The FIGC and President Gabriele Gravina share the sorrow of Gigi Simoni’s family after he passed away today at the age of 81. “A great footballing man has left us,” Gravina stated. “He was honest, passionate and distinguished himself in all the categories he coached, with both his professionalism and decorum.”

After playing 368 games as a footballer, 187 of which were in Serie A, and scoring 32 goals whilst wearing the shirts of Mantova, Napoli, Torino, Juventus, Brescia and Genoa, Simoni began his adventure as a coach with Genoa in Serie B in the 1974/75 season. A year later he won the first of the eight promotions he obtained during his long and successful coaching career with Genoa, Brescia, Pisa, Lazio, Empoli, Cosenza, Carrarese, Cremonese, Napoli, Inter, Piacenza, Torino, CSKA Sofia, Ancona, Siena, Lucchese and Gubbio.

The gentlemanly, always polite coach reached the peak of his career by guiding Ronaldo’s Inter, with whom he almost won the Scudetto, to the 1998 UEFA Cup triumph. The trophy was secured after an all-Italian final against Lazio and the victory led him to being awarded the ‘Panchina d’Oro’.