 Brio with Juventus in 1974 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sergio Brio | ||
| Date of birth | (1956-08-19)19 August 1956 (age 69) | ||
| Place of birth | Lecce, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Lecce | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1974 | Lecce | 1 | (0) |
| 1974–1990 | Juventus | 243 | (16) |
| 1975–1978 | →Pistoiese (loan) | 96 | (5) |
| Total | 340 | (21) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Mons | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sergio Brio (born 19 August 1956) is an Italian formerfootballer, in the role ofcentre back, who played forJuventus from the mid 1970s to the ending 1980s having won, among others, fourSerie A titles and becoming one of the only six footballers to have won allUEFA club competitions.[1]
Brio was born inLecce,Apulia. He began his career with his local club,U.S. Lecce, during the 1973–74 season, before moving toJuventus for the1974–75 season, although he did not make a single appearance with the club that season. He was later sent on loan toPistoiese from 1975 to 1978, before returning to Juventus. His first season with the Turin club was the1978–79 season, and he made hisSerie A debut with Juventus on 18 March 1979, as they defeatedNapoli 1–0. He remained with the club until the1989–90 season,captaining the club from 1989 to 1990, when he retired from professional football. Overall, he made 378 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, scoring 24 goals, 16 of which came in Serie A over 243 appearances. Brio played for Juventus during one the club's most successful periods, forming a formidable defence alongsideDino Zoff,Gaetano Scirea,Claudio Gentile, andAntonio Cabrini, winning fourSerie A titles, threeItalian Cups, aEuropean Cup, aCup Winners' Cup, anUEFA Cup, aEuropean Super Cup, and anIntercontinental Cup, under managersGiovanni Trapattoni, and subsequentlyDino Zoff.[2]
Brio is one of onlysix players inEuropean football history – withAntonio Cabrini,Gaetano Scirea,Stefano Tacconi,Danny Blind andArnold Mühren – to have won all international club competitions.[3]
Despite his success at club level, Brio, along with his Juventus defensive team-mateLuciano Favero, never made an appearance for theItaly national side, as managerEnzo Bearzot preferredFulvio Collovati, for his elegant style of play, andPietro Vierchowod, for his speed and adeptness at the zonal marking system, in his position. He was a member of theItalyOlympic squad under his former team-mate Dino Zoff during the late 80s.[4]
An atypical continentalstopper, Brio was not particularly technically gifted, although he was known for his strength, tenacity, and physicality, as well as his ability in the air, which often made him a goal threat on set pieces; this also allowed him to play as acentre-forward earlier in his career. In addition to his athletic ability, he was also known for his concentration, and was an excellent man-marker, and reader of the game.[2] His aggressive and physical playing style led him to be involved in frequent duels on the pitch with rival players such as former Roma forwardRoberto Pruzzo[5] and former Liverpool forwardIan Rush (who later became his teammate) during the 1980s.[6][7] His qualities made him more suited to a man-marking defensive system rather than a zonal marking system.[4] He was often likened to fellowstopperFrancesco Morini throughout his career, whose role he inherited at Juventus; both defenders are considered two of the club's best players ever in their position.[8][9] Despite his hard-nosed reputation as a footballer, he was known for his lively and humorous character off the pitch.[10]
Following his retirement, he worked as an assistant coach with Juventus under Giovanni Trapattoni, who managed to win the1992–93 UEFA Cup during his second stint with the club. He was head coach of Belgian clubR.A.E.C. Mons from 2003 to 2004.
Juventus[2]