Luigi Cagni

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Luigi Cagni
Personal information
Date of birth June 14, 1950 (1950-06-14) (age 57)
Place of birth    Brescia, Italy
Playing position Manager
Club information
Current club Parma
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1969–1978
1978–1987
1987–1988
Brescia
Sambenedettese
Ospitaletto
   
Teams managed
1988–1989
1989–1990
1990–1996
1996–1998
1998–1999
1999–2000
2000–2001
2003–2004
2004–2005
2006–2007
2008
2008–
Brescia (youth team)
Centese
Piacenza
Verona
Genoa
Salernitana
Sampdoria
Piacenza
Catanzaro
Empoli
Empoli
Parma

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Luigi "Gigi" Cagni (born June 14, 1950 in Brescia) is an Italian football (soccer) manager and former player, who will be in charge of Parma for their 2008–09 Serie B campaign.

[edit] Playing career

Cagni, a defender, made his Serie A debut for Brescia in 1970, in a league match lost 4-0 to Cagliari. He played only eight Serie A matches, but gained a deep experience of Serie B, where he played 473 matches and scored 5 goals.

[edit] Managing career

After a season as youth team coach in his home team Brescia, Cagni coached Centese of Serie C2 in 1989/1990, and successively signed for Piacenza of Serie C1 in 1990/1991, becoming one of the main authors of Piacenza's first appearance in Serie A, in 1993. Cagni stayed at Piacenza until 1996, when he moved to Hellas Verona F.C., again in Serie A. However, Cagni was not able to maintain his team to the top division, and Verona relegated. Since then, Cagni mostly served for Serie B teams, with the exception of Piacenza, who rehired him in 2002/2003 in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid relegation. In January 2006, after the dismissal of Mario Somma, Empoli appointed him as head coach. Cagni was able to lead the team up to tenth place, then become seventh following the Calciopoli scandal. His contract with Empoli was extended on March 2007 for another year, following impressive performances which led the team to fight for and eventually gain a spot in the next UEFA Cup, the first appearance in a continental competition for both the small Tuscan club and Cagni himself. However a poor start in the Serie A 2007-08, and a UEFA Cup elimination in the first round to FC Zurich convinced Empoli's management to sack Cagni, appointing Alberto Malesani as replacement.[1] On March 31, 2008 he was re-called at the helm of Empoli, following the club board's decision to fire Malesani too,[2] but he did not manage to save the club from last matchday relegation. He resigned after the verdict.

On May 29, 2008, it was revealed that Cagni signed a two-year contract with Parma and will lead the club in their first season in Serie B in 18 years.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Empoli axe Cagni", Football Italia, 2007-11-26. Retrieved on 2007-11-27. 
  2. ^ "L'Empoli licenzia Malesani. In panchina torna Cagni", La Gazzetta dello Sport, 2008-03-31. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. (Italian) 
  3. ^ "GIGI CAGNI NUOVO ALLENATORE DEL PARMA FC", Parma FC, 2008-05-29. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. (Italian)