Long before Luca Toni’s plane touched down at Franz Josef Strauß International Airport another Italian had made a name for himself in Bavaria. Ruggiero Rizzitelli joined Bayern Munich in 1996 as a partner for Jurgen Klinsmann after two prolific seasons with Torino – where he is fondly remembered as the scorer of a brace in the club’s last win over deadly rivals Juventus back in 1995. The second of those campaigns saw the Granata relegated to Serie B, despite Rizzitelli’s 11 goals, and when the offer came in from the Bundesliga club – then coached by Giovanni Trapattoni – it was too good to refuse.
‘Ritze’ was never a first-team regular at the Olympic Stadium, but he was often used as a super-sub and thanks to his pace it was a role that could be used to devastating effect. His first season in Germany ended with a championship and his second with the German Cup. As the first Italian player to have crossed the Alps to the Bundesrepublik he was understandably back in the spotlight this summer as Toni opted to try his luck at the club nicknamed Hollywood FC.
Rizzitelli’s career kicked off in Emilia-Romagna with Cesena, who he eventually helped into Serie A for the 1987-88 season. It would be a breakthrough term for the Puglian striker and, although he would only convert five goals in his debut top-flight campaign, it was enough to alert the interest of Azzurri boss Azeglio Vicini. With Euro ‘88 on the horizon it was a perfect time to forge his way into the national set-up, but with strikers of the calibre of Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini and Alessandro Altobelli ahead of him in the Finals squad he didn’t manage a single minute of playing time in Germany.
He ended the calendar year with five international caps and at a new club, Roma. His step up to the Olimpico brought him his only piece of silverware in his homeland, the Coppa Italia in 1991. Never becoming a prolific goal-getter for the Giallorossi – netting just 29 times over six seasons – his proudest moment for I Lupi came a few days after the domestic showpiece in the second leg of the UEFA Cup Final. Looking to come back from a 2-0 first leg deficit against Inter, Rizzitelli netted in the 80th minute at the Olimpico to give the tifosi on the Curva Sud real hope of a comeback. It wasn’t to be though, as the Nerazzurri held firm to deny him a European medal.
His form over that 1990-91 season did, however, lead to Vicini recalling him to the Nazionale. A goal in his first match back, against Denmark in the Scania 100 tournament, and another in Arrigo Sacchi’s debut game in charge – against Norway – suggested he may have regained his place in the fold. But it was a false dawn and that Euro ‘92 qualifier in Genoa proved to be his last match in the Azzurri shirt as Sacchi favoured bringing through Juventus’ Pierluigi Casiraghi.
After his adventure in Germany came to an end in 1998, Rizzitelli switched to Piacenza, who had struggled to survive in Serie A the season before and were obviously hoping for a star striker to boost their ‘goals for’ column. However, with a return of just one goal in his two years at the club he soon departed for a final term with Cesena down in Serie C1A – back where it all started – before hanging up his boots in 2001, aged just 33.
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