History of SS Lazio

Did You Know?

• In 1958, Lazio won its first major silverware, the Coppa Italia, beating Fiorentina 1–0 with a goal from Maurilio Prini.
• Lazio's first season in Serie B, 1961–62, ended with them missing direct promotion by one point.

Foundation and early years

Società Podistica Lazio was founded on 9 January 1900 in the Prati rione of Rome by nine founding members. The club was named after the Lazio region, not just the city. Sky blue was chosen as the primary colour to honour ancient Greece and the modern Olympic Games. The first match, in 1902 against Virtus, is considered the first Rome Derby; Lazio won 3–0 with a hat-trick from Sante Ancherani. In 1907, Lazio won a Roman championship called I Categoria but was not invited to the national championship. The football section officially began in 1910, and Lazio joined league competition in 1912. The club reached the national final three times before 1926, losing to Pro Vercelli, Casale, and Genoa. When the FIGC launched the first full national championship in 1926, Lazio started in the Prima Divisione. In 1927, Lazio was the only major Roman club to resist the fascist merger that created Roma, thanks to director Giorgio Vaccaro.

The 1930s: A unified national championship

Lazio played in the first organised Serie A in 1929, debuting with a 3–0 win over Bologna on 6 October 1929, but finished 15th. Brazilian influence marked the early years, with coach Amílcar Barbuy, the first Brazilian in Italian football, but results were modest. After two tenth-place finishes, Walter Alt became coach in 1934, and star players Silvio Piola and Attilio Ferraris IV joined. Piola became Lazio's legend, Serie A's all-time top scorer, and a 1938 World Cup winner. The decade ended with a 2–0 away derby win at Campo Testaccio in 1939 and a fourth-place finish in 1940.

The 1970s: The first Scudetto

After relegation in 1970–71, Lazio returned to Serie A and built a strong team for 1972–73, featuring captain Giuseppe Wilson, Luciano Re Cecconi, Mario Frustalupi, Renzo Garlaschelli, Giorgio Chinaglia, and coach Tommaso Maestrelli. They challenged for the Scudetto but lost out on the final day. In 1973–74, Lazio led throughout the season and won their first league title. Success was not sustained: fourth place in 1975, then struggles, with a fifth-place finish in 1976–77. The deaths of Re Cecconi and Maestrelli, plus Chinaglia's departure in 1976, were heavy blows. Bruno Giordano emerged as Serie A top scorer in 1979, when Lazio finished eighth.

The 2000s: The Lotito era

The decade began with a Supercoppa Italiana win and third place in the league, but manager Sven-Göran Eriksson's departure accelerated decline. Financial troubles and expensive flops like Gaizka Mendieta for £28 million led to a sixth-place finish in 2001–02, missing Champions League qualification. A scandal forced owner Cragnotti to leave in 2002; caretaker managers and a bank pool controlled the club until 2004, forcing the sale of star players including captain Alessandro Nesta. Claudio Lotito became majority owner. Paolo Di Canio joined in 2004, taking a 75% pay cut. The 2005–06 season under Delio Rossi saw veterans leave to cut costs, but the team qualified for the UEFA Cup. In July 2006, Lazio was relegated to Serie B with a seven-point penalty for involvement in the Calciopoli scandal, but on appeal the penalty was reduced to an 11-point deduction in the following Serie A season (later reduced to three points) and a 30-point deduction in the previous season, losing UEFA Cup qualification. Despite the points deduction, Lazio finished third in 2006–07, with eight consecutive wins, one short of the club record of nine set by the 2000 Scudetto-winning squad.