Cosenza (Italy), AC
Parma (Italy), Padova (Italy), Chievo Verona (Italy), AC Parma (Italy),
Udinese (Italy), SS Lazio (Italy), Valencia CF (Spain),
Fiorentina (Italy)
Honours
1995 UEFA Cup
winner (AC Parma) 1999 UEFA Cup winner (AC Parma) 1999 Italian Cup winner (AC Parma) 2004 Italian Cup winner (SS Lazio) 2000 European Championship Finals (Italy)
Biography
Stefano Fiore (born April 17, 1975 in Cosenza) is an Italian
football player who plays in central midfield or on the wing.
His current club is Fiorentina. He is best known for his
outstanding passing abilities and creativity, which result in
many assits for his teammates. He also has a tendency to score
key goals for both club and country.
Fiore's career began at Cosenza in 1992, the place where he was
born. He played just 11 games before moving to Parma in 1994.
His limited playing time with the Gialloblu forced him to move
to Padova for the following season, where he scored 1 goal in 24
games. In the 1996-97 season, Fiore moved to Chievo Verona where
he was very impressive, notching up 2 goals and plenty of
assists. This prompted former club, Parma, to re-sign the
midfielder in 1997. For the next 2 seasons the Gialloblu left
Fiore rotting on the bench, yet when he was given a chance he
looked far more impressive than the ageing Dino Baggio.
Fiore's career took off in the 1999-00 season after a move to
Udinese. Here he scored 9 goals in 33 appearances, many of which
were truly spectacular. His fine form earned him a call up to
the national side for Euro 2000 at the expense of Dino Baggio,
the man who had kept him out of the Parma team for so long. He
had a very successful tournament and scored what many regard as
the goal of the tournament in the 2-0 victory over Belgium.
Fiore returned to Udinese for the 2000-01 season despite rumours
of a move to Lazio, Inter Milan and Juventus. His fine form
continued and he scored 9 goals in 34 games. Eventually, Fiore
did move to Lazio in 2001 in a deal worth €20 million. Fellow
teammate, Giuliano Giannichedda, also joined him in Rome. Fiore
could not find his form for the Biancocelesti as coach, Alberto
Zaccheroni, persisted in playing him on the left side of
midfield. This resulted in Fiore losing his place in the
national side for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Fiore admitted that he did not deserve to go due to his poor
form for Lazio, but the midfielder was gutted.
Zaccheroni was sacked in 2002, and Fiore began to find his form
under new coach, Roberto Mancini. Fiore seemed far more at ease
playing in the centre of midfield and guided Lazio to fourth in
Serie A, thus earning them a place in next season's UEFA
Champions League. Fiore was in sensational form for Lazio the
following season, despite the loss of several key players in the
summer. Lazio won the Coppa Italia, in which Fiore was an
inspirational player. His impressive showings earned him a place
on the national side for Euro 2004. However, Fiore was used
sparingly by coach, Giovanni Trappatoni, who preferred to play
the Argentine born winger, Mauro Camoranesi. When he did start,
the Azzuri looked a lot more creative, with Fiore nearly scoring
from a spectacular volley against Bulgaria in the final group
game. Despite the Azzuri winning this match, the damage was done
in the 2 previous group games, and Italy exited the tournament
early.
Due to the financial problems that Lazio were suffering, Fiore,
along with several other teammates, were offloaded to Spanish
outfit, Valencia, where he joined up with the Italian coach,
Claudio Ranieri. After a promising start, Valencia suffered a
disastrous losing streak in October, which they never fully
recovered from. They exited the UEFA Champons League early, and
coach Claudio Ranieri was dismissed by mid February. Fiore could
not adequately adapt to the demands of Spanish football, and was
often left on the substitutes bench. In the summer of 2005, he
returned to Serie A, with Fiorentina taking the midfielder on a
loan spell. His form with the Viola has been outstanding. He has
linked up well with fellow Italian striker, Luca Toni, and there
have been many claiming that he deserves a recall to the
national side.
