Socrates

Claudio Ranieri Is The Ideal Coach For Roma - Buffon Gianluigi Buffon thinks Roma have made the ideal choice by appointing Claudio Ranieri to replace coach Luciano Spalletti. After Luciano Spalletti resigned, Roma did not take long to find a replacement, appointing Rome-born Claudio Ranieri, who had been sacked by Juventus toward the end of last season. Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon thinks Ranieri is the best choice the Giallorossi could have made for their new coach. "Ranieri is the ideal coach for Roma," he said to Repubblica.it. "He's the best of the ones that were available. Roma was his dream club, he's a coach who gets the best out of the players he has, he knows how to deal with difficult moments, he doesn't leave anything to chance and he knows how to organise the team in his 4-4-2 system." On why Ranieri didn't succeed at Juventus, Buffon said, "In the last few months there were a lot of rumours about his successor, on the lack of faith from the club. The relationships between him and some of the players, but not all, became strained." On Spalletti, "He's my friend, he had held on well, I'm not sure why it ended like this. Perhaps he understood that all cycles come to an end and he decided it was best to leave. "On Sunday at the Olimpico I saw a physically tired Roma, but I'm not sure if that was because they had a wrong mental approach or because they had played too many games. Certainly their position in the standings doesn't tell the real truth."

LE FOTO DI ROMA - JUVENTUS

Gaetano Scirea Was The True Gentleman - Antonio Cabrini One Juventus great remembers another as Antonio Cabrini pays tribute to the legendary Gaetano Scirea... Gaetano Scirea became a Juventus legend, and Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of his death. Goal.com caught up with former team-mate Antonio Cabrini for an exclusive insight into the career of one of Juve's best-loved heroes. Cabrini played alongside Scirea in Turin and both men won major honours together. The partnership they forged in the Juve backline was one of the most feared. The Italian told Goal.com of his time together with Scirea in an emotional interview. "Gaetano is still in my heart," Cabrini told Goal.com. "I will not talk about Scirea the player as everyone knows him, and the great class he had. "I want to remember Scirea the man. An excellent person. I have never met a person with the humanity that Scirea had." Cabrini, who played for Juventus between 1976 and 1989, making 297 appearances, went further as he paid a great tribute to his former team-mate. "Men like Scirea no longer exist. He was always ready to give you a hand, not only on the pitch," added Cabrini. Scirea had the reputation of being the perfect gentleman on the pitch. One who never got angry. But Cabrini has revealed there were times when the Italian lost his temper. "It's not true that he would never get angry. He made himself heard on the pitch, just that he was never exaggerated like the others. He used to tell people what was needed, but with more tranquility. He was a true gentleman in every way," enthused the former Juve man. "Gaetano was a true friend."

Goal.com Special: Gaetano Scirea's Top Five Magic Moments The former Juventus defender is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time. Goal.com looks back at some of his best moments. Gaetano Scirea needs little introduction to many Juventus fans. He enjoyed a prestigious career, which was intense and unforgettable, just like the man himself. Scirea is part of the grand Juventus history. He was sadly killed in a car accident in 1989, but the legendary defender still lives on in the hearts and minds of both Juve and Italy fans. As we approach the 20th anniversary of his death, we celebrate five magic moments of his awesome career which, like Scirea, will never be forgotten. 5 - First Year At Juventus And A Scudetto Scirea had a massive impact on the club. Those who make history in football have it written in their destiny, and so it was only natural for Scirea to make strides in his first season in Turin. In the summer of 1974, he left Atalanta and joined Juventus at just 21-years-old. His panache saw him go straight into the starting XI. The Bianconeri directors thought they had found a replacement for the central defender Sandro Salvadore. Instead, they had landed the man who would become one of the greatest sweepers. He conquered the Scudetto in his maiden season, the first in a long series of honours. 4 - The First Double: The Scudetto And UEFA Cup 1977 Seven Italian titles arrived at Juventus with Scirea. The second came after just three years into his Bianconeri career and was a historic achievement, Juve winning it by amassing a record 51 points. Back then only 16 teams were involved in the league and it was two points for a win. The UEFA Cup followed. Scirea's Bianconeri beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in Turin, and though they lost 2-1 in Spain, the away goals rule carried them to victory. It was the first international trophy that Juve had won in their history. 3 - Another Double: The Scudetto And Cup Winners' Cup 1984 Scirea's magic moments continued, and he celebrated his decade at Juventus by adding a further two trophies to the club's cabinet. Having won the World Cup in 1982, the club's 20th Scudetto and the Coppa Italia in 1983, Scirea found himself playing in the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup final in Basel against Porto. Juve beat Manchester United in the previous round thanks to Paolo Rossi, and they won against the Portuguese in the final. It was Scirea's second European triumph. He went on to conquer the Scudetto once again in that same season. 2 - On Top Of Europe And The World 1985 The 1984-85 season is one of the most memorable for the Italian stopper. He was involved in the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup, captaining the side to further major honours. The first was the European Cup in 1985, though the win against Liverpool was marred by the tragedy of Heysel. Juve then went to Tokyo and beat Argentinos Juniors to add the Intercontinental Cup to their European crown. The Bianconeri were on top of the world. It would be Scirea's last international win. He would lift the Scudetto in 1986 before retiring in 1988. 1 - The Hero Of World Cup Spain 1982 Scirea made 78 appearances for La Nazionale. He began his Azzurri career in 1974 and it stretched to World Cup 1986, where it ended after losing to France. In between, Scirea was glorious in Spain 1982. Enzo Bearzot's men reached the pinnacle of international football by lifting Italy's third World Cup, and it proved Scirea was the greatest sweeper in the game. His combination with Giuseppe Bergomi, which led to Marco Tardelli's goal against Germany in the final, was of the highest quality. That image remains in history, just like Scirea.

