UC Sampdoria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sampdoria

Full name	Unione Calcio Sampdoria S.p.A.
Nickname(s)	I Blucerchiati (The Blue-Circled) La Samp Il Doria
Founded	12 August 1946; 78 years ago (1946-08-12), as Unione Calcio Sampdoria
Ground	Stadio Luigi Ferraris
Ground Capacity	33,205
Owner	Blucerchiati S.p.A.
Chairman	Matteo Manfredi
Head coach	Massimo Donati
League	Serie B
2024–25	Serie B, 17th of 20
Home colours Away colours

Unione Calcio Sampdoria, often called Sampdoria, is a professional football club from Genoa, Italy.

The club was created in 1946. It was formed by joining two older sports clubs: Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria. These clubs had been around since the 1890s. Sampdoria's name and colors show this union. The name is a mix of the two old clubs. Their unique kit is mostly blue (for Andrea Doria) with white, red, and black stripes (for Sampierdarenese). This is why they are nicknamed blucerchiati, meaning "blue-circled".

Sampdoria plays its home games at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. This stadium can hold 33,205 fans. They share it with another Genoa team, Genoa CFC. The games between these two teams are very exciting. They are known as the Derby della Lanterna.

Sampdoria has won Italy's top league, the Scudetto, once in 1991. They have also won the Coppa Italia four times (1985, 1988, 1989, 1994). In 1991, they won the Supercoppa Italiana too. Their biggest win in Europe was the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. They also reached the European Cup final in 1992. They lost that game 1–0 to Barcelona after extra time.

Club History

Early Years: Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria (1891–1927)

Sampdoria's journey in Italian football since 1946.

Sampdoria's story began with two teams from the late 1890s. These were Società Ginnastica Sampierdarenese and Società Andrea Doria. Sampierdarenese started its football section in 1899. Andrea Doria, named after a famous Genoese admiral, began in 1895.

Andrea Doria did not join the first Italian Football Championship in 1898. Sampierdarenese was the first of the two to play in the championship in 1900. Andrea Doria joined in 1902. They won their first game in 1907, beating local rivals Genoa 3–1. By 1910–11, Andrea Doria started to play very well. They finished above big teams like Juventus and Internazionale.

After World War I, Sampierdarenese also started playing in the Italian Championship. In 1919–20, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria played against each other for the first time. Andrea Doria won the first game. In 1920–21, Andrea Doria finished first in their group.

For the 1921–22 season, Italy's top league split into two. Sampierdarenese joined one league, and Andrea Doria joined the other. Sampierdarenese reached the final of their league. They played against Novese. After two draws, Novese won the replay 2–1 in extra time. By 1924–25, both teams were competing in the Northern League.

From La Dominante to Sampdoria (1927–1946)

In 1927, the Italian government encouraged football teams to merge. This happened all over the country. Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria merged for the first time. They became a new team called La Dominante.

La Dominante

Home colours

La Dominante Genova wore green and black striped shirts. They played for only three seasons and were not very successful. In 1929, they played in the first-ever Serie B tournament. They finished third, just missing out on promotion.

Later, La Dominante joined with another local team, Corniglianese. They played as Foot Ball Club Liguria. This team did not do well and was relegated. In 1931, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria became separate clubs again. Sampierdarenese quickly moved up from Prima Divisione to Serie B. They then won the 1933–34 Serie B championship. This meant they were promoted to Serie A for the first time.

In 1937, Sampierdarenese merged with Corniglianese and Rivarolese. The club changed its name to Associazione Calcio Liguria. They reached fifth place in Serie A in 1939. After being relegated in the early 1940s, they quickly returned to Serie A.

Sampdoria in the late 1940s

After World War II, both Andrea Doria and Sampierdarenese were in Serie A. On August 12, 1946, they merged to form Unione Calcio Sampdoria. The new club's first chairman was Piero Sanguineti. Soon, Amedeo Rissotto took over. The team's first coach was Giuseppe Galluzzi. The new kit combined the blue of Andrea Doria with the stripes of Sampierdarenese. The club also started sharing the Stadio Luigi Ferraris stadium with Genoa.

Golden Years: The Mantovani Era (1946–1993)

Sampdoria in the 1969–70 season

For about 30 years, Sampdoria played in Serie A. Their best result was fourth place in 1960–61. In 1965–66, they were relegated to Serie B for the first time. But they won the Serie B championship the next year and returned to Serie A right away.

