Alberto Di Chiara

Alberto Di Chiara
Personal information
Date of birth (1964-03-29) 29 March 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Full back, winger
Youth career
Roma
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1982 Roma 4 (0)
1982–1983 Reggiana 22 (1)
1983–1986 Lecce 91 (13)
1986–1991 Fiorentina 142 (10)
1991–1996 Parma 142 (5)
1996–1997 Perugia 24 (0)
Total 425 (29)
International career
1985 Italy U21 2 (0)
1992–1993 Italy 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alberto Di Chiara (Italian pronunciation: [alˈbɛrto di ˈkjaːra]; born 29 March 1964) is an Italian former professional footballer, who played for Roma, Reggiana, Lecce, Fiorentina, Parma and Perugia, as well as for the Italy national side, as a winger and full back. He is the younger brother of the Italian footballer Stefano Di Chiara.[1]

Club career

[edit]

A Roma youth product, he made his Serie A debut with the club during the 1980–81 Serie A season, also winning the Coppa Italia that year.[2] After two seasons with the club, he was transferred to Serie B side Reggiana in 1982, making 22 appearances.[3]

In 1983, he was acquired by Lecce for the following season. He helped the club achieve an historic first-time promotion to Serie A during the 1984–85 season, his second year with the club. During the 1985–86 Serie A season, he played alongside his brother Stefano under manager Eugenio Fascetti.[3][4]

Between 1986 and 1991, he played with Fiorentina, collecting 122 appearances and 10 goals in Serie A over five seasons.[3] Although he was initially acquired as a winger in 1986, the club's new Brazilian manager at the time, Sebastião Lazaroni decided to deploy him as an attacking full-back or wing-back, in the mould of offensive, Brazilian attacking fullbacks, such as Djalma Santos,[5] due to Di Chiara's pace, technical ability, and his offensive style of play.[6][7] During his time at the club, he reached the 1990 UEFA Cup Final.[8]

In 1991, he joined Parma, where he remained until 1996, during one of the club's most successful periods, playing predominantly in his new full-back role under manager Nevio Scala, also achieving his first call-up to the national side. During his time at the club, he formed a notable partnership with fellow attacking full-back Antonio Benarrivo, and he won the 1991–92 Coppa Italia, the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup, the 1993 UEFA Super Cup, and the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, also achieving runners-up medals in the 1992 Supercoppa Italiana, the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, and in the 1995 Coppa Italia Final, as well as a third-place finish in Serie A in 1995. After leaving the club in 1996, he ended his career after a season with Perugia, retiring in 1997.[3][9][10]

International career

[edit]

After representing the Italy under-21 side twice in 1985, Di Chiara also represented the Italian senior national side as a fullback on 7 occasions between 1992 and 1993, while playing for Parma. He was the first ever Parma player to be called up for Italy,[11] making his debut on 31 May 1992, in a 0–0 home draw against Portugal, under manager Arrigo Sacchi.[12]

Style of play

[edit]

Di Chiara was a consistent and offensive-minded left-footed full-back, who was capable of playing anywhere along the left flank; throughout his career, he was also used as a winger (having started out in this position), or as a wing-back in Scala's 3–5–2 formation with Parma. His pace, flair, composure, stamina, technical skills, and attacking instincts enabled him to charge down the wing, beat opponents, and create chances for teammates with accurate crosses.[3][5][6][7][13][14]

Honours

[edit]

Roma[2]

Parma[2][10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gabriele Majo (1 July 2013). "PARMA E GUBBIO: L'AMORE APPENA NATO E' GIA' FINITO? AGLI UMBRI NON E' PIACIUTO CHE IL GIA' PROMESSO LUCARELLI ANDASSE AL PERUGIA, E NON SONO CONTENTI DEL 'RIMEDIO' DI CHIARA…" (in Italian). Stadio Tardini. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Alberto Di Chiara". National Football Teams. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Di Chiara, Alberto" (in Italian). Tutto Calciatori. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Trent'anni fa la prima promozione in A. Lecce ricorda con un memorial in onore di Franco Jurlano" (in Italian). Lecce News 24. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b Fabio Monti (12 October 1992). "NOINDC". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Storie di calcio – Di Chiara, il terzino che dribblava i portieri Ma quanto era forte quel piccolo grande Parma...?". La Gazzetta di Parma (in Italian). 20 February 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b Luigi Braco (24 January 2013). "Di Chiara: "Il Napoli è una squadra matura"" (in Italian). Napoli Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  8. ^ Benedetto Ferrara (4 March 2014). "L'amara Coppa Uefa del 1990 E il sogno finì nella "sporca finale"". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Storie di calcio – Benarrivo, quella finale con il Brasile e il Parma dei terzini con le ali". La Gazzetta di Parma (in Italian). 21 March 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Il Parma è fallito: la breve storia di 20 anni di successi" (in Italian). TG 24. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  11. ^ "La storia del Parma calcio, dalla sua fondazione (1913) ad oggi: rose, classifiche, fotografie e cronaca di ogni stagione" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Di Chiara, Alberto" (in Italian). FIGC. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Di Chiara, Alberto" (in Italian). enciclopediagiallorossa.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  14. ^ "NEVIO SCALA SI RIPRENDE IL SUO 3 5 2 » Stadio Ennio Tardini Parma" (in Italian). www.stadiotardini.it. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2024.