Brescia Calcio

Brescia Calcio, commonly referred to as Brescia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbreʃʃa ˈkaltʃo]), is an Italian football club based in Brescia, Lombardy, that currently plays in Serie B.

Brescia
Full nameBrescia Calcio S.p.A.
Nickname(s)Le Rondinelle (The Little Swallows)
I Biancazzurri (The White and Blues)
La Leonessa (The Lioness)
Founded1911 (1911)
GroundStadio Mario Rigamonti,
Brescia, Italy
Capacity19,500
OwnerMassimo Cellino
PresidentMassimo Cellino[1]
Head coachDiego López
LeagueSerie B
2019–20Serie A, 19th of 20 (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

The club holds the record for total number of seasons (61) and consecutive seasons (18, from 1947–48 to 1964–65) in Serie B, which they have won four times. Their best finish in Serie A came in the 2000–01 season when they placed eighth. At the beginning of the 21st century, led by the 1993 Ballon d'Or winner Roberto Baggio, the club also qualified for the Intertoto Cup twice, reaching the final in 2001 but being defeated on the away goals rule by Paris Saint-Germain. During this era, Pep Guardiola, future highly decorated manager, also played for the club.

The team's colours are blue and white. Its stadium is the 16,743-seater Stadio Mario Rigamonti.

The progress of Brescia in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929/30).

History

The team was founded in 1911 as Brescia Football Club, joining the Terza Categoria division the same year. In 1913, Brescia was promoted to First Division for its first time ever, and from 1929 it played in Serie A for six of the seven following seasons. Successively, the club played among the two top divisions until 1982, when Brescia was relegated to Serie C1. The club then returned to Serie B in 1985. Brescia played outside the two national tournaments of Lega Calcio (A and B) only four years: under this aspect, only 11 clubs in all Italy marked a better performance.

1940–41 Brescia team

Brescia won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1994, the biggest notable achievement in their entire history to date. Brescia actually came to the footballing forefront only in 2000, when the previously unfancied club signed former FIFA World Player of the Year Roberto Baggio, who led Brescia to a seventh-place finish in the 2000–01 season, thus qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Successively, Brescia reached the Intertoto Cup finals, then lost to Paris Saint-Germain according to the away goals rule after achieving a 0–0[2] away draw in the first leg and a 1–1[3] home draw in the second leg. Baggio spent four years at Brescia before retiring in 2004 and during those historic four years, Brescia became widely known as "Baggio's Brescia". During Baggio's four-year spell with Brescia, the club recorded its best-ever run of staying in Serie A. In the very next season that followed Baggio's retirement (2004–05), however, Brescia were relegated from Serie A on the last day, finishing a lowly 19th. Brescia struggled for returning to top flight after the relegation and finally returned to Serie A after beating Torino with a 2–1 aggregate in the 2009–10 season. In the 2010–11 season, however, they were relegated back to Serie B. In the 2014–15 season, they were relegated to Lega Pro after finishing second from last. However, after Parma's declaration of bankruptcy and demotion to Serie D, Brescia was among the teams selected to replace them in Serie B.[4] A new promotion to Serie A was secured in the 2018–19 season, with two games to spare.[5]

One of the most decorated managers of all time Mircea Lucescu, the Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, striker Luca Toni and playmaker Andrea Pirlo – born in Brescia – have also spent time playing for the club.

Colours and badge
The traditional home kit

Colours and kit

The first Brescia kit in 1911 was blue (the national colour) with a thick white vertical stripe down the middle, a design which has returned for the centenary season in 2011. The first appearance of a white "V" was in 1927; added so that the team could use Stadium, the newly built home of another team, Virtus. This style remained until 1940 when the "V" was removed and a plain blue shirt was used.

Some substantial changes after World War II saw the shirt become plain white with blue shorts. This was short-lived and, in 1954, the plain blue shirt returned. The white "V" also returned eventually in 1961 as a show of goodwill by the new chairman at the time.

