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Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria logo.svg
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

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 through the ages 2025
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

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 1946-1949
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)

Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1969-70
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 - RISE 2017 (3)
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 UC Sampdoria
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

Colori Sampdoria murales Filippo Biagioli
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 di Genova
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‘s „Curva Sud“
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

European Trophies

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

Top Goalscorers

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

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

Current Players

No. Position Player
4 England MF Ronaldo Vieira (4th captain)
5 Italy DF Alessandro Pio Riccio
6 Italy DF Simone Romagnoli
7 Italy MF Alessandro Bellemo
8 Italy MF Matteo Ricci
9 Italy FW Massimo Coda
10 Italy FW Gennaro Tutino
17 Netherlands MF Melle Meulensteen
18 Italy DF Lorenzo Venuti
22 Italy GK Simone Ghidotti
23 Italy DF Fabio Depaoli (3rd captain)
25 Italy DF Alex Ferrari
26 Italy DF Giorgio Altare (on loan from Venezia; vice-captain)
44 Cyprus DF Nikolas Ioannou
No. Position Player
80 Italy MF Leonardo Benedetti
84 Italy FW Nikola Sekulov
Italy GK Nicola Ravaglia
Italy GK Elia Tantalocchi
Italy DF Simone Giordano
Croatia DF Stipe Vulikić
Italy MF Francesco Conti
Italy MF Stefano Girelli
Italy MF Lorenzo Malagrida
Italy MF Ilario Porzi
Italy FW Antonino La Gumina
Italy FW Simone Leonardi
Spain FW Estanis Pedrola
Italy FW Luca Polli

Sampdoria Youth Team

No. Position Player
12 Italy GK Nicholas Scardigno
29 Italy GK Lorenzo Ceppi
34 Bulgaria GK Andrey Krastev
No. Position Player
35 Norway DF Mateo Fisher
43 Democratic Republic of the Congo FW Samuel Ntanda
45 Croatia MF Mate Ivković

Club Officials

Club Presidents

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

Team Managers

Vujadin Boškov (1976)
Vujadin Boškov was Sampdoria's most successful manager. He led the team to their only Serie A title in 1991.
Period Name
1946–1947 Italy Giuseppe Galluzzi
1951 Italy Giovanni Rebuffo
1947–1950 Italy Adolfo Baloncieri
1950–1951 Italy Giuseppe Galluzzi
1951 Italy Gipo Poggi
1951–1952 Italy Alfredo Foni
1952 Italy Gipo Poggi
1952–1953 Italy Ivo Fiorentini
1953–1954 Italy Paolo Tabanelli
1954–1956 Hungary Lajos Czeizler
1956–1957 Italy Pietro Rava
1957 Italy Ugo Amoretti
1957–1958 England Bill Dodgin
1958 Italy Adolfo Baloncieri
1958–1962 Italy Eraldo Monzeglio
1962–1963 Italy Roberto Lerici
1963–1965 Austria Ernst Ocwirk
1965–1966 Italy Giuseppe Baldini
1966–1971 Italy Fulvio Bernardini
1971–1973 Paraguay Heriberto Herrera
1973–1974 Italy Guido Vincenzi
1974–1975 Italy Giulio Corsini
1975–1977 Italy Eugenio Bersellini
1977–1978 Italy Giorgio Canali
1978–1979 Italy Lamberto Giorgis
1979–1980 Italy Lauro Toneatto
1980–1981 Italy Enzo Riccomini
1981–1984 Italy Renzo Ulivieri
1984–1986 Italy Eugenio Bersellini
1986–1992 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vujadin Boškov
1992–1997 Sweden Sven-Göran Eriksson
1997 Argentina César Menotti
1997–1998 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vujadin Boškov
1998 Italy Luciano Spalletti
1998–1999 England David Platt / Italy Giorgio Veneri
1999 Italy Luciano Spalletti
1999–2000 Italy Gian Piero Ventura
2000–2001 Italy Luigi Cagni
2001–2002 Italy Gianfranco Bellotto
2002–2007 Italy Walter Novellino
2007–2009 Italy Walter Mazzarri
2009–2010 Italy Luigi Delneri
2010–2011 Italy Domenico Di Carlo
2011 Italy Alberto Cavasin
2011 Italy Gianluca Atzori
2011–2012 Italy Giuseppe Iachini
2012 Italy Ciro Ferrara
2012–2013 Italy Delio Rossi
2013–2015 Serbia Siniša Mihajlović
2015 Italy Walter Zenga
2015–2016 Italy Vincenzo Montella
2016–2019 Italy Marco Giampaolo
2019 Italy Eusebio Di Francesco
2019–2021 Italy Claudio Ranieri
2021–2022 Italy Roberto D'Aversa
2022 Italy Marco Giampaolo
2022–2023 Serbia Dejan Stanković
2023–2024 Italy Andrea Pirlo
2024 Italy Andrea Sottil
2024-2025 Italy Leonardo Semplici
2025 Italy Alberico Evani
2025- Italy Massimo Donati

Recent Seasons

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

Season Division Tier Position
1995–96 Serie A I 8th
1996–97 Serie A 6th
1997–98 Serie A 9th
1998–99 Serie A 16th ↓
1999–2000 Serie B II 5th
2000–01 Serie B 6th
2001–02 Serie B 11th
2002–03 Serie B 2nd ↑
2003–04 Serie A I 8th
2004–05 Serie A 5th
2005–06 Serie A 12th
2006–07 Serie A 9th
2007–08 Serie A 6th
2008–09 Serie A 13th
2009–10 Serie A 4th
2010–11 Serie A 18th ↓
2011–12 Serie B II 6th ↑
2012–13 Serie A I 14th
2013–14 Serie A 12th
2014–15 Serie A 7th
2015–16 Serie A 15th
2016–17 Serie A 10th
2017–18 Serie A 10th
2018–19 Serie A 9th
2019–20 Serie A 15th
2020–21 Serie A 9th
2021–22 Serie A 15th
2022–23 Serie A 20th ↓
2023–24 Serie B II 7th
2024–25 Serie B II 17th
2025–26 Serie B II
Key
Promoted Relegated

League History

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

World Cup Winners

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