Francesco Moriero Explained

Francesco Moriero
Birth Date:31 March 1969
Birth Place:Lecce, Italy
Height:1.73m
Currentclub:Maldives (head coach)
Position:Right winger
Years1:1986–1992
Clubs1:Lecce
Caps1:156
Goals1:13
Years2:1992–1994
Clubs2:Cagliari
Caps2:54
Goals2:4
Years3:1994–1997
Clubs3:Roma
Caps3:76
Goals3:8
Years4:1997–2000
Caps4:56
Goals4:6
Years5:2000–2002
Clubs5:Napoli
Caps5:24
Goals5:1
Totalcaps:366
Totalgoals:32
Nationalyears1:1998–1999
Nationalcaps1:8
Nationalgoals1:2
Manageryears1:2006–2007
Managerclubs1:Africa Sports
Manageryears2:2007–2008
Managerclubs2:Lanciano
Manageryears3:2008–2009
Managerclubs3:Crotone
Manageryears4:2009–2010
Managerclubs4:Frosinone
Manageryears5:2010–2011
Managerclubs5:Grosseto
Manageryears6:2011–2012
Managerclubs6:Lugano
Manageryears7:2012
Managerclubs7:Grosseto
Manageryears8:2013
Managerclubs8:Grosseto
Manageryears9:2013
Managerclubs9:Lecce
Manageryears10:2014
Managerclubs10:Catanzaro
Manageryears11:2016
Managerclubs11:Catania
Manageryears12:2017
Managerclubs12:Sambenedettese
Manageryears13:2018
Managerclubs13:Sambenedettese
Manageryears14:2019
Managerclubs14:Cavese
Manageryears15:2020–2021
Managerclubs15:Dinamo Tirana
Manageryears16:2021–
Managerclubs16:Maldives

Francesco "Checco" Moriero (pronounced as /it/; born 31 March 1969) is an Italian football former player and current manager, who played as a midfielder, usually as a winger on the right flank. He is the current head coach of the Maldives national football team.

Throughout his career, he played for several Italian clubs: Lecce, Cagliari, Roma, Inter Milan, and Napoli, winning an UEFA Cup title with Inter in 1998. A former Italy international, he took part at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Francesco Moriero played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, including Lecce (1986–1992), Cagliari (1992–94), Roma (1994–97), Inter Milan (1997–2000), and Napoli (2000–2002).[1]

Originally from Lecce, he began his career with the local club's youth side, making his professional debut with the senior Lecce side during the 1986–87 Serie B season. The following season, he made 35 appearances, scoring 3 goals, helping the team to gain promotion to Serie A. He played two seasons in Serie A with Lecce, making 86 appearances and scoring 4 goals, before Lecce were relegated to Serie B once again. During the 1991–92 Serie B season, he set a personal best of 6 goals in 34 appearances, before moving to Cagliari in 1992, where he made his debut in European competitions, notably helping the team to reach the semi-final of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup.[1] [2]

In 1994, he moved to Roma for 8.5 billion Lit. He spent 3 seasons with the club, becoming an important figure, making 75 appearances in Serie A, and scoring 8 goals. In May 1997, he had initially made a deal to sign for Milan, but in July, he signed with Inter for 1 million Lit. in an exchange between the two Milan clubs involving André Cruz, who was initially about to sign a contract with Inter.[1] [3]

He made his debut with Inter on the first matchday of the 1997–98 Serie A season, on 31 August 1997, against Brescia, at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. His most notable and successful career spell came with the Milan club, and in his first season, he won the 1997–98 UEFA Cup under manager Luigi Simoni, notably scoring a goal from a bicycle kick against the Swiss team Neuchatel Xamax during the tournament.[3] In the final he also set up Ronaldo's goal shortly after coming on as a substitute.[4] Inter also narrowly missed out on the Serie A title to Juventus that season, as Moriero made 28 league appearances that season, scoring 3 goals. Although he made fewer appearances during the next two seasons due to injury (making 28 appearances in Serie A in total, scoring 3 goals), he also later reached the 2000 Coppa Italia final with the club, under Marcello Lippi, before moving to Napoli in 2000.[5] During the 2000–01 Serie A season, he made 14 appearances with Napoli, scoring a goal, although he was unable to save the club from relegation. He ended his career with the club in 2002, in Serie B.[1] In total he made 287 appearances in Serie A, scoring 21 goals.[5] [6] [7]

