At Udinese, Fiore really started to shine during the 1999–2000 Serie A season. He scored a personal best of 9 goals in 33 games.
His excellent performance earned him a spot on the national team for UEFA Euro 2000. He continued his great form, scoring 9 goals in 34 games in the 2000–01 season. During this time, he also helped Udinese win the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup, which allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup.
Time with Lazio
In June 2001, Fiore moved to Lazio along with his teammate Giuliano Giannichedda. Lazio was making many big player changes that season. In his first season at Lazio, Fiore played under Dino Zoff, who had also been his coach for the national team at Euro 2000.
Fiore found it a bit hard to play his best at Lazio during the 2001–02 season. The coach, Alberto Zaccheroni, often played him on the left side of the midfield, which wasn't his favorite position. This led to him losing his place in the national team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
When Zaccheroni left in 2002, Fiore started to play much better under the new coach, Roberto Mancini. Fiore felt more comfortable playing in the center of the midfield. He helped Lazio finish fourth in Serie A, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League the next season. He scored six goals and also helped Lazio reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.
Fiore continued to play well for Lazio the next season, even though some key players left. Lazio won the 2003–04 Coppa Italia. Fiore was a very important player in this victory, scoring six goals in seven games, including three goals in the final against Juventus. His strong performances helped him get picked for the national team again for UEFA Euro 2004.
Moving to Valencia and Loan Spells
Because Lazio was having money problems, Fiore and another player, Bernardo Corradi, were transferred to the Spanish club Valencia. There, Fiore joined Italian coach Claudio Ranieri and fellow Italian player Marco Di Vaio.
Fiore had a good start at Valencia, winning the UEFA Super Cup against Porto. However, Valencia then had a difficult period and lost many games. They were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League early, and coach Claudio Ranieri was replaced. Fiore found it hard to adjust to Spanish football and often sat on the bench.
Loans
In July 2005, Fiore returned to Italy's Serie A, joining Fiorentina on loan. He played well with striker Luca Toni, helping Fiorentina reach fourth place in Serie A. However, due to some issues in Italian football, they lost this spot.
Fiorentina decided not to keep Fiore permanently. He then moved on loan to Torino, a team that was returning to Serie A. On the last day of the transfer window, 31 January 2007, he was loaned to Livorno. He played his first Serie A game for Livorno against A.C. Milan on 11 February 2007.
Later Years and Retirement
In the summer of 2007, Fiore struggled to find a new club. Finally, on 22 August, he signed a one-year contract with AC Mantova in Serie B. This was the first time he had played in Serie B since 1997.
Fiore did not play for any team during the 2008–09 season. But in September 2009, he returned to football. He signed a three-year contract with his hometown club, Cosenza. Cosenza was playing in the third-tier league, Lega Pro Prima Divisione. He stayed there until he retired from playing in 2011.
Playing for Italy
Fiore played eight games for the Italy U21 national team and three games for the U23 team. With the U23 team, he won the Mediterranean Games in 1997.
He made his debut for the senior national team while playing for Udinese. This was on 23 February 2000, in a friendly match against Sweden. Fiore's great form in the 1999–2000 season quickly made him an important player for the national team. He earned a spot in Dino Zoff's team for UEFA Euro 2000.
He had a very successful tournament at Euro 2000. He scored a memorable goal in Italy's 2–0 win over Belgium. He also helped set up a goal for Francesco Totti in the quarter-finals against Romania. Fiore played in all of Italy's matches as they reached the final, where they lost to France in extra time.
Under the new coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, Fiore continued to play for the national team. He scored his second international goal on 28 February 2001, in a friendly game against Argentina. He did not play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, where Italy was eliminated in the second round.
Fiore's strong performances for Lazio in the 2003–04 season helped him return to the national team in 2003. He was chosen for Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2004. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni used Fiore as a substitute in the first two group matches. When Fiore did start, Italy's team looked more creative. In the final group game against Bulgaria, Fiore almost scored a spectacular goal. Even though Italy won that match 2–1 and didn't lose any games in the tournament, they were eliminated in the first round. This happened because of how the tie-breaking rules worked among three teams with the same points.
After Trapattoni left in 2004, Fiore played in some matches under the new Italy manager Marcello Lippi. Fiore retired from the national team later that year. In total, he played 38 games for Italy between 2000 and 2004, scoring two goals.
How Stefano Fiore Played
Throughout his career, Stefano Fiore usually played as an attacking midfielder. He could also play on the left or right wing. He was a fast, hard-working, and active player. Fiore was a very talented and creative player with good vision and ball skills.
He was known for his excellent passing and his ability to score goals from midfield. He had a powerful and accurate shot with his right foot. He also made good runs into attacking positions. Sometimes, he even played as a supporting striker.
Fiore could also play in deeper midfield roles, like a central midfielder. This was because he was good at many different positions and worked hard to help defend. He was also good at connecting with other players to create or finish scoring chances.
Career Numbers
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2000 | 14 | 1 |
| 2001 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 2 | |
What Stefano Fiore Won
Parma
- Coppa Italia: 1998–99
- UEFA Cup: 1994–95, 1998–99
Lazio
- Coppa Italia: 2003–04
Valencia
- UEFA Super Cup: 2004
- Supercopa de España: runner-up 2004
Udinese
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000
Italy
- Mediterranean Games: 1997
- UEFA European Championship: runner-up 2000
Individual
- Coppa Italia top goalscorer: 2003–04 (6 goals)
Orders
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000
See also
In Spanish: Stefano Fiore para niños
