A.C. Legnano

Football club infobox
clubname = Legnano


fullname = Associazione Calcio Legnano SRL
nickname = "Lilla" (Lilacs)
founded = 1913
ground = Stadio Giovanni Mari, Legnano, Italy
capacity = 6,600 | chairman = Marco Simone
manager = Gianfranco Motta
league = Lega Pro Prima Divisione - A
season = 2007-08
position = Serie C1/A, 7th
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pattern_la2=_shouldersonblack|pattern_b2=_thinsidesonblack|pattern_ra2=_shouldersonblack
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Associazione Calcio Legnano is an Italian football club, based in Legnano, Lombardy, that was founded in 1913. The team's colors are lilac and white. In the past Legnano have played three seasons in Italy's top league; Serie A, finishing bottom of the league each time.

The club are perhaps best known as the starting place for Italy's all-time top scorer; Luigi Riva. Legnano currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, having last been in Serie A in 1954. They were champion of Serie C2/A in 2006-2007 season and promoted to Serie C1.

History

The club was founded in 1913.

Several notable players appeared for Legnano in their early years; goalkeeper Angelo Cameroni was called up to the Italian national side in 1920, he was the first Legnano player to achieve this. Luigi Allemandi played four seasons with the club from 1921 onwards, until he was bought by Italian giants Juventus. He later won the World Cup with Italy at the 1934 FIFA World Cup.

erie A: Club at their peak

Legnano first gained access to Serie A for the 1930-31 season, the previous year they had finished as runners up in Serie B. The first match at the top level of Italian football was the shocking 2-1 defeat of Italy's oldest club; Genoa C.F.C.

Unfortunately for Legnano, they finished bottom of the table that season and were relegated; other notable results however were a 1-1 draw with eventual runners up; A.S. Roma and a 2-1 defeat of S.S.C. Napoli in Naples.

Left-winger Emilio Caprile was called up by "the azzurri", to play in two international games during 1948, he became the first Legnano played to score for Italy with a goal in each match.

lide down the Italian league

After their last relegation in from Serie A in 1953-54, the club have gradually declined. First they came close to promotion back into the league with a 3rd position in B, but two years later they were relegated down to Serie C.

Legnano spent 18 years in a row competing in Serie C, only able to finish as high as 5th in that time (they achieved this three times). 1974-75 saw the club slump down in Serie D, this was soon rectified as coach Luciano Sassi pulled the club back into Serie B with a runners up spot in 1977-78.

Giovanni Mari lifts Legnano

Giovanni Mari took over as club president in 1979 and under him, Legnano would achieve the championship of Serie C2, this was the first time A.C. Legnano had finished first position in any league since 1919. The club's stadium was later named Stadio Giovanni Mari in honour of the man.

Notable former players

*flagicon|Italy Luigi Allemandi
* flagicon|Italy Attilio Demaría
*flagicon|Italy Gigi Riva
*flagicon|France Nicholas Frey
*flagicon|France Pedro Kamata
*flagicon|Italy Paolo Pulici
*flagicon|Italy Gigi Riva
*flagicon|Italy Davide Fontolan
*flagicon|Netherlands Chedric Seedorf
*flagicon|Italy Marco Simone"See Also: "

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Presidential history

Over the years Legnano has had various owners, chairmen or presidential figures; here is a cronological list of the known presidents;

*1913 A.P. Visconti (Eugenio Tosi, Honorary Pres.)
*1916 Antonio Bernocchi
*1924 Carlo Delle Piane
*1925 Ernesto Castiglioni
*1927 Antonio Bernocchi
*1929 Giuseppe Mario Perozzi, Mario Raimondi and Riccardo Pezzoni
*1931 Ernesto Castiglioni
*1933 Primo Colombo
*1934 Giulio Riva
*1945 Pino Mocchetti
*1952 Luigi Mandelli, Giovanni Mari
*1954 Giuseppe Mario Perozzi
*1956 Davide Casero
*1959 Luciano Caccia
*1963 Felice Bossi
*1964 Augusto Terreni
*1975 Rolando Landoni
*1979 Giovanni Mari
*1986 Ulrico Lucarelli, Giovanni Mari
*1987 Ferdinando Villa
*1996 Mario Pighetti
*1999 Mauro Rusignuolo
*2002 Antonio Di Bari
*2005 Gianni Simone

Honours

Serie B
*Runners-up: 1929-30, 1946-47, 1950-51, 1952-53

Serie C2
*Champions: 2006-2007

References

External links

* [http://www.aclegnano.it/ Official website]