International career

After making an appearance with the Italy national under-21 football team in a 1–0 win over Greece on 7 February 1990, under manager Cesare Maldini, Moriero also played for the senior Italy national team; in total, he scored two goals in eight matches for Italy between 1998 and 1999. He made his senior international debut on 28 January 1998, in a 3–0 home win over Slovakia, providing two assists during the match; in his next appearance, in an international friendly against Paraguay on 22 April 1998, he scored his only two goals for Italy, one from a bicycle kick, as they won the match 3–1 at home.[8] [9] [10] Moriero was a participant for Italy at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, under Cesare Maldini once again, where Italy were eliminated in the quarterfinals to hosts and eventual champions France on penalties.[11] Although he was often alternated with the more defensive-minded Angelo Di Livio on the right wing,[12] [13] he still appeared in all five of Italy's matches during the tournament, and he assisted Christian Vieri's first goal in Italy's 3–0 win against Cameroon in their second group stage match, also starting the play for his second goal of the match.[14] He also combined with Filippo Inzaghi to initiate the play which led to Roberto Baggio's match winning goal against Austria in Italy's final group match, as Italy won 2–1 to top their group.[15] He made his final appearance for Italy on 9 October the following year, in a European qualifier against Belarus, under manager Dino Zoff, which ended in a 0–0 away draw.[8]

Coaching career

In 2006, soon after having successfully ended his studies at the Coverciano football coaching school, Moriero was appointed head coach of Ivorian club Africa Sports. On 27 July 2007, Africa Sports announced that they have sacked Moriero, appointing his assistant Salvatore Nobile as new boss.

On 7 August, Moriero signed for Serie C1's Lanciano,[16] guiding the club under massive financial issues that successively led to bankrupt, an auction-regulated sale and point deductions throughout the season. He successively guided F.C. Crotone to win the Lega Pro Prima Divisione playoffs and achieve promotion to Serie B in the 2008–09 season.

He then served as head coach of Serie B club Frosinone from July 2009 to April 2010.[17] [18]

In September 2010 he was named new head coach of Grosseto in the Italian Serie B, replacing Luigi Apolloni, but was dismissed later in January 2011 due to poor results.[19] In the season 2012–13 he was again named head coach of Grosseto, but on 1 October 2012 he was sacked.[20]

On 30 June 2013, Moriero signed with his former club, Lecce, although he was dismissed 24 September.[21]

On 1 July 2014, he was hired by Catanzaro,[22] although he was later sacked once again by the club on 9 November.[23]

In May 2017 he was appointed coach of Sambenedettese. He was fired in November, but was later called back in April 2018.[24] [25] He left the club again on 30 June 2018.

In June 2019 he joined Cavese, but was fired in September after 4 Serie C matches without wins.

On 30 December 2020, he was announced as the new head coach of Albanian club Dinamo Tirana, with Fabrizio Miccoli as his assistant.[26] On 2 March 2021, both Moriero and Miccoli resigned from their coaching roles at the club, after having been in charge of only two league games for the Albanian club.[27]

On 21 October 2021, Moriero was unveiled as the new head coach of the Maldives national football team on a two-year deal; his appointment made Moriero the first ever coach from a World Cup winning country to coach the Maldives in the history.[28]

