Francesco MANCINI 1987-97
Standing at just 1.78m, Mancini made up for his lack of height with good shot-stopping and reaction skills. Arriving from Matera, via Bisceglie, he played nine successive seasons for Satanelli and was an unsung hero during the team’s miracle years under Zdenek Zeman. Mancini stayed loyal following the relegation to Serie B in 1995, but eventually returned to the top flight with Bari two years later.
Dan PETRESCU 1991-93
Super Dan was signed from 1986 European Cup winners Steaua Bucharest when the Romanian club began to disband much of their team after the 1989 Revolution. Petrescu’s attacking raids from right-back fitted perfectly with the team’s expansive 4-3-3 formation. He later enjoyed a successful spell in the Premiership with Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea and famously scored the winner for Romania against England during the 1998 World Cup.
Pasquale PADALINO 1988-92 & 1994-95
Local-boy Padalino grew up in the Foggia youth-system as a central midfielder, but was converted into a centre-back by Zeman. In two spells with the club Padalino made over 80 appearances. He joined Fiorentina in 1995, helping the club capture the Coppa Italia in his first season. A regular for five campaigns, Padalino also gained one international cap against Bosnia in 1996.
Jose Antonio CHAMOT 1993-94
Only played one season for Foggia, but so impressive was the Argentine that when Coach Zeman left to join Lazio in 1994 he took Chamot with him. A no-nonsense stopper with good tactical sense, Chamot stayed four years in the Italian capital before moving to Spain with Atletico Madrid. Later returned to the peninsula with Milan.
Roberto RAMBAUDI 1989-92
Along with Beppe Signori and Ciccio Baiano, Rambuadi helped form Foggia’s terrifying trident during the 1991-92 season, playing down the right flank. The club’s total of 58 goals that campaign was only bettered by Scudetto-winners Milan, who boasted the likes of Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit in their line-up. The Foggia trio scored 36 goals between them, but at the end of the season all three were sold, with Rambaudi joining Atalanta. The Turin-native was equally adept in midfield and won two caps for La Nazionale.
Luigi DI BIAGIO 1992-95
When Igor Shalimov moved to Inter in 1992, he was replaced by a young 21-year-old from Serie C side Monza. Few believed Di Biagio could possibly fill the huge void left by the Russian’s departure, but the tough-tackling midfielder more than matched his predecessor. Gigi enjoyed three superb seasons before Roma and then Inter came calling. Di Biagio also won 31 caps for Italy, playing in two World Cups and one European Championship.
Luciano RE CECCONI 1969-72
‘The Blond Angel’ is better known among Italian followers as part of Lazio’s 1974 Scudetto winning team. In four years in Rome, Cecconi developed into one of the best midfielders in the top flight, earning himself a place in Italy’s 1974 World Cup squad. However, prior to this Cecconi spent three seasons at Foggia, helping them to Serie A promotion in 1970. He was tragically shot dead at the age 28 after pretending to rob a friend’s jewellery shop as a practical joke.
Igor SHALIMOV 1991-92
The classy Russian midfielder played at Pino Zaccheria for just a single season. Signed from Spartak Moscow after helping eliminate Diego Maradona’s Napoli from the European Cup the year before, Shalimov had a superb first season in Serie A, scoring nine goals from just 33 appearances. This prompted Inter to splash out a massive £8m on the schemer. After a bright start at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Shalimov’s form slowly dipped and he was soon shipped off to German club Duisburg.
Igor KOLYVANOV 1991-96
Kolyvanov caught Zeman’s eye after finishing top scorer for the victorious USSR team in the 1990 European Under-21 Championship. The following year he signed for Foggia and the skilful striker would go on to enjoy five successful years at the Pino Zaccheria. The Russian international left to join Bologna in 1996, where he also excelled.
Francesco BAIANO 1990-92
Ciccio Baiano, who started his career at hometown club Napoli, joined Foggia in 1990. He was an instant hit, scoring 22 goals and leading the outfit to Serie A. Baiano confirmed his ability in the top flight with an impressive 16 strikes, which earned him two Italy caps that season. Fiorentina came calling and Baiano would go on to form a destructive partnership with the legendary Gabriel Batistuta.
Giuseppe SIGNORI 1989-92
Beppegol made his name at Foggia, scoring 36 goals in 100 appearances for the club. Signori’s superb performances in Puglia led to Lazio snapping him up in 1992 and the striker went on to become a club legend in Rome, finishing Serie A top scorer in 1993, ‘94 and ‘96. Despite scoring an incredible 189 Serie A goals, Signori never made the same impact for the national team.
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Nephew of former Juventus player and Coach Cestmir Vycpalek, Zeman led the modest southerners to the most glorious era in their history. Employing a 4-3-3 formation, ‘miracle Foggia’ lit up Serie A in the early ‘90s with Zeman’s unique and exciting brand of attacking football. In a period when Italy possessed by far the strongest League in Europe, the Czech miraculously led little Foggia to the brink of European qualification with two ninth-place finishes in three years.