Luigi Simoni

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Simoni played as an attacking midfielder for Mantova, Napoli, Torino, Juventus, Brescia and Genoa. He joined Napoli after the 1961–62 season, so he did not win the Coppa Italia with them. He started his managerial career with Genoa in the 1974–75 season, bringing them back to Serie A the next year. After a long series of promotions with Pisa, Brescia and Cremonese, and good results with outsider teams including Cremonese and Napoli, Simoni was called by Massimo Moratti to coach Inter Milan in 1997. With an in-form Ronaldo, he won the UEFA Cup over Lazio in 1998 and managed a second-place finish in Serie A behind Juventus. He was fired by Inter on 30 November 1998. Later experiences included Piacenza, Torino, a brief disappointing spell with CSKA Sofia, leading Ancona Calcio to Serie A in 2003, a poor stint with Siena in 2004, and a role with Lucchese in late 2005. In February 2009 he became technical director at Gubbio, helping secure promotion to Serie B. He served as caretaker head coach for Gubbio in 2011–12, then returned to technical director. He suffered a stroke on 22 June 2019 and died on 22 May 2020 at age 81.

In Their Own Story

The Neapolitan air hung heavy with humidity and electric tension as Simoni paced the technical line, his gaze dissecting the pitch like a grandmaster reading a chessboard. The roar of the crowd demanded goals, but Simoni knew the value of the clean sheet he was engineering. He whipped around to the bench, barking rapid-fire instructions in Italian, locking every player into their defensive shape with surgical precision. In that quiet moment of tactical warfare, long before Maradona's magic could illuminate the stadium, Simoni felt the first true pulse of a city beginning to believe it could fly.

Reader's Guide

Simoni is remembered as a promotion specialist and the coach who maximized Ronaldo's abilities at Inter, winning the UEFA Cup in 1998. His managerial career spanned from 1974 to 2012, with notable achievements including seven promotions from Serie B to Serie A with five different clubs.

Did You Know?

• Simoni joined Napoli after the 1961–62 season, so he did not win the Coppa Italia with them.
• He won the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan in 1998.
• He achieved seven promotions from Serie B to Serie A with five different clubs.
• He served as caretaker head coach for Gubbio at age 72 in 2011.