Style of play

Moriero was a right-footed, quick, diminutive, energetic, and highly technical midfielder, who was predominantly used as right winger; although he was primarily an offensive minded player, with a penchant for making attacking runs, and who was even used as an outside forward on occasion, he was also known for his work-rate, tactical intelligence, and defensive contribution off the ball, as well as his ability to track back, which enabled him to cover the flank effectively.[17] [29] [30] Moriero's main attributes were his acceleration, pace, dribbling skills, agility, flair, and creativity; these characteristics enabled him to beat opponents in one on one situations, get up the wing, and provide width to his team by overloading the flanks, giving his team a numerical advantage when attacking. He was also known for his ability to create chances and provide assists for strikers with his crossing ability and long balls from the right flank.[31] [29] [30] [32] [33] [34] [35] He also had good vision and distribution, as well as a penchant for scoring with spectacular strikes from distance, or acrobatic goals from volleys and bicycle kicks.[9] [10] Regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation,[29] during his prime, his world class performances, characteristics, playing style, and position on the pitch earned him comparisons with esteemed former Italian wingers Franco Causio, Bruno Conti, and Roberto Donadoni, as well as Portuguese winger Luís Figo.[30] [36] However, despite his talent, Moriero also garnered a reputation for being inconsistent at times.[37] In addition to his skills and playing ability, Moriero was also known for his trademark celebration, which involved him pretending to polish his team-mates' football boots whenever they scored a goal.[5] [6] [7] [38]

