Ciro Ferrara

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

A native of Naples, Ferrara began his career with the youth system of hometown club Napoli in 1980. He graduated from the primavera youth squad in 1984 and made 14 total appearances with the club in his first full season. The following season, he became a part of the starting XI. He scored one of Napoli's goals as they won the 1989 UEFA Cup final. With Napoli he won two Serie A titles (1986–87 and 1989–90), the 1987 Coppa Italia, and the 1990 Supercoppa Italiana. In the summer of 1994, Ferrara transferred to Juventus under coach Marcello Lippi. He captained the team from 1995 to 1996, but his role as captain was taken over by Alessandro Del Piero in 1996. He won six Serie A titles with Juventus, two Coppa Italia titles (one with each team), three Supercoppa Italiana titles (two with Juventus, one with Napoli), and several European competitions including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intercontinental Cup and European Super Cup. In the 1996–97 season, he scored 4 goals in 32 Serie A matches. He retired from football in May 2005 at age 38, making just four Serie A appearances in his final season. Following Juventus' involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, Juventus' 2004–05 title was later revoked.

In Their Own Story

Ferrara's time at Juventus was marked by immense success and the weight of leadership. He captained the team from 1995 to 1996, leading them to multiple trophies including the UEFA Champions League in 1995–96. However, his role as captain was taken over by Alessandro Del Piero in 1996. Despite this change, Ferrara remained a crucial figure in the backline for twelve years. The club faced a significant turning point following the 2006 Italian football scandal, known as "Calciopoli," which led to the revocation of the 2004–05 Serie A title. Throughout his career, teams regretted going down a goal against this Juventus side, knowing how hard it would be to score back. Ferrara eventually retired from football altogether in May 2005 at age 38, making just four Serie A appearances in his final season.

Reader's Guide

Ferrara was known for his composure, anticipation, technical ability, and versatility as a defender. Although primarily a centre-back, he was capable of playing across the back line, including as a man-marker or as a right-back. He is regarded as one of the leading Italian centre-backs of his generation. Welsh former winger Ryan Giggs described Ferrara and his defensive teammate Paolo Montero as '...the toughest defenders [he] played against'. Polish former midfielder Zbigniew Boniek stated that Ferrara was the best defender that he ever faced. Ferrara was considered to be an experienced, consistent, cautious and successful defender, with good positional sense, quick, athletic, strong in the air, a good tackler, and someone who excelled at reading the game and marking his opponents. He was also known for his offensive contribution as a centre-back and could play as a sweeper. Despite his tenacious playing style, he was known to be a fair and correct player, with professionalism, leadership, strong personality, and commanding presence.

Did You Know?

• Ferrara won eight Serie A titles in total: two with Napoli and six with Juventus.
• He captained Juventus from 1995 to 1996 before Alessandro Del Piero took over the captaincy in 1996.
• Ferrara scored one of Napoli's goals in the 1989 UEFA Cup final.
• In the 1996–97 season, he scored 4 goals in 32 Serie A matches.
• He made just four Serie A appearances in his final season (2004–05).