In 1979, Paolo Mantovani, an oil businessman, bought the club. Sampdoria was in Serie B at the time. Mantovani invested a lot to make the team successful. In 1982, Sampdoria returned to Serie A. They won their first Coppa Italia in 1985. In 1986, Vujadin Boškov became the new coach. The club won their second Coppa Italia in 1988. They then played in the 1988–89 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They reached the final but lost to Barcelona.

A second Coppa Italia win in a row in 1989 sent Sampdoria to the 1989–90 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won this competition after beating Anderlecht in extra time.

Gianluca Vialli, Sampdoria's star player in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Just one year later, in 1991, they won their first and only Scudetto. They became Serie A champions, finishing five points ahead of Internazionale. The winning team had famous players like Gianluca Pagliuca, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, and Attilio Lombardo. Boškov was still the coach. The next season, Sampdoria reached the European Cup final. They lost again to Barcelona at Wembley Stadium. Vujadin Boškov is remembered as one of Sampdoria's most successful coaches.

Changes in Ownership (1993–Present)

On October 14, 1993, Paolo Mantovani passed away. His son, Enrico, took over. In his first season (1993–94), Sampdoria won another Coppa Italia. They also finished fourth in Serie A. Over the next few years, many key players left. But the club bought new talented players. These included Juan Sebastián Verón, Ariel Ortega, and Clarence Seedorf. In 1995, Sampdoria reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup. They lost to Arsenal in a penalty shootout. In May 1999, Sampdoria was relegated from Serie A. They did not return to the top league until 2003.

In 2002, Riccardo Garrone, an Italian oil businessman, bought Sampdoria. The team returned to Serie A in 2003. They finished eighth in their first season back. After several good finishes, Walter Mazzarri became manager in 2007. With new players like Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini, Sampdoria finished sixth in 2007–08. This qualified them for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. The next season, they finished fourth. This meant they could play in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.

Luigi Delneri led Sampdoria to fourth place and Champions League qualification in 2010.

After their manager and key players left, Sampdoria struggled. They were relegated to Serie B in May 2011. However, in June 2012, Sampdoria won promotion back to Serie A. They beat Varese in the play-off final.

In 2013, Edoardo Garrone took over after his father's death. He wanted to sell the club quickly because of its debts. The sale to Massimo Ferrero in 2014 was not popular with fans. Ferrero was a film producer. In the 2014–15 season, Sampdoria finished seventh. They took a spot in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League because another team could not get a license. The club stayed strong in Serie A for the next seven years. Managers like Marco Giampaolo and Claudio Ranieri helped. Striker Fabio Quagliarella scored many goals.

However, there were growing problems with Ferrero's leadership. On December 6, 2021, Massimo Ferrero was arrested for business crimes. He resigned as president. The club said the football team's affairs were not part of the investigation. On December 27, former player Marco Lanna became president. In January 2022, former manager Marco Giampaolo returned. Sampdoria won his first home game back. But results got worse, and Giampaolo left after a winless start to the 2022–23 season. On October 6, Dejan Stanković became manager. Sampdoria was relegated from Serie A to Serie B in the 2022–23 season.

In May 2023, new owners, Andrea Radrizzani and Matteo Manfredi, bought Sampdoria. This saved the club from going bankrupt. On June 27, 2023, former Italy star Andrea Pirlo became the manager. The club faced financial difficulties in the 2023–24 season. They qualified for the promotion playoffs but lost in the first round. The 2024–25 season was tough. Despite new players and four manager changes, results were not good. Sampdoria finished 18th, which meant they were set to be relegated to Serie C. However, another team, Brescia, had points taken away. This changed the standings. Sampdoria then played a relegation play-off against Salernitana. They won the play-off 5–0, securing their place in Serie B.

Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames

Genoa graffiti showing a fish with Sampdoria colors.

Sampdoria's white, blue, red, and black colors show its origins. The two merged teams, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria, wore red/black and white/blue jerseys.

The club's badge features a sailor. This sailor is known as Baciccia in the local Genoese dialect. It's a short form of "Giovanni Battista" (John the Baptist). The sailor image is used because Genoa is a major port city. The specific design of Baciccia came from a Disney comic in 1980. Since 1980, the Baciccia has appeared on Sampdoria's shirts. It is usually on the chest, but sometimes on the sleeve.

Home Stadium

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Since 1946, Sampdoria has played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. It is also called the Marassi, after the neighborhood where it is located. The stadium can hold 33,205 people. It is the ninth-largest stadium in Italy. The stadium is named after Luigi Ferraris. He was an Italian footballer, engineer, and soldier who died during World War I.

Sampdoria shares the stadium with their rivals, Genoa CFC. The stadium was rebuilt before the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It hosted several matches during that World Cup.