Gaetano Scirea 1953-1989 The Impossible Genius Of Italian Footballs Immaculate Immortal This week marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of the legendary Juventus and Italy libero Gaetano Scirea. Goal.com's Gil Gillespie celebrates the life and achievements of arguably the greatest defender the game has ever seen... Even in a land famous for producing the most complete defenders in the history of world football, Gaetano Scirea stands almost alone. The Juventus and Italy libero is one of only five players who have won every single club trophy dreamt up by FIFA and UEFA, as well as the World Cup. Usually positioned behind the defence in a sweeper role that has sadly become extinct in the modern age, Scirea was the ultimate reader of the game - Franz Beckenbauer, Daniel Passarella and Franco Baresi are the only other central defenders who even come close in terms of greatness. Grace, elegance, composure, intelligence, pace, the almost Zen-like Juve man had all of these in spades. Both on and off the pitch, he was a quiet, thoughtful leader who marshalled the back line for his club and his country with a colossal, yet almost silent, authority throughout a record-breaking career. As a defender, he always relied on subtlety rather than muscle, but he was equally adept at venturing forward and had the passing ability and drive of a pure midfielder, as well as an eye for goal that saw him find the back of the net 24 times during his 377-game club career with the Bianconeri. It is truly amazing to think that in all that time, Scirea never received a red card, not a bad disciplinary record for someone who operated as the penultimate bolt in the team. Upon his retirement from the international game in 1986, France Football magazine described him as "better than Pele, Cruyff and Di Stefano". Gaetano Scirea was born in Cernusco sul Naviglio in the province of Milan on May 25, 1953. After coming through the celebrated youth academy at Atalanta, he made his Serie A debut for the Bergamo club against Cagliari on September 24, 1972. He remained with Atalanta for two seasons, before transferring to Juventus, the club he would stay with until the end of his playing career. He spent 14 years with La Vecchia Signora, and during that time he scaled the pinnacle of domestic and European glory with Juve, playing alongside the decidedly more rugged, but still unreasonably talented Claudio Gentile. Scirea was first called up to the Italian national team in 1974 and quickly established himself as one of the first names on Enzo Bearzots team-sheet. He remained there for the next decade, keeping a young upstart who went by the name of Franco Baresi out of the team. He eventually went on to compete in no less than three World Cups and one European Championship, but it was as part of Italys triumphant 1982 World Cup winning side when Scirea left mere mortals behind and joined the arena of the Gods. The liberos unflappable, almost transcendental, performances during the Azzurris games against Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West Germany were as vital as Marco Tardellis destructive midfield bursts or Paolo Rossis sudden outbreak of goalscoring greed. Dino Zoff may have lifted the trophy, but no-one played a more definitive role than Scirea. Four years later, Italy travelled to Mexico to defend their title but were knocked out in the second round by Michel Platinis France. It was to be Scireas last tournament, as he drew the curtains on his international career aged 33. In 1988, following one of the worst seasons in Juventus illustrious history, Scirea announced he was hanging up his boots completely after 14 seasons of faithful service with the club. However, soon afterwards he was appointed assistant coach at Juve, working under his life-long friend Dino Zoff. Then, in September 1989 he was sent on a scouting mission to watch the clubs UEFA Cup opponents, Polish side Gornik Zabrze. Scirea was being driven along the Warsaw-Katowice Superhighway when the Fiat 125 he was travelling in crashed head-on with a fully-laden petrol tanker. The tanker and the car exploded, instantly killing everyone involved. Scirea was just 36-years-old. Since that terrible day, his name has lived on as a beacon of sportsmanship, and every year Italian journalists vote for the player who they believe has been the ideal role model, both on and off the field of play throughout the season. Last year's Gaetano Scirea Award was given to another Juve legend, Alessandro Del Piero. In 2005, ex-Italy national team coach Enzo Bearzot also proposed the retirement of the No.6 jersey of the national team and Juventus in recognition of the great man and all he achieved Not that anyone on the peninsula is about to forget someone of Scirea's stature. 'Il Capitano' will even have a stand at the soon-to-be-rebuilt Stadio delle Alpi named in his honour. And, 20 years after the premature death of this most cerebral of Calcios all-time legends, Juve fans still chant his name and still remember his unforgettable contribution to the legacy of their club and their country. Quite simply, Scirea redefined what it means to be a defender and what it means to be a sportsman. Without him, the likes of Alessandro Nesta would probably be playing in midfield.

