Ruggiero Rizzitelli

A forward, Ruggiero Rizzitelli’s career saw him spend 11 years in top flight football in Italy and Germany. Between 1988-2000 he played in Serie A with Cesena, Roma, Torino and Piacenza, but had a two-year spell, 1996-98, at the top German club Bayern München, and with them he won the Bundesliga in 1997, and German Cup the following year. His only honour in Italy was the Italian Cup with Roma in 1991. Rizzitelli retired in 2001 after a season in Serie B with Cesena.

Between 1988-91, Rizzitelli won nine senior international caps, and scored two goals, making his début in a 4-1 friendly win over the USSR. Although he played no part in the tournament, he was a member of the Italian squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro ’88. However, at the Seoul Olympics that year, Rizzitelli played in four matches and scored one goal, against Iraq, as Italy finished fourth. His son Gianluca was also a professional footballer, but spent his time playing in the lower divisions of Italian football in Series C and D.