Giuliano Maiorana

Giuliano Maiorana
Personal information
Full nameGiuliano Maiorana
Date of birth18 April 1969
Place of birthCambridge, England
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Playing positionLeft winger
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1987–1988Histon
1988–1994Manchester United7(0)
1995Ljungskile5(0)
Newmarket Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Giuliano "Jules" Maiorana (born 18 April 1969) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League as a left winger for Manchester United.[1]

Career

Maiorana was born in Cambridge to Italian parents. In 1987, he was working in a bakery and playing Sunday League football when he signed for Eastern Counties League club Histon.[2] After around 30 games for Histon's first team,[3] he was invited for a trial for Manchester United in November 1988. He played the first half of a testimonial match for Ian Handysides, a Birmingham City player who had just been diagnosed with a cancer which would ultimately claim his life nearly two years later, producing a performance described by Alex Ferguson as "one of the best displays I have ever seen from a trialist",[2] and signed a four-year contract with United for a fee of £30,000. The fee saved Histon, £23,000 in debt and under pressure from their bank, from going out of business.[3]

He made his debut on 14 January 1989 as a substitute against Millwall in the First Division,[4] and came to prominence with an exciting display on his first start, in a live televised 1–1 draw with Arsenal (who finished the season as league champions) at Old Trafford that April.[5] Maiorana only started one more game, and made his last two substitute appearances in October 1989.[4][6] He then suffered a serious knee injury in a reserve game and never played for the club again, finally being given a free transfer at the end of the 1993–94 season.[3][7]

After leaving United, Maiorana had a brief spell with Ljungskile SK, where he made five appearances, of which four were as a substitute, in the Swedish second-tier Division 1.[8] He then returned home to work in his family's upholstery business,[3] and played for Newmarket Town in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

In 2008 and 2009, Maiorana played for Manchester United's Masters Football team in the North West Masters Cup.[9][10]

Career statistics

Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United 1988–89 6000000060
Manchester United 1989–90 1000100020
Total 700010000080
Ljungskile SK 1995 5000000050
Total 500000000050
Career Total 12000100000130

[4][11]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Rollin, Jack, ed. (1990). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990–91 (21st ed.). Queen Anne Press. p. 353. ISBN 0-356-17911-7.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ferguson, Alex (11 December 1988). "Gems From The Deep". New Straits Times. p. 22. Retrieved 26 November 2009. That was one of the best displays I have ever seen from a trialist. The player marking him, Ray Ranson, is an exceptionally experienced full-back—but Maiorana gave him all kinds of problems.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Maiorana – It was 20 years ago today Giuliano kept bank at bay". Cambridge News. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Jules Maiorana". Stretford End. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  5. Smyth, Rob (28 March 2006). "Red Anniversaries: 28 March – 2 April". Manchester United F.C. Retrieved 26 November 2009. United drew 1–1 with Arsenal in a live TV game also memorable for a bewitching full debut from twinkle-toed left-winger Giuliano Maiorana
  6. "1989/90". Stretford End. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  7. Williams, Richard (24 January 1993). "The heirs to a magnificent dream". The Independent. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  8. "Giuiliano Maiorana" (in Swedish). Ljungskile SK. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  9. "Masters Cup Manchester 2008". Masters Football. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  10. "Masters Cup Manchester 2009". Masters Football. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  11. "Giuiliano Maiorana" (in Swedish). Ljungskile SK. Retrieved 23 August 2012.