Honours

Player

Inter[39]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Francesco Moriero. tuttocalciatori.net. it. 22 April 2015. 18 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082139/http://www.tuttocalciatori.net/Moriero_Francesco. live.
  2. Web site: IL CAGLIARI BUTTA VIA UN TESORO. repubblica.it. La Repubblica. it. 17 September 1993. 22 April 2015. 18 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094138/http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1993/09/17/il-cagliari-butta-via-un-tesoro.html?ref=search. live.
  3. Web site: Moriero, l' eroe per caso nel paradiso Inter. corriere.it. Il Corriere della Sera. it. Fabio Monti. 2 October 1997. 22 April 2015. 11 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090911001732/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1997/ottobre/02/Moriero_eroe_per_caso_nel_co_0_9710022951.shtml. live.
  4. News: Golden Goal: Ronaldo for Internazionale v Lazio (1998). Guardian. 10 November 2021. 15 November 2021. 14 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211114163754/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/nov/10/golden-goal-ronaldo-for-internazionale-v-lazio-1998. live.
  5. Web site: L' Inter si aggrappa al "ribelle" Moriero Segna subito Simic e il Cagliari pareggia con Oliveira: decide il panchinaro che voleva andarsene via. corriere.it. Il Corriere della Sera. it. Giancarla Ghisi. Fabio Monti. Giorgio Rondelli. 17 January 2000. 22 April 2015. 11 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151111072131/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2000/gennaio/17/Inter_aggrappa_ribelle_Moriero_Segna_co_0_0001173694.shtml. live.
  6. Web site: Il prezzo del pane e lo strano Lazio-Milan che aspetta Boksic. repubblica.it. La Repubblica. it. Gianni Mura. 26 April 1998. 22 April 2015. 5 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151005003612/http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1998/04/26/il-prezzo-del-pane-lo-strano-lazio-milan.html. live.
  7. Web site: Ken ha fatto strike!. mediaset.it. Sport Mediaset. it. 22 April 2010. 22 April 2015. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133458/http://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/pazzosport/articoli/articolo31543.shtml. live.
  8. Web site: Nazionale in cifre: Moriero, Francesco. figc.it. FIGC. it. 22 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093204/http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=715&squadra=1. 18 May 2015. dead.
  9. Web site: L' Italia scopre un Moriero mondiale. Il Corriere della Sera. it. 23 April 1998. 11 September 2014. 1 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090701101903/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1998/aprile/23/Italia_scopre_Moriero_mondiale_co_0_9804231950.shtml. live.
  10. Web site: Italia 3-1 Paraguay: Uno straordinario Moriero regala spettacolo e gol. rai.it. RAI Sport. it. 22 April 1998. 22 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151001182130/http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/eventi/francia98/199804/22/353e538004498/. 1 October 2015. dead.
  11. Web site: Italia-Francia, 1998 0-0 (3-4). rai.it. Rai Sport. it. 13 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120616003113/http://www2.raisport.rai.it/eventi/francia98/incontri/ita_fra.htm. 16 June 2012. dead.
  12. Web site: Niente paura, noi siamo l' Italia . La Gazzetta dello Sport . it . Germano Bovolenta . Nicola Cecere . 3 July 1998 . 13 April 2019 . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413014006/http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it//1998/luglio/03/Niente_paura_noi_siamo_Italia_ga_0_9807033059.shtml . live .
  13. Web site: cosa resta di questa Italia . La Gazzetta dello Sport . it . Lodovico Maradei . 5 July 1998 . 13 April 2019 . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413014656/http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it//1998/luglio/05/cosa_resta_questa_Italia_ga_0_9807053256.shtml . live .
  14. Web site: Italia-Camerun, 1998 - 3-0. Storie di Calcio. it. 13 June 2012. 3 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161103175553/http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/mondiali_1998_italia_camerun.html. live.
  15. Web site: Italia-Austria, 1998 - 2-1. rai.it. Rai Sport. it. 13 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20090704112212/http://www2.raisport.rai.it/eventi/francia98/incontri/ita_aut.htm. 4 July 2009. dead.
  16. News: UFFICIALE: Checco Moriero nuovo allenatore del Lanciano. TuttoMercatoWeb. it. 7 August 2007. 9 September 2007. 7 March 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307033705/http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/index.php?action=read&id=70710. live.
  17. Web site: Moriero: "Il mio calcio? Un mix di lavoro e allegria". La Gazzetta dello Sport. it. 7 October 2009. 18 September 2014. 18 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093451/http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/SerieB/07-10-2009/moriero-il-mio-calcio-501541284438.shtml. live.
  18. News: ESONERATO FRANCESCO MORIERO . Frosinone Calcio . it . 25 April 2010 . 25 April 2010 . 16 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152414/http://www.frosinonecalcio.com/news.php?id=2783 . dead .
  19. News: Grosseto, Moriero esonerato: pronto Serena . TuttoMercatoWeb . it . 13 January 2011 . 25 January 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120924130150/http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/index.php/action.php?action=read&id=247751 . 24 September 2012 .
  20. Web site: Grosseto, via Moriero: Somma è il nuovo tecnico. Tuttosport. it. 1 October 2012. 19 December 2015.
  21. Web site: Moriero annuncia la sua biografia. Parole al vetriolo contro gli "amici giornalai". lecceprima.it. it. 7 November 2013. 22 April 2015. 18 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102317/http://www.lecceprima.it/sport/moriero-biografia-attacca-amici-giornalai.html. live.
  22. Web site: PRESENTATO IL NUOVO TECNICO FRANCESCO MORIERO. uscatanzaro1929.com. it. 1 July 2014. 22 April 2015. 14 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214131/http://www.uscatanzaro1929.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1482:presentato-il-nuovo-tecnico-francesco-moriero&catid=1:notizie. live.
  23. Web site: Francesco Moriero. calcio.com. it. 22 April 2015. 30 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191230184938/http://www.calcio.com/profilo_giocatori/francesco-moriero/. live.
  24. http://www.alfredopedulla.com/il-presidente-della-sambenedettese-annuncia-abbiamo-esonerato-moriero/ Il presidente della Sambenedettese annuncia: “Abbiamo esonerato Moriero”
  25. Web site: Serie C Sambenedettese, ufficiale: ritorna Moriero . 30 April 2018 . 1 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180501005052/http://www.corrieredellosport.it/news/calcio/lega-pro-serie-d/lega-pro/2018/04/30-42245217/serie_c_sambenedettese_ufficiale_ritorna_moriero/ . live .
  26. News: it . 30 December 2020 . 30 December 2020 . TuttoMercatoWeb . Dinamo Tirana, Moriero allenatore. Miccoli vice e responsabile del settore giovanile . 21 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221065754/https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/calcio-estero/ufficiale-dinamo-tirana-moriero-allenatore-miccoli-vice-e-responsabile-del-settore-giovanile-1476163 . live .
  27. News: it . 21 October 2021 . 2 March 2021 . SKY Sport Italia . Miccoli e Moriero si dimettono dalla Dinamo Tirana: addio dopo appena 2 mesi . 21 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221065817/https://sport.sky.it/calcio/2021/03/02/miccoli-moriero-dinamo-tirana . live .
  28. News: it . 21 October 2021 . 21 October 2021 . TuttoMercatoWeb . Moriero riparte dalle Maldive. È il nuovo ct della Nazionale insulare . 21 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211021143649/https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/calcio-estero/ufficiale-moriero-riparte-dalle-maldive-e-il-nuovo-ct-della-nazionale-insulare-1599198 . live .
  29. Web site: commenti Francesco Moriero, sciuscià che pulì la scarpa a Recoba. Il Corriere dello Sport. it. Furio Zara. 31 March 2011. 25 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170226131318/http://www.corrieredellosport.it/buoncompleanno/2011/03/31-163971/Francesco%20Moriero,%20sciusci%C3%A0%20che%20pul%C3%AC%20la%20scarpa%20a%20Recoba. 26 February 2017. dead.
  30. Web site: Io, gregario di Ronaldo ripudiato dalla Roma . La Repubblica . it . Enrico Currò . 24 January 1998 . 13 April 2019 . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413014656/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1998/01/24/io-gregario-di-ronaldo-ripudiato-dalla-roma.html . live .
  31. Web site: Moriero, amore al primo dribbling. La Gazzetta dello Sport. it. Luca Calamai. Francesco Caruso. Nicola Cecere. 29 January 1998. 24 January 2017. 2 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202110023/http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/1998/gennaio/29/Moriero_amore_primo_dribbling_ga_0_9801291227.shtml. live.
  32. Web site: Ronaldo tra Pele' e Moriero. La Gazzetta dello Sport. it. 13 January 1998. 18 September 2014. 25 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180725112713/http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/1998/gennaio/13/Ronaldo_tra_Pele_Moriero_ga_0_9801133039.shtml. live.
  33. Web site: Moriero e Torricelli, le novità azzurre. La Repubblica. it. 23 January 1998. 24 January 2017. 7 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014959/http://www.repubblica.it/online/sport/nazionale/convocazioni/convocazioni.html. live.
  34. Web site: Scatti, dribbling e fantasia: è tornata l'ala destra. La Repubblica. it. 28 April 2014. 24 January 2017. 26 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161026074309/http://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/2014/04/28/news/ala_destra-84684368/. live.
  35. Web site: ESCLUSIVA TLP - Mi ritorni in mente: Francesco Moriero. Tutto Lega Pro. Daniele Mosconi. it. 6 January 2013. 24 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031552/http://www.tuttolegapro.com/esclusiva-ultim-ora/esclusiva-tlp-mi-ritorni-in-mente-francesco-moriero-59679. 2 February 2017. dead.
  36. Web site: Le prime scelte di Maldini Pagliuca il vice Peruzzi e Moriero giocherà. Il Tirreno. it. Giorgio Svalduz. 21 April 1998. 25 February 2017. 3 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191003100739/http://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/1998/04/21/LS301.html. dead.
  37. Web site: Juve, fuga tra i veleni. La Gazzetta dello Sport. it. Lodovico Maradei. Germano Bovolenta. 27 April 1998. 24 January 2017. 27 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180827110413/http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/1998/aprile/27/Juve_fuga_tra_veleni_ga_0_9804271127.shtml. live.
  38. Web site: Moriero: "Con Ronie rapporto speciale. Ma l'esultanza da sciuscià …" . www.fcinter1908.it . it . 20 September 2012 . 13 April 2019 . 13 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413014652/http://www.fcinter1908.it/in-evidenza/moriero-con-ronie-rapporto-speciale-ma-l-esultanza-da-sciuscia/ . live .
  39. Web site: Francesco Moriero. Eurosport. fr. 19 December 2015. 22 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222095529/http://www.eurosport.fr/football/francesco-moriero_prs5016/person.shtml. live.