Angelo Di LivioCavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[ˈandʒelodiˈliːvjo]; born 26 July 1966) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and wing-back. He represented several Italian clubs in Serie A throughout his career, coming to prominence with Juventus, where he won several domestic and international titles. At international level he also played for the Italy national side in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships, reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000.
During his playing career he was known as soldatino (toy soldier) or soldatino Di Livio, a nickname his Juventus teammate at the time Roberto Baggio gave him because of Di Livio's diminutive stature, posture, and characteristic way of running up and down the flank.[2][3][4]
Club career
Born in Rome, Di Livio began his career with Roma in 1984. Having failed to make an appearance in his only season for the club, Di Livio played for Reggiana (1985–86), Nocerina (1986–87), Perugia (1987–89), Padova (1989–93), Juventus (1993–99) and Fiorentina (1999–2005).
His tireless running and quality crossing made him an important element in the dominant Juventus starting lineup from 1993 to 1999, during one of the most successful periods in the club's history. With Juventus, he won three scudetti (Italian A League; 1995, 1997, 1998) and one Champions League title (1996), in addition to two Italian Supercups (1995, 1997), a Coppa Italia, an UEFA Supercup (1996), and an Intercontinental Cup (1996); he also reached the final of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup.
In 1999, he moved to Fiorentina, where he captained the team to win the Coppa Italia during the 2000–01 season. In 2002, when AC Fiorentina went bankrupt and was reborn as Florentia Viola in Serie C2, Di Livio showed his dedication by being the only player to stay with the team, as he played through the depths of Italian football on the climb back to Serie A in 2004, finally retiring after the conclusion of the 2004–05 Serie A season.
International career
Di Livio was capped 40 times for Italy. He played for Italy at Euro 96, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 (where Italy finished in 2nd place), and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His first cap came on 6 September 1995 against Slovenia; his last on 18 June 2002 against South Korea. At Euro 1996, he set-up Pierluigi Casiraghi's first goal in the team's 2–1 win in the opening group match against Russia.[5] For Italy, he was often used as a holding player to shut down games when the team was ahead, thus sealing the win.
After retirement
After retiring, Di Livio worked as a coach in the A.S. Roma Youth System (Allievi "Coppa Lazio").[6]
Style of play
A quick, experienced, energetic, combative, reliable, and tactically versatile player, Di Livio was usually deployed on the right wing, although he was capable of playing on either flank, as either a wide midfielder, or as a full-back or wing-back, courtesy of his ability with either foot; he was also capable of playing in the centre, as a box-to-box or defensive midfielder, or even in defence. Although he was not the most naturally talented or skilled footballer from a technical standpoint, he was a highly consistent, intelligent, and disciplined player, who was known for his pace, stamina, work-rate, and strength, despite his diminutive stature. He also stood out for his tenacity, mentality, professionalism, man-marking ability, and crossing accuracy, as well as his ability to make attacking runs down the flank, but also track back, which enabled him to cover the wing effectively, and have a successful career.[2][3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Personal life
Angelo's son, Lorenzo, is also a footballer;[15] a Roma youth product, he currently plays for Latina. His daughter, Alessia, is an electronic music producer and DJ, performing under the name ADIEL.[16]
Endorsements
As one of the most popular footballers from his generation, Di Livio has kept his public influence and positive reputation till today. In 2011, Angelo Di Livio was named as "Brand ambassador" for SKS365's brand planetwin365.[17]
Career statistics
Club
Source:[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Comunicato Ufficiale N. 352" [Official Press Release No. 352] (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 24 May 2005. p. 4. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ ab"Io, "Soldatino" Di Livio". Pianeta-Calcio.it. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
^ abMaria Elena Ribