 Radice withAC Milan in 1962 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1935-01-15)15 January 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Cesano Maderno, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 7 December 2018(2018-12-07) (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Turin, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1953–1954 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1959 | AC Milan | 20 | (0) |
| 1959–1960 | Triestina | 31 | (0) |
| 1960 | AC Milan | 2 | (0) |
| 1960–1961 | Padova | 24 | (0) |
| 1961–1965 | AC Milan | 53 | (1) |
| Total | 128 | (1) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962 | Italy | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1966–1968 | Monza | ||
| 1968–1969 | Treviso | ||
| 1972–1973 | Cesena | ||
| 1973–1974 | Fiorentina | ||
| 1975 | Cagliari | ||
| 1975–1980 | Torino | ||
| 1980–1981 | Bologna | ||
| 1981–1982 | AC Milan | ||
| 1982–1983 | Bari | ||
| 1983–1984 | Inter Milan | ||
| 1984–1989 | Torino | ||
| 1989–1990 | Roma | ||
| 1990–1991 | Bologna | ||
| 1991–1993 | Fiorentina | ||
| 1993 | Cagliari | ||
| 1995–1996 | Genoa | ||
| 1996–1998 | Monza | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luigi "Gigi"Radice (Italian pronunciation:[luˈiːdʒiˈdʒiːdʒiraˈdiːtʃe]; 15 January 1935 – 7 December 2018) was an Italianfootballmanager and player.
A strong, tenacious, and consistentdefender, he was usually deployed as aleft-back. As a manager, he was known for his use of "zona mista" tactics, and his early attempts to implement "pressing" andzonal marking tactics into his teams.[1][2][3]
Radice played inSerie A for teams such asAC Milan,Triestina andPadova. Initially a member of theMilan Youth squad, he struggled to find space in the first team; he made hisSerie A debut with Milan on 25 March 1956, in a 0–0 away draw againstSPAL. He made only 19 appearances in total during his first three seasons at the club, as Milan won the1956–57 and the1958–59 Serie A titles. He subsequently moved to Triestina and Padova to gain more playing time, where he impressed fans before being recalled to Milan. During his second stint with the club, he played a pivotal role in helping Milan to win the1961–62 Serie A title and the1962–63 European Cup.[4] However, serious injuries to his knee cut his playing career short, and he retired in 1965. In total, he made 95 appearances for Milan, 75 of which came in Serie A, scoring 1 goal throughout his Milan career, which came in Serie A.[1][2]
Radice was also a member of theItalian squad for theWorld Cup in 1962, making two appearances at the tournament as Italy was eliminated in the first round; he made five appearances for Italy in total between 1961 and 1963.[5]
Radice began his managerial career withMonza, winning the1966–67 Serie C Girone A; he remained at the club from 1966 until 1971, apart from a year-long spell withTreviso between 1968 and 1969. After his experience with Treviso he moved toCesena, with whom he achieved the club's first promotion toSerie A in 1972–73. He made his managerial debut in Serie A the following season withFiorentina.
After a brief time atCagliari in 1975, Radice moved toTorino, where he became the first and only coach to lead the club to theScudetto since theSuperga tragedy, winning the title during the1975–76 season. Radice was awarded theSeminatore d'Oro that season as the best coach in Serie A.[2]
On 17 April 1979, he was involved in a car accident on theAutostrada dei Fiori in which former football playerPaolo Barison lost his life. Radice was severely injured and hospitalised atImperia, a 56-year-old man was also killed in the crash.[6] During the1979–80 season, in February 1980, he left Turin.[7][8]
In1980–81, Radice ledBologna to a 7th-place finish despite starting the season with a 5-point penalty following theTotonero scandal.[9] He coached Milan in the1981–82 season, but was replaced byItalo Galbiati halfway through the season which ended with the relegation of theRossoneri.[10]
In 1983, he replaced Enrico Catuzzi as the manager ofBari in Serie B, coaching theGalletti for the remaining 13 games of the season. He managedInter Milan in the1983–84 season, then returned to Torino in1984–85; notably achieving a second-place finish in his first season back.[10]
In 1989 he left Torino, subsequently managingRoma and Bologna. In the1992–93 season Fiorentina was entrusted to Radice. The team started well, and at the turn of the year was sitting in second place, having scored 15 points in the first 13 matches. However, a mid-season feud with the club's chairmanVittorio Cecchi Gori led to the departure of Radice, and Fiorentina nose-dived in the standings. They scored only 15 more points in the remaining 21 matches, and finished only 16th. The result was relegation toSerie B.[2]
Radice later returned to Cagliari in1993–94, and in 1995 he managedGenoa. He ended his managerial coach where he had started, in Monza, with whom he obtained promotion to Serie B in the 1996–97 season.[11]
On 26 April 2015, his son revealed that his father was suffering fromAlzheimer's disease.[12] Radice died on 7 December 2018.[13]
AC Milan[1]
Torino[2]
Monza[2]