The "V" disappeared again in 1969; replaced by a diagonal white sash, and returned, but much smaller, in 1974 for two years. The "V" was situated over the heart with the inclusion of the lioness, the symbol of the city of Brescia. The shirt remained plain blue until 1991, when the "V" returned and has been used ever since.[6]

Badge

The first badge appeared on Brescia kits in the 1980s; a blue crest with a golden outline featuring a lion. The city of Brescia is known as Leonessa d'Italia (the Lioness of Italy) after ten days of popular uprising that took place in the city in the spring of 1849 against Austrian rule.

The crest was changed for the centenary of Brescia Calcio in 2011, featuring higher visibility, leaves, and a substantial redesign of the old logo.

The thick profile of the gold shield and laurel branches surrounding the badge are in pure celebration of achieving 100 years of age. The lettering has changed in favour of a font in the style of the period when the team was founded.

The Lion that, due to a misunderstanding of history, many believe to be a lioness (the definition of Leonessa d'Italia was assigned to Brescia following the uprisings, but the lion as a symbol of Brescia dates back to the Republic of Venice), has undergone a total redesign which aims to fix some errors in heraldic iconography (the absence of nails, muscle weakness and weak curvature of the tail) and to restore a more toned and ferocious looking lion, the symbol a football team should have.[7]

Seasons
  • 1913/14 – North League Qualifying round Group E 5th place
  • 1914/15 – North League Qualifying round Group E 3rd place
  • 1915/19 – league suspended due to World War I
  • 1919/20 – North League-Lombardia Group A runner-up, Semifinal Round Group B 5th place
  • 1920/21 – North League-Lombardia Group E 3rd place
  • 1921/22 – North League Group B 11th place
  • 1922/23 – North League Group C 7th place
  • 1923/24 – 1st division Group A 10th place
  • 1924/25 – 1st division Group A 10th place
  • 1925/26 – 1st division Group A 8th place
  • 1926/27 – 1st division Group A 7th place
  • 1927/28 – 1st division Group A 5th place
  • 1928/29 – 1st division Group B runner-up
  • 1929/30 – Serie A 9th place
  • 1930/31 – Serie A 9th place
  • 1931/32 – Serie A 17th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1932/33 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
  • 1933/34 – Serie A 12th place
  • 1934/35 – Serie A 10th place
  • 1935/36 – Serie A bottom, relegated to Serie B
  • 1936/37 – Serie B 7th place
  • 1937/38 – Serie B 14th place, relegated to Serie C
  • 1938/39 – Serie C, promoted to Serie B
  • 1939/40 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1940/41 – Serie B 3rd place
  • 1941/42 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1942/43 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
  • 1943/45 – league suspended due to World War II
  • 1945/46 – Northern Italy Serie A Championship 4th place
  • 1946/47 – Serie A 18th place, relegated to Serie B group A
  • 1947/48 – Serie B Group A runner-up
  • 1948/49 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1949/50 – Serie B 6th place
  • 1950/51 – Serie B 9th place
  • 1951/52 – Serie B runner-up
  • 1952/53 – Serie B 4th place
  • 1953/54 – Serie B 9th place
  • 1954/55 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1955/56 – Serie B 7th place
  • 1956/57 – Serie B third place
  • 1957/58 – Serie B 8th place
  • 1958/59 – Serie B 13th place
  • 1959/60 – Serie B 7th place
  • 1960/61 – Serie B 15th place
  • 1961/62 – Serie B 8th place
  • 1962/63 – Serie B 4th place
  • 1963/64 – Serie B 7th place
  • 1964/65 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
  • 1965/66 – Serie A 9th place
  • 1966/67 – Serie A 13th place
  • 1967/68 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1968/69 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
  • 1969/70 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1970/71 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1971/72 – Serie B 12th place
  • 1972/73 – Serie B 17th place
  • 1973/74 – Serie B 12th place
  • 1974/75 – Serie B 9th place
  • 1975/76 – Serie B 5th place
  • 1976/77 – Serie B 16th place
  • 1977/78 – Serie B 14th place
  • 1978/79 – Serie B 8th place
  • 1979/80 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
  • 1980/81 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1981/82 – Serie B 18th place, relegated to Serie C/1A
  • 1982/83 – Serie C/1A 11th place
  • 1983/84 – Serie C/1A 5th place
  • 1984/85 – Serie C/1A Champion, promoted to Serie B
  • 1985/86 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
  • 1986/87 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1987/88 – Serie B 8th place
  • 1988/89 – Serie B 16th place
  • 1989/90 – Serie B 10th place
  • 1990/91 – Serie B 9th place
  • 1991/92 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
  • 1992/93 – Serie A 16th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1993/94 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
  • 1994/95 – Serie A bottom, relegated to Serie B
  • 1995/96 – Serie B 16th place
  • 1996/97 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
  • 1997/98 – Serie A 15th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 1998/99 – Serie B 7th place
  • 1999/2000 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
  • 2000/01 – Serie A 8th place
  • 2001/02 – Serie A 14th place, Intertoto Cup runner-up
  • 2002/03 – Serie A 10th place
  • 2003/04 – Serie A 11th place
  • 2004/05 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 2005/06 – Serie B 10th place
  • 2006/07 – Serie B 6th place
  • 2007/08 – Serie B 5th place
  • 2008/09 – Serie B 4th place, lost promotion playoff final to Livorno
  • 2009/10 – Serie B 3rd place, won promotion play-off final against Torino, promoted to Serie A
  • 2010/11 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B
  • 2011/12 – Serie B 9th place
  • 2012/13 – Serie B 6th place, lost promotion playoff semi-final to Livorno
  • 2013/14 – Serie B 13th place
  • 2014/15 – Serie B 21st place
  • 2015/16 – Serie B 11th place
  • 2016/17 – Serie B 15th place
  • 2017/18 – Serie B 16th place
  • 2018/19 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
  • 2019/20 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B

