Brescia Calcio

Football club infobox
clubname = Brescia


fullname = Brescia Calcio SpA
nickname = "Rondinelle" (Little Swallows), "Biancoazzurri" (White-blues), "Leonessa" (Lioness)
founded = 1911
ground = Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Brescia, Italy
capacity = 27,547 | chairman = flagicon|Italy Luigi Corioni
manager = flagicon|Italy Nedo Sonetti
league = Serie B | season = 2006-07
position = Serie B, 6th
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_whiteV|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=004E8E|body1=004E8E|rightarm1=004E8E|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=004E8E
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_Vonwhite|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=004E8E|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=004E8E|socks2=FFFFFF

Brescia Calcio is a football club based in Brescia, Italy. The club was formed in 1911 and currently plays in the Italian Serie B, having spent a large part of recent years bouncing between Serie A and the second division.

The team's colors are blue and white. Its stadium is the 27,547 seater Stadio Mario Rigamonti.

History

The team was founded in 1911 as Brescia Football Club, joining the "Terza Categoria" division the same year. In 1912 Brescia promoted to Serie A for its first time ever, and 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 Calcio won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1994, the biggest notable achievement in their entire history to date. However, 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 surprising seventh place in 2000/2001 Serie A, the best result during its time in Serie A, thus qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Successively, Brescia reached the Intertoto Cup finals, then lost to Paris Saint-Germain. 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, Brescia recorded their best ever run of staying in Serie A. However, in the very next season that followed Baggio's retirement (2004/2005), Brescia were relegated from Serie A on the last day, finishing a lowly 19th.

Former Spanish captain Josep Guardiola, Italy's national team striker Luca Toni, and current AC Milan star Andrea Pirlo (born in Brescia) have also spent time in Brescia.

Current squad

"As of 2008-09-15" [cite web|publisher=Brescia Calcio|language=Italian|accessdate=2008-08-14|url=http://www.bresciaonline.it/bresciacalcio/601695.html|title=LA ROSA - Prima squadra]

Non-playing staff

* Head coach: Nedo Sonetti
* Assistant coach:
* Goalkeeping coach: Giacomo Violini
* Coach: Enrique Miguel
* Team doctor: Fabio De Nard

Transfers

"In"
* Domenico Morfeo - Parma F.C. Contract has been cancelled
* Andrea Alberti - S.S. Lanciano was on loan
* Marco Gorzegno - Spezia Calcio 1906
* Denis Maccan - A.C. Lumezzane was on loan
* Omar el Kaddouri - Anderlecht-Bel

"Out"
* Marius Stankevičius - U.C. Sampdoria
* Lima - San Jose Earthquakes
* Roberto De Zerbi - S.S.C. Napoli was on loan
* Leandro Depetris - Club Atlético Independiente
* Fabio Bazzani - Pescara Calcio
* Alessio Tacchinardi
* Mattia Mustacchio - U.C. Sampdoria

Famous players

Retired numbers

*10 flagicon|Italy Roberto Baggio, deep-lying forward, 2000-2004
*13 flagicon|Italy Vittorio Mero, defender, 1998-2001, 2002

easons

Honours

*Serie B: 1964/65,1991/1992,1996/97
*Serie C1: 1984/85
*Serie C: 1938/39
*Anglo-Italian Cup: 1993-94

References

External links

* [http://www.bresciacalcio.it Brescia's official website]