Gianluigi Buffon Happy For Roma-Bound Coach Claudio Ranieri 'Gigi' is pleased that his former coach is on the verge of joining the Giallorossi... Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has spoken in favour of coach Claudio Ranieri's move to the Roma bench, after Luciano Spalletti resigned from his position today. 'The Tinkerman' is widely expected to be officially announced as the capital outfit's new boss after he was seen in meetings with president Rosella Sensi on Tuesday. "I am happy for his return to the bench," the shot stopper was quoted as saying by Sportal.it. Ranieri was sacked by the Bianconeri after going on a two-month winless streak in the latter stage of last season, seeing them fall out of the title race. Buffon constantly voiced his displeasure at the lack of results during that time. The ex-Bianconeri coach has plenty of experience on his resume, having been in charge at Fiorentina, Valencia, Chelsea, and Parma among others. Buffon is currently training with the national team at Converciano, ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria.

Juventus Confirm That Claudio Marchisio Does Not Have A Broken Foot The Italian midfielder has not suffered a broken foot... Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has suffered from muscular fatigue, not a broken foot as first feared, the club have confirmed. The Italian international was forced to limp out of the 3-1 win over Roma on Sunday after going down in pain. Marchisio underwent further tests this morning and the medics have ruled out a serious injury. According to the club's official website, Marchisio has suffered from muscular fatigue to his right leg and his condition will be analysed over the next few days by Italy team doctors. The Juve man has been called up by Italy coach Marcello Lippi for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. La Nazionale lead their Group 8 qualifying table and they clash with Georgia on Saturday.

Totti-Del Piero, le ultime bandiere A confronto i due capitani, bandiere incontrastate dei loro club. Roma-Juventus non

CRISTIANO ZANETTI Cristiano Zanetti nasce a Carrara, il 14 aprile 1977. Tira i primi calcia nel Poggioletto, prima di essere notato, a soli undici anni, dalla Fiorentina; fa il suo esordio in Serie A, con la maglia viola, il 14 maggio 1995 in Foggia-Fiorentina, terminata 2 a 1. «Mi hanno comprato subito. A quei tempi giocavo più avanti, dietro le punte, ma solo per i primi tempi. Poi, già a quattordici, quindici anni, sono diventato un centrale a tutti gli effetti. Il fatto è che a quei tempi il rifinitore stava un po sparendo. Tutti giocavano con il 4-4-2 e cosi mi sono dovuto adattare». La sua carriera è costellata da tanti trasferimenti: dal 1993 al 1996 gioca nella Fiorentina passando poi al Venezia. Nel 1997-98 gioca titolare nella Reggiana in Serie B e la stagione successiva, approda allInter. In maglia nerazzurra non trova posto ed in autunno viene dirottato in prestito a Cagliari. LInter riscatta il suo prestito al termine del campionato 1999-2000, ma Fabio Capello lo vuole alla sua corte nella Roma ed, in agosto, si trasferisce nella capitale dove, vince il suo primo scudetto. «Non so se come rendimento quelle siano state le mie migliori stagioni, ma sicuramente mi sono tolto delle belle soddisfazioni. Sono entrato nel giro della Nazionale e questo mi ha poi permesso di disputare Mondiali ed Europei. Anche il tipo di gioco che facevamo, con gli attaccanti esterni che dovevano spesso rientrare, mi permetteva di mettermi in mostra. Basti dire che, prima dellarrivo di Emerson, giocavo a fianco di Tommasi e, in fondo, il regista ero io». Nel 2001, nel pieno della maturità, torna allInter dove resta per cinque stagioni. Le prime con Cuper è titolare indiscusso, ma i numerosi infortuni e larrivo di Davids, Veron e Cambiasso, durante la gestione Mancini, gli precludono il posto da titolare. «Beh, a Milano ci sono sempre stati grandi attaccanti e, per mantenere il giusto equilibrio e non scoprirsi in difesa, i centrocampisti dovevano sacrificarsi di più. Oh, sia chiaro: uso il termine sacrificarsi perché e ormai nel gergo comune, ma in realtà non mi è mai pesato correre anche per gli altri. Anzi, devo dire che mi è servito: ora credo di essere più smaliziato nel recuperare il pallone, nei compiti di marcatura, anche se a volte ho dovuto rinunciare alla gloria personale. Prima comunque viene la squadra: io il calcio lho sempre inteso cosi». Quando gli impegni calcistici glielo permettono, torna a Massa, nel suo stabilimento balneare: «Il mio babbo aveva un negozio di alimentari, ma questo è sempre stato il suo sogno. I primi soldi guadagnati come calciatore li ho investiti qui. Giuseppe, mio fratello minore, non fa il calciatore, al massimo qualche tiro a calcetto. Ho anche una sorella più piccola, Giulia. Appena ho un attimo di tempo torno da loro, dalla mia famiglia. A casa sto bene eppoi questa è un posto meraviglioso: il mare di fronte, le montagne a due passi. Non so immaginare di meglio». Nel 2006 si trasferisce, a parametro zero, alla Juventus, accettando di giocare in Serie B con i bianconeri, con cui vince il campionato cadetto, tornando in Serie A. «Avevo scelto di andarmene da Milano non per qualche problema con la società, ma perché avevo ambizioni che allInter sembravano irrealizzabili. Volevo di più ed ho scelto la Juventus, perché sapevo che qui avrei trovato quello cercavo. Poi, è successo quello che è successo e ricominciare da zero non è stato un scherzo. ma non ho mai avuto rimpianti. Mai. Lo dico con il cuore, qui sono felice. Sono nel posto giusto al momento giusto». Inizialmente considerato come riserva, si conquista la fiducia dellallenatore Claudio Ranieri e, complice anche lo scarso rendimento degli altri suoi compagni di reparto ad inizio stagione, fa sua la maglia da titolare nel centrocampo bianconero, dimostrando di saper unire le sue grandi doti di interditore ad unottima visione di gioco, che lo rende capace di alcuni spettacolari assist dalla distanza per gli attaccanti bianconeri. Il suo rendimento è talmente elevato che Donadoni, commissario tecnico della Nazionale, lo chiama per gli Europei del 2008; Cristiano, però, rifiuta la convocazione per concentrarsi meglio sulla sua esperienza juventina. La stagione 2008-09 deve essere quella della consacrazione per il martello bianconero ma, a causa della distrazione muscolare alla coscia destra rimediata nellamichevole del 27 luglio a Dortmund, debutta in squadra solamente il 10 dicembre in Juventus-Bate Borisov, ultima gara del girone eliminatorio della Champions League. Un altro grave infortunio, questa volta alla coscia sinistra, lo costringe a fermarsi per quasi tutta la parte rimanente della stagione. Segna il suo primo goal stagionale e primo in serie A con la maglia della Juventus il 26 aprile contro la Reggina; si ripete il 17 maggio contro lAtalanta con un pregevole tiro al volo da trenta metri. Il bilancio della stagione è, sicuramente, negativo. «Lo scorso anno sono stato condizionato da un infortunio patito ad agosto, peggiorato per la troppa fretta di rientrare. Per questo mi auguro di avere una condizione fisica mi permetta di esprimermi al meglio, io sono pronto a giocarmi tutte le mie carte rispettando tutti. Nel 2010 scade il contratto ??? Ci vedremo presto con i dirigenti per discuterne, la mia speranza è quella di rimanere qui e vincere qualcosa di importante con questa maglia». Invece, il 10 agosto 2009, si trasferisce ufficialmente alla Fiorentina, terminando così la sua avventura in bianconero.

Spalletti sprona il suo Capitano: "Se vuole, pu

Spalletti si affida a De Rossi: "Giocher

Melo pesca lo scudetto:

Bayern: "Mai fatto il nome di Rafinha" Il brasiliano dovrebbe rimanere allo Schalke. Prima alla Juventus, poi al Bayern. Nel futuro di Rafinha doveva esserci prima il bianconero, oggi il biancorosso. Stamane infatti secondo il giornale Kicker il terzino brasiliano si sarebbe dovuto trasferire in Baviera per una cifra vicina agli 11 mln di euro. Markus Hoerwick per

Ferrara glissa sul mercato e sulla Roma: "Vincere sarebbe una bella spinta..." L'allenatore bianconero ha parlato in conferenza stampa. Primo big match della stagione per la Juventus di Ciro Ferrara, che sar

Diego:

Toni:

Amauri:

Mou attacca, Cobolli si difende: "Libero di esprimere le mie opinioni" Botta e risposta tra Inter e Juventus. Ormai se non

La Juventus stringe sulle fasce: non solo per Grosso... Si cerca in extremis di far quadrare il cerchio sul discorso terzini. "Mercato chiuso, niente Grosso" dice la Juventus. "Nessun incontro, Grosso resta qui" dice il Lione. Ma

Ferrara:

Melo e Diego in dubbio per la Roma Diego probabilmente ce la far

Platini:

Oltre Roma-Juve, c'