Stadium
Main article: Stadio Mario Rigamonti

The first ground at which football was played in Brescia was Campo Fiera, where the English workers at the Tempini plant played on their breaks.

In 1911, in the wake of enthusiasm following the foundation of the new club, it is thought a fenced ground was built shortly after on Via Milano.

In 1920 came the opening of the new ground on Via Cesare Lombroso, Brescia, which was used by the team until 1923. From 1923 until 1959, the team had moved into a more modern and larger facility located at Porta Venezia (then Via Naviglio), built for the town's sports club Virtus and called "Stadium".

It was in 1956 that the municipality had the idea to move the club to a stadium more suited to host the matches of the new Serie B.

They began the renovation and construction of the stands to the existing ground at Via Giovanni Novagani. This was completed in 1959 and Brescia began to play their home games in the new Mario Rigamonti stadium (named after the Torino player, Mario Rigamonti, who died in the Superga air disaster).

Over the years, the stadium has undergone several refurbishments (construction of roofing, press room, etc.), the most significant of which was in 2007 with the installation of new security measures.

Current squad
As of 1 July 2020[8][9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  FIN Jesse Joronen
2 DF  ITA Stefano Sabelli
3 DF  CZE Aleš Matějů
4 MF  ITA Sandro Tonali
5 DF  ITA Daniele Gastaldello (Captain)
6 MF  ALB Emanuele Ndoj
7 MF  SVK Nikolas Špalek
8 MF  CZE Jaromír Zmrhal
9 FW  ITA Alfredo Donnarumma
11 FW  ITA Ernesto Torregrossa
12 GK  ITA Lorenzo Andrenacci
14 DF  VEN Jhon Chancellor
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF  ITA Andrea Cistana
18 FW  FRA Florian Ayé
19 MF  ITA Massimiliano Mangraviti
22 GK  ITA Enrico Alfonso
23 FW  FIN Simon Skrabb
24 MF  ITA Mattia Viviani
25 MF  ITA Dimitri Bisoli
26 DF  ITA Bruno Martella
27 MF  ITA Daniele Dessena
29 DF  ITA Alessandro Semprini
31 MF  ISL Birkir Bjarnason
32 MF  ITA Andrea Papetti
45 FW  ITA Mario Balotelli

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  ITA Giorgio Licini (on loan to Ciliverghe until 30 June 2020)
— MF  ITA Simone Ferrari (on loan to Pergolettese until 30 June 2020)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ITA Leonardo Morosini (on loan to Ascoli Calcio until 30 June 2020)
— FW  ITA Lorenzo Faini (on loan to Pergolettese until 30 June 2020)

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
10 FW  ITA Roberto Baggio (2000–04)
13 DF  ITA Vittorio Mero (1998–02, posthumous)

Technical staff
Head coach: Diego López
Assistant coach: Michele Fini
Physical coach: Francesco Bertini
Goalkeeper coach: Alessandro Vitrani
Game analyst: Matteo Camoni

Notable players
See Category:Brescia Calcio players.

Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Altobelli, Ugo Locatelli, Luca Toni, Dario Hübner, Roberto Baggio, Luigi Di Biagio, Éder, Florin Răducioiu, Ioan Sabău, Gheorghe Hagi, Albert Brülls, Marek Hamšík, Birkir Bjarnason etc.

Notable managers
See Category:Brescia Calcio managers.

Honours

Divisional movements
SeriesYearsLastPromotionsRelegations
A 232019–20- 13 (1932, 1936, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2005, 2011, 2020)
B 622020–21 12 (1933, 1943, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2010, 2019) 2 (1938, 1982)
C 41984–85 2 (1939, 1985)never
89 years of professional football in Italy since 1929

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1978–79 Umbro None
1979–1981 Prince of Wales
1981–82 Umbro Inoxriv
1982–83 Watergate
1983–1986 Gazelle Fin-Eco
1986–1988 Wuhrer
1988–89 Watergate
1989–90 UNICEF
1990–91 Bontempi Sport None
1991–1994 Uhlsport CAB
1994–95 ABM
1995–96 Polenghi
1996–97 Brescialat
1997–98 Erreà Ristora
1998–2001 Garman
2001–2002 Banca Lombarda
2002–2004 Umbro
2004–2005 Kappa
2005–2006 Banca Lombarda (Banco di Brescia)
2006–2007 ASICS
2007–2009 UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia) – Bregoli
2009–2010 Mass UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia) – Bresciani
2010–2011 UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia) – Technologic (T-Logic) – Falar – Tescoma
2011–2012 UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia) – Sama
2012–2013 Givova
2013–2014 Adidas UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia)[10] – Tescoma
2014–2015 Joma UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia) – Falar
2015–2017 Acerbis[11] UBI Banca (Banco di Brescia)
2017–2018 UBI Banca[12]
2019–2025 Kappa

In Europe

UEFA Intertoto Cup
Season Round Club Home Away Aggregate Reference
2001 Third Round Tatabánya 2–1 1–1 3–2 [13]
Semi-final Chmel Blšany 2–2 2–1 4–3
Final Paris Saint-Germain 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
2003 Second Round Gloria Bistrița 2–1 1–1 3–2 [14]
Third Round Villarreal 1–1 0–2 1–3
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gollark: I am present within all channels.
gollark: “If you're trying to stop me, I outnumber you 1 to 6.”

References
  1. Organigramma Brescia Calcio
  2. Paris Saint Germain – Brescia Calcio : 0–0 (Match Report) ScoresPro.com
  3. Brescia Calcio – Paris Saint Germain : 1–1 (Match Report) ScoresPro.com
  4. "Il Brescia è ripescato in Serie B: prende il posto del Parma". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 4 August 2015.
  5. "Bentornato Brescia!". Football Italia. 1 May 2019.
  6. "Storia" [History]. Brescia Calcio (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  7. "Restyling logo Brescia Calcio" (PDF). Brescia Calcio (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  8. "Giocatori" [Players]. Brescia Calcio (in Italian). Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  9. "Scelti i numeri di maglia per la stagione 2015/2016" (in Italian). Brescia Calcio. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  10. "RINNOVATA LA PARTNERSHIP TRA UBI E BRESCIA CALCIO" (in Italian). Brescia Calcio. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  11. "ACERBIS e il Brescia Calcio insieme fino al 2019" (in Italian). Brescia Calcio. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. "Brescia Calcio e UBI Banca insieme nel progetto dedicato alle scuole" (Press release) (in Italian). Brescia Calcio. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  13. "UEFA Intertoto Cup 2001". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  14. "UEFA Intertoto Cup 2003". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
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