Francesco Rocca
Rocca with Roma in 1974 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 2 August 1954 | ||
Place of birth | San Vito Romano, Italy | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Full-back | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1972–1981 | Roma | 141 | (0) |
National team | |||
1973 | Italy U-21 | 1 | (0) |
1974–1976 | Italy | 18 | (1) |
Teams managed | |||
1988 | Italy Olympic | ||
1995–1997 | Italy U-18 (equivalent to current U-19 ) | ||
1996–1998 | Italy U-17 (equivalent to current U-18 ) | ||
2000–2004 | Italy U-20 | ||
2004–2006 | Italy U-17 | ||
2006–2007 | Italy U-18 | ||
2006–2008 | Italy U-19 | ||
2008–2011 | Italy U-20 | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Francesco Rocca (born 2 August 1954)[1] is an Italian professional football coach and former player, who played as a defender. He spent his entire career with Italian club Roma, where he won the Coppa Italia twice. He was the coach of the Italy national under-20 football team from 2008 until 2011.[2] He also led the Italy Olympic side to a fourth-place ranking at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Club career
Born in the San Vito Romano village 40 km from Rome, Rocca played his club football exclusively for A.S. Roma from 1972 to 1981. He was nicknamed "Kawasaki" (after the Japanese brand of motor bikes) because of his work rate and durability in the full-back position.[3] Rocca played 163 games for Roma, including 141 games in Serie A[2] and 22 in the Coppa Italia cup, but did not score any goals for the club.
International career
Rocca played 18 games for the Italy national football team from 1974 to 1976, and scored a goal for Italy against the United States national soccer team.[4]
At the age of 26, a serious injury forced Rocca to retire.[2]
Managerial career
As a manager, Rocca took Italy to a fourth place at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[5] He also led the U-19 team which finished as the runner-up in the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. After the tournament he changed to being a coach of the U-20 team, and led his team to the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He is one of eleven members of the Hall of Fame of A.S. Roma.
Honours
Club
- Roma
- Coppa Italia: 1979–80, 1980–81
Individual
References
- ↑ Italy Under 20 >> Francesco Rocca at Goal.com
- 1 2 3 FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 - Italy (ITA) at FIFA
- ↑ The children of the Wolf, FIFA, March 19, 2008
- ↑ Italy - International Matches 1970-1979 at RSSSF
- ↑ Men's Olympic Football Tournament - Seoul 1988 at FIFA
- ↑ "Hall of Fame" (in Italian). A.S. Roma. Retrieved 27 July 2016.