Fans and Rivalries

Sampdoria fans in the Gradinata Sud of the Stadio Luigi Ferraris

Most Sampdoria fans come from the city of Genoa. The largest fan group is Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni. They are named after an Argentinian player who played for Sampdoria. This group started in 1969, making it one of Italy's oldest fan groups. They do not take political sides. The main support, with flags and flares, comes from the southern part of the stadium, called Gradinata Sud.

Sampdoria's biggest rivals are Genoa. Their matches against each other are called the Derby della Lanterna.

Club Achievements

Italian Trophies

• Serie A
  • Winners (1): 1991
• Serie B
  • Winners (1): 1967
• Coppa Italia
  • Winners (4): 1985, 1988, 1989, 1994
• Supercoppa Italiana
  • Winners (1): 1991

European Trophies

• European Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1992
• European Cup Winners' Cup
  • Winners (1): 1990
  • Runners-up (1): 1989

Friendly Tournaments

• Wembley International Tournament
  • Winners (3): 1990, 1991, 1992
• Trofeo Bortolotti
  • Winners (2): 1998, 2006
• Amsterdam Tournament
  • Winners (1): 1988
• Joan Gamper Trophy
  • Winners (1): 2012

Player Records

Most Appearances

These are players who have played the most games for Sampdoria.

#	Name	Years	Matches
1	Roberto Mancini	1982–1997	567
2	Moreno Mannini	1984–1999	501
3	Pietro Vierchowod	1983–1995	493
4	Angelo Palombo	2002–2012, 2012–2017	459
5	Fausto Pari	1983–1992	401
6	Fausto Salsano	1979–1981, 1984–1990, 1993–1998	377
7	Luca Pellegrini	1980–1991	363
8	Guido Vincenzi	1958–1969	353
9	Gaudenzio Bernasconi	1954–1965	351
10	Gianluca Vialli	1984–1992	328

Top Goalscorers

These are players who have scored the most goals for Sampdoria.

#	Name	Years	Goals
1	Roberto Mancini	1982–1997	171
2	Gianluca Vialli	1984–1992	141
3	Francesco Flachi	1999–2007	110
4	Fabio Quagliarella	2006–2007, 2016–2023	106
5	Adriano Bassetto	1946–1953	89
6	Giuseppe Baldini	1946–1950, 1953–1955	71
7	Vincenzo Montella	1996–1999, 2007–2008	66
8	Giancarlo Salvi	1963–1964, 1965–1976	55
9	Eddie Firmani	1955–1958	52
	Manolo Gabbiadini	2013–2015, 2019–2023
10	Attilio Lombardo	1989–1995, 2001–2002	51

Current Players

No. Position Player 4 MF Ronaldo Vieira (4th captain) 5 DF Alessandro Pio Riccio 6 DF Simone Romagnoli 7 MF Alessandro Bellemo 8 MF Matteo Ricci 9 FW Massimo Coda 10 FW Gennaro Tutino 17 MF Melle Meulensteen 18 DF Lorenzo Venuti 22 GK Simone Ghidotti 23 DF Fabio Depaoli (3rd captain) 25 DF Alex Ferrari 26 DF Giorgio Altare (on loan from Venezia; vice-captain) 44 DF Nikolas Ioannou

No. Position Player 80 MF Leonardo Benedetti 84 FW Nikola Sekulov GK Nicola Ravaglia GK Elia Tantalocchi DF Simone Giordano DF Stipe Vulikić MF Francesco Conti MF Stefano Girelli MF Lorenzo Malagrida MF Ilario Porzi FW Antonino La Gumina FW Simone Leonardi FW Estanis Pedrola FW Luca Polli

Sampdoria Youth Team

No. Position Player 12 GK Nicholas Scardigno 29 GK Lorenzo Ceppi 34 GK Andrey Krastev

No. Position Player 35 DF Mateo Fisher 43 FW Samuel Ntanda 45 MF Mate Ivković

Club Officials

Board of Directors Role Name Owner Blucerchiati S.p.A. President Matteo Manfredi CEO Raffaele Fiorella Chief Operating Officer Alberto Bosco CEO Area Football Jesper Fredberg Sporting Director Andrea Mancini Head of Youth Development Giovanni Invernizzi Team Manager Lorenzo Ariaudo Head of Scouting Lorenzo Giani Medical Director Luca Garriboli Physotherapist Director Mauro Doimi Secretaries Cristina Calvo Cecilia Lora Ticketing Director Sergio Tantillo Service Center Sampdoria Alice Carrodani Alberto Casagrande Responsibles for Order and Safety Matteo Sanna Administrator Alberto Gambale Communications Director Federico Berlingheri Press officer Alessandro Pintimalli Marketing & Sales Director Luca Donati Last updated: 8 April 2025 Source:

