Comunardo_Niccolai
Comunardo Niccolai
Italian footballer
Comunardo Niccolai (Italian pronunciation: [komuˈnardo nikkoˈlai]; born 15 December 1946) is an Italian former footballer, who played as a defender.
 Ferrante in the 1969–70 A.C. Cagliari Calcio season | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Comunardo Niccolai | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1946-12-15) 15 December 1946 (age 77) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Uzzano, Italy | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | Torres | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1964–1976 | Cagliari | 218 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Perugia | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Prato | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 251 | (4) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Italy | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
A tough, physically strong centre-back,[1] Niccolai initially began his career with Torres in 1963,[2] before joining Cagliari Calcio, where he played from 1964 to 1976, winning the only Serie A championship in the club's entire club history in 1970.[3] He ended his career in 1977 with Perugia.[2] Niccolai played 218 Serie A matches,[2] and is still remembered today for his proneness to score own goals, including some very spectacular ones.[4]
Niccolai made three appearances for the Italy national football team in 1970, and represented the team at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, where he won a runners-up medal; he only appeared in Italy's opening group match, a 1–0 win against Sweden on 3 June, as he was replaced by Roberto Rosato in the 37th minute, after sustaining an injury which kept him out of the remainder of the tournament.[5][6] This led his Cagliari coach Manlio Scopigno to declare: "I could expect everything from my life, but to see Niccolai in international telecast".[7]
He is currently working with the Italian Football Federation as national team scout.[8] He also worked as a youth coach for the Cagliari under-18 side.[9]
Club
- Cagliari[3]
International
- Italy[7]
- FIFA World Cup: 1970 (Runner-up)
- Vittore Trabucco (4 July 2014). "MOSE GALAN COME NICCOLAI Comunardo Niccolai, arcigno difensore del Cagliari" (in Italian). Il Gazzettino. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Nanni Boi (29 May 2003). "Niccolai, autogol alla Sivori" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Federico Ventagliò (19 November 2012). "ESCLUSIVA TC - Comunardo Niccolai: "I miei bellissimi autogol"" (in Italian). Tutto Cagliari. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- "Storia dell'autogol" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- "Niccolai, Cumunardo" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Nanni Boi (16 December 2013). "I 5 gol veri di Niccolai che finì in nazionale per due autoreti non sue" (in Italian). Tiscali. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Sebastiano Vernazza (10 March 2007). "Niccolai, artista dell'autogol" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- "COMUNARDO NICCOLAI". FIGC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- "Raffaelli, il talent scout dei giovani" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 10 June 2003. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Communardo Niccolai profile @ gazzetta.it (in Italian)
- Communardo Niccolai profile @ archiviorossoblu.it (in Italian)
- Communardo Niccolai profile @ cagliaristory.it (in Italian)
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