Riccardo Ferri
Riccardo Ferri (Italian pronunciation: [rikˈkardo ˈfɛrri]; born 20 August 1963) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender, in the role of centre-back.[1] Despite being a well regarded, attentive, and reliable defender throughout his career,[2] he holds the unusual and unfortunate record of the most own goals in Serie A history, alongside Franco Baresi, scoring in his own net on 8 occasions throughout his thirteen-year Inter career.[3][4] At international level, he represented Italy at the 1984 Summer Olympics, at UEFA Euro 1988, and at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Riccardo Ferri | ||
Date of birth | 20 August 1963 | ||
Place of birth | Crema, Italy | ||
Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Playing position(s) | Defender | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1981–1994 | Internazionale | 290 | (6) |
1994–1996 | Sampdoria | 36 | (0) |
Total | 326 | (6) | |
National team | |||
1986–1992 | Italy | 45 | (4) |
Honours
| |||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
His older brother Giacomo was also a footballer and is currently a member of the technical staff at Torino.
Playing career
Club
Ferri was born in Crema, in Lombardy, and debuted in Serie A with Internazionale in October 1981. Soon a first-team defender, he became a mainstay of the team's starting eleven, playing for Internazionale for a total of 13 seasons.[1]
With Inter, he won the 1981–82 Coppa Italia, followed by Inter's record breaking Scudetto and 1989 Supercoppa Italiana win during the 1988–89 Serie A season, and two UEFA Cups; the first in 1991, and the second in 1994.[3] In 1994, he went to Sampdoria together with teammate Walter Zenga, in exchange for Gianluca Pagliuca, retiring two seasons later.[2]
International
After representing his country at under-21 level in the 1984 (third place)[5] and 1986 (second place)[6] under-21 European championships, Ferri went on to receive 45 caps for Italy senior national team, scoring 4 goals. He made his senior international debut on 6 December 1986, in a 2–0 away win against Malta, and marking his first international appearance by scoring a goal; he made his final Italy appearance in 1992.[3] He played for Italy in Euro 1988, where Italy reached the semi-finals, and in the 1990 World Cup on home soil, where Italy managed a third-place finish after a penalty shoot-out defeat to defending champions Argentina in the semi-finals.[2] He also competed for Italy at the 1984 Summer Olympics, where Italy finished in fourth place after a semi-final defeat.[7][8]
Style of play
A world-class, tenacious, and combative defender, with excellent man-marking abilities, Ferri usually played in the role of centre-back.[9] Although he possessed good technique,[10] he preferred to mainly focus on the defensive aspect of the game rather than attempting to build plays from the back;[11] however, he occasionally took free-kicks.[12] He also excelled in the air and was known for his ability to anticipate his opponents.[13] The Dutch former Milan striker Marco van Basten named Ferri and Pietro Vierchowod as two of the best defenders he ever faced.[14]
Coaching career
Riccardo Ferri is currently in charge of the Inter Academy Florida based in Broward County, Florida (north of Miami).
Honours
Club
Inter[2]
- Serie A: 1988–89
- Coppa Italia: 1981–82
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1989
- UEFA Cup: 1990–91, 1993–94
Individual
- Pirata d'Oro (Internazionale Player Of The Year): 1988[15]
Orders
- 5th Class/Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991[16]
References
- "FERRI Riccardo" (in Italian). Inter F.C. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "Riccardo Ferri" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "Grandi Storie" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "chi detiene il record di autoreti nella storia della serie a ?". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 10 January 2004. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "1984: Hateley mantiene l'Inghilterra al vertice" (in Italian). 1 January 1984. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- "Vicini alla Coppa". Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "Riccardo Ferri Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- "Nazionale in cifre: Ferri, Riccardo". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- Nino Sormani (17 March 1990). "È il derby dei Paperoni". Stampa Sera (in Italian). p. 19.
- Fabrizio Bocca (19 June 1988). "E Mancini tremò parlando di staffetta" (in Italian). la Repubblica. p. 45.
- Giovanni Trapattoni (2015). Bruno Longhi (ed.). Non dire gatto. La mia vita sempre in campo, tra calci e fischi (in Italian). Milano: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-8817081092.
- "Ferri: "Ho baciato una sola maglia, quella dell'Inter"". inter.it (in Italian). Football Club Internazionale Milano. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- Perucca, Bruno (9 July 1990). "Carnevale e Vialli i due insufficienti". La Stampa Sera (in Italian). p. 5. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- Sormani, Nino (17 March 1990). "È il derby dei Paperoni". La Stampa Sera (in Italian). p. 19. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- Inter.it staff, inter(a t)inter.it (17 November 2006). "F.C. Internazionale Milano". Inter.it. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- "Onoreficenze". quirinale.it (in Italian). 30 September 1991. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.