Pierluigi Cera
.jpg) Cera at Cagliari in 1969 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pierluigi Cera | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1941 | ||
| Place of birth | Legnago, Verona, Veneto, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position |
Midfielder Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1964 | Verona | 141 | (7) |
| 1964–1973 | Cagliari | 240 | (4) |
| 1973–1979 | Cesena | 97 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1963 | Italy under-21 | 7 | (0) |
| 1969–1972 | Italy | 18 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Pierluigi Cera (born 25 February 1941 in Legnago) is a former Italian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a defender, most notably for Cagliari, and the Italy national football team.
Club career
During his club career, Cera played for Verona (1957–64), Cagliari (1964–73), and Cesena (1973–79). He captained Cagliari to the Serie A title in 1970, the first and only league title in the club's history.[1][2][3]
International career
At international level, Cera earned 18 caps for the Italy national football team between 1969 and 1972,[4] and played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, including the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final, where Italy finished in second place.[1][2][3][5]
Style of play
A versatile player, Cera was capable of playing both as a midfield playmaker, and also as a defender, in the role of Libero or sweeper, a position which he occupied later in his career, due to his vision, passing and creativity, as well as his defensive attributues, which made him, alongside Franz Beckenbauer, one of the first offensive sweepers of his time.[1][2][3]
Honours
Club
- Cagliari[2]
International
- Italy[2]
- FIFA World Cup (Runner-up): 1970
Individual
- Cagliari Greatest XI of all-time[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Speciale: Top 11" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "PIERLUIGI CERA" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 Gianni Mura (10 March 2014). "Pierluigi Cera, quel libero per caso da Cagliari al Messico: "Il 4-3? Partita orribile"" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ↑ "Pierluigi Cera" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ↑ Pierluigi Cera – FIFA competition record
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