 Bonini in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1959-10-13)13 October 1959 (age 66) | ||
| Place of birth | San Marino,San Marino | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1973–1977 | Juvenes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1978 | Bellaria Igea | 33 | (1) |
| 1978–1979 | Forlì | 23 | (1) |
| 1979–1981 | Cesena | 60 | (5) |
| 1981–1989 | Juventus | 192 | (5) |
| 1989–1992 | Bologna | ||
| International career | |||
| 1980–1983 | Italy U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 1990–1995 | San Marino | 19 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1996–1998 | San Marino | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Massimo Bonini (born 13 October 1959) is a Sammarinese former professionalfootball player and coach who played as amidfielder for Italian sidesBellaria Igea,Forlì,Cesena,Juventus, andBologna. His greatest achievements in club football were at Juventus, where his workrate enabled him to form a notable midfield partnership withMichel Platini andMarco Tardelli, having won threeScudetti, oneItalian Cup, oneEuropean Cup, oneCup Winners' Cup, oneEuropean Super Cup, and oneIntercontinental Cup, becoming the first and only Sanmarinese footballer to win aUEFA club competition. At the international level, he gained 19 caps for theSan Marino national football team.[1][2][3]
Widely regarded as the best Sanmarinese player of all time, Bonino is one of the few sportspeople from his country to have won a world title, alongside motorcyclistManuel Poggiali, jumper Elisabetta Rossi, and fisherman Marino Michelotti.[4] For its 50th anniversary in 2004,UEFA asked each of its then 52 member associations to nominate one player as the single most outstanding player of the period 1954–2003, and Bonini was chosen as theGolden Player of San Marino by theSan Marino Football Federation in November 2003.[1][2][3][5]
Bonini began his career at Juvenes Dogana in 1973 but failed to make a league appearance during his 4 years at the club. After leaving Juvenes Dogana in 1977, he moved on to join Bellaria, going on to make 33 appearances scoring 1 goal. After leaving Bellaria in 1978, he moved on to join Forli, going on to make 23 appearances, scoring 1 goal. After leaving Forli in 1979, he moved toCesena, appearing 60 times and scoring 5 goals.[1]
After leaving Cesena in 1981, Bonini played forJuventus between 1981 and 1988, in which he played 296 matches and scored 6 goals. He won threeSerie A titles, the1982–83 Coppa Italia , the1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, the1984–85 European Cup, the1984 European Super Cup, and the1985 Intercontinental Cup. He is the only Sammarinese footballer to have won an official international title. For his performances, he was awarded theBravo Award in 1983, as the best under-23 player in European Competitions.[2][3] After leaving Juventus in 1988, he moved toBologna going on to make 112 appearances and scoring 5 goals. Bonini retired in 1993.[1][2][3]
Since theSan Marino Football Federation was not officially recognised by the UEFA until 1990, players from San Marino were assimilated to Italian players. For this reason, Bonini was entitled to play for theItalian Football Federation and actually played for theItalian Under-21 football team. Since he always refused to give up the citizenship of San Marino, he had to wait until 1990 in order to play forSan Marino's first team, winning 19 full caps since then. He played his first match for San Marino againstSwitzerland on 14 November 1990.[1][2][3][6]
After his retirement, Bonini briefly served as the head coach of the San Marino national football team, from 2 June 1996 to 10 September 1997.[1][2][3]
Bonini was a hardworking, energetic and versatilebox-to-box midfielder, who was frequently deployed as acentral midfielder or as adefensive midfielder during his time at Juventus. Although this position did not provide him with the freedom to contribute offensively or creatively that he had possessed in his early career, he excelled in his new role as a ball winner, and at breaking down opposition plays due to his tactical intelligence, workrate, and positional sense, supporting his more creative teammates defensively, such asMichel Platini (theplaymaker), alongsideMarco Tardelli (amezzala). He was known in particular for his pace and stamina, which earned him the nickname "Platini's lungs" due to his successful partnership in midfield with the Frenchman.[1][2][3]
Juventus[3]
Individual
