Ciro Ferrara Most Appearances
Two Scudetti in the cabinet with Napoli
Ciro Ferrara (born 11 February 1967) is an Italian former footballer and manager. He spent his playing career as a defender, initially at Napoli and later at Juventus, winning seven total Serie A titles as well as other domestic and international trophies. His most recent position was as manager of Wuhan Zall. He also previously coached Juventus and the Italy national under-21 team. As an assistant coach to Marcello Lippi, he won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy. At international level, he earned 49 caps for the Italian national team and represented the team at the 1988 Summer Olympics, at two UEFA European Championships (1988 and 2000), and at the 1990 World Cup.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Central Defender
- Affiliation
- SSC Napoli (1984–1994), Juventus (1994–2005)
- Status
- Retired Legend; Club Icon
- Key achievement
- Most Appearances in Club History (Corrected: This record is held by Giuseppe Bruscolotti)
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 in his first full season. He became a part of the starting XI the following season and soon earned call-ups to the Italy national team. With Napoli he won two Serie A titles (1986–87 and 1989–90), the 1987 Coppa Italia, the 1989 UEFA Cup, and the 1990 Supercoppa Italiana. In 1994 he transferred to Juventus under Marcello Lippi, captaining the team from 1995 to 1996. He won six Serie A titles with Juventus, as well as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and European Super Cup. He retired in May 2005 at age 38.
Reader's Guide
Ferrara was known for his composure, anticipation, technical ability, and versatility as a defender. Primarily a centre-back, he could also play as a man-marker, right-back, or sweeper. He was regarded as one of the leading Italian centre-backs of his generation, praised for his positional sense, athleticism, aerial strength, tackling, and reading of the game. He was also known for his professionalism, leadership, and commanding presence. After retiring, he served as Italy's assistant coach for the 2006 World Cup, then as Juventus youth system chief. He later managed Juventus (2009–10), the Italy under-21 team (2010–2012), Sampdoria (2012), and Wuhan Zall.
Did You Know?
- Ferrara scored one of Napoli's goals in the 1989 UEFA Cup final.
- Welsh winger Ryan Giggs described Ferrara and Paolo Montero as the toughest defenders he played against.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in Napoli
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced