LAZIO
li/i it cco(//f'e//ztr ctf/otutsift at tutti, ijfte/'ituuo c/te
t (/of/ete il oost/ff .vof^f/io/v/o a .(o/uZ/Ht.
Lazio coach Dino Zoff.
Paul Gascoigne's first season with
Lazio may not have brought the
Rome club instant Championship
success but they are'back in
Europe, in the UEFA Cup, and the
Makita Tournament will clearly be
ideal preparation for one of the most
Former Spur Paul Gascoigne, in Serie A action, wearing his protective lace mask.
dangerous of contenders.
Lazio finished fifth, their highest
placing in 15 years, thanks not only
to Gazza's unpredictable genius
but, most crucially, to the goals of
Giuseppe Signori. The Italian
international striker collected 26
goals - the best return by any
individual in Serie A since an earlier
Italian ace, Sergio Brighenti, scored
27 way back in 1960-61
Delight for Lazio was double-edged
because they finished five places
above local neighbours Roma who,
of course, share the fabulous Stadio
Olimpico as home ground.
Local rivalry has always been a
feature of Lazio's existence. Ever
since the start of the century when
the earliest of hooligans took to
spoiling Lazio's fun by slashing the
ball with a knife.
Lazio were among the founding
members of the first Italian national
Championship in the late 1920s and
were soon splashing out money on
foreign stars in the bid to achieve a
title success which has proved so
elusive. Among their pre-war
captures were the Brazilian
forwards Anfilogino Guarisi and the
three Fantoni brothers.
Yet not until 1958 did Lazio at last
land a major trophy when they beat
Fiorentina 1-0 to win the Italian Cup.
It was then another 16 years before,
amid wild celebrations, they
clinched their one and only
Championship.
This may be an omen, but there
were important English connections.
The defence was secured by
sweeper Giuseppe Wilson, an
Italian international who had been
