Giuseppe Dossena

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Lore & Background

Dossena began his playing career for Torino in 1976, moved to Pistoiese the following season, then played for Cesena and Bologna before returning to Torino in 1981, where he remained until 1987. He later played for Udinese, Sampdoria, and Perugia, retiring in 1992. He is mostly remembered for his time with Sampdoria, winning the 1988–89 Coppa Italia, the 1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup, the 1990–91 Serie A title, and the 1991 Supercoppa Italiana. With Italy, he earned 38 caps between 1981 and 1987, scoring 1 goal, and was an unused substitute in the 1982 World Cup, wearing the number 10 shirt. After playing, he managed Ghana (1998–2000), was assistant to Cesare Maldini for Paraguay at the 2002 World Cup, coached Ittihad Jeddah (2000–2001), and managed Albania for three months in 2002. He later coached Ethiopian champions Saint George FC from 2010, worked as a sporting director, and became an adviser for the Italy national team.

In Their Own Story

The fog was so thick that the pilot could see nothing but grey. Dossena sat in the rear cabin, knees drawn up, a creased match programme from Lisbon in his lap. He had been thinking about the training ground, about the long run he and Foglino would do before breakfast. The engine coughed. The nose dropped. For a moment — a single, suspended moment — the world outside the porthole was just the hill, the stone, the silence of the basilica before the noise came. He never made it back to the training ground. In the years that followed, his name would appear on the list read out at every season's opening, a quiet roll-call of the living remembering the dead, and the dark-red scarf would be held a little tighter around every throat in the stadium.

Reader's Guide

Primarily a playmaker, Dossena was a hard-working, creative team player, renowned for his stamina, vision, technique, and passing ability in midfield, also known for his ability to make attacking runs and strike from distance.

Did You Know?

• Dossena was an unused substitute throughout the 1982 FIFA World Cup despite being given the number 10 shirt.
• He was the first foreign manager of the Albania national team since 1953.
• He coached Ghana for two years from 1998 to 2000.