Stefano Eranio

Lore & Background

Eranio started his professional football career with Genoa in August 1984. His first five seasons at Genoa were in Serie B, until in 1989, the club were promoted to Serie A. In total, Eranio played for the club for eight seasons, before moving to AC Milan in August 1992. At Milan he won three league titles (1993, 1994 and 1996), three Italian Super Cups (1992, 1993 and 1994) and he also played in two Champions League finals. The first was in 1992–93, when Milan lost 1–0 to Marseille, and the second was in 1994–95 when his club lost 1–0 to Ajax.

Although he was part of the team's successful Champions League campaign during the 1993–94 season, he did not play in the final due to injury. He also added the European Super Cup to his trophy collection in 1994. In May 1997, he moved on a free transfer to English club Derby County, where he became a fan favourite; he made his Derby, and FA Premier League debut, on 9 August 1997 against Blackburn Rovers. His first goal for the Derbyshire club came on 30 August 1997 when he scored in a league game against Barnsley; this was also the first goal scored at Derby's new home stadium, Pride Park.

Eranio considered retiring after the 2000–01 season, but manager Jim Smith persuaded him to stay on. When Smith resigned in October 2001, Eranio chose to leave Derby County. He retired in 2003 after spending a season with Serie C2 side Pro Sesto, where he was featured in a player/assistant manager position. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential players to play for Derby County and, on 1 May 2006, Eranio and Ted McMinn were inducted as Derby Legends.

Eranio made his senior international debut for Italy on 22 December 1990, in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying match against Cyprus, which Italy won 4-0. His first international goal came in a friendly against the Netherlands on 9 September 1992; Italy won the game 3–2. On 29 March 1997, Eranio played his last game for Italy, against Moldova in a 3–0 home win. In total, he received 20 caps, and scored three goals.

Eranio has been part of the A.C. Milan youth coaching staff since 2005, and is currently head of the Giovanissimi Nazionali (under-15) youth team. On 22 October 2015, Eranio was fired by Swiss television station RSI following racist remarks.

Reader's Guide

Stefano Eranio is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, primarily as a right winger. He is best known for his time at A.C. Milan, Genoa, and Derby County. He won three Serie A titles and three Italian Super Cups with Milan, and was part of their 1993–94 Champions League-winning squad (though he did not play in the final). He also played in two Champions League finals (1992–93 and 1994–95), both losses. At Derby County, he became a fan favourite and scored the first goal at Pride Park. He earned 20 caps for Italy, scoring three goals. After retiring, he joined A.C. Milan's youth coaching staff. In 2015, he was fired by Swiss TV station RSI for racist remarks about black players.