Current Coaching Staff Role Name Head coach Massimo Donati Assistant coach Davide Mandelli Match analyst Simone Di Martino Rehab coach Francesco Chinnici Club Doctor Claudio Mazzola Physiotherapists Valerio Chiappe Giacomo Rigon Simone Mainardi Fabio Sannino Kit men Andrea Arecco Anna Bugatto Bardul Jaiji Leonardo Liso Stefano Macciò Luca Marino Roberto Rossi Last updated: 8 April 2025 Source:

Club Presidents

Name	Period
1946	Piero Sanguineti
1946–1948	Amedeo Rissotto
1948–1953	Aldo Parodi
1953–1961	Alberto Ravano
1961–1965	Glauco Lolli Ghetti
1965–1966	Enrico De Franceschini
1966–1968	Arnaldo Salatti
1968–1973	Mario Colantuoni
1973–1974	Giulio Rolandi
1974–1978	Glauco Lolli Ghetti
1978–1979	Edmondo Costa
1979–1993	Paolo Mantovani
1993–2000	Enrico Mantovani
2000–2002	Enzo Garufi
2002	Pietro Sgarlata
2002–2013	Riccardo Garrone
2013–2014	Edoardo Garrone
2014–2021	Massimo Ferrero
2021–2024	Marco Lanna
2024–	Matteo Manfredi

Team Managers

Vujadin Boškov was Sampdoria's most successful manager. He led the team to their only Serie A title in 1991.

Period	Name
1946–1947	Giuseppe Galluzzi
1951	Giovanni Rebuffo
1947–1950	Adolfo Baloncieri
1950–1951	Giuseppe Galluzzi
1951	Gipo Poggi
1951–1952	Alfredo Foni
1952	Gipo Poggi
1952–1953	Ivo Fiorentini
1953–1954	Paolo Tabanelli
1954–1956	Lajos Czeizler
1956–1957	Pietro Rava
1957	Ugo Amoretti
1957–1958	Bill Dodgin
1958	Adolfo Baloncieri
1958–1962	Eraldo Monzeglio
1962–1963	Roberto Lerici
1963–1965	Ernst Ocwirk
1965–1966	Giuseppe Baldini
1966–1971	Fulvio Bernardini
1971–1973	Heriberto Herrera
1973–1974	Guido Vincenzi
1974–1975	Giulio Corsini
1975–1977	Eugenio Bersellini
1977–1978	Giorgio Canali
1978–1979	Lamberto Giorgis
1979–1980	Lauro Toneatto
1980–1981	Enzo Riccomini
1981–1984	Renzo Ulivieri
1984–1986	Eugenio Bersellini
1986–1992	Vujadin Boškov
1992–1997	Sven-Göran Eriksson
1997	César Menotti
1997–1998	Vujadin Boškov
1998	Luciano Spalletti
1998–1999	David Platt / Giorgio Veneri
1999	Luciano Spalletti
1999–2000	Gian Piero Ventura
2000–2001	Luigi Cagni
2001–2002	Gianfranco Bellotto
2002–2007	Walter Novellino
2007–2009	Walter Mazzarri
2009–2010	Luigi Delneri
2010–2011	Domenico Di Carlo
2011	Alberto Cavasin
2011	Gianluca Atzori
2011–2012	Giuseppe Iachini
2012	Ciro Ferrara
2012–2013	Delio Rossi
2013–2015	Siniša Mihajlović
2015	Walter Zenga
2015–2016	Vincenzo Montella
2016–2019	Marco Giampaolo
2019	Eusebio Di Francesco
2019–2021	Claudio Ranieri
2021–2022	Roberto D'Aversa
2022	Marco Giampaolo
2022–2023	Dejan Stanković
2023–2024	Andrea Pirlo
2024	Andrea Sottil
2024-2025	Leonardo Semplici
2025	Alberico Evani
2025-	Massimo Donati

Recent Seasons

Here's how the club has performed in recent seasons:

Key

League History

Series	Years	Last	Promotions	Relegations
A	65	2022–23	-	5 (1966, 1977, 1999, 2011, 2023)
B	12	2024–25	4 (1967, 1982, 2003, 2012)
79 years of professional football in Italy since 1946

World Cup Winners

• Alain Boghossian (France 1998)
• Shkodran Mustafi (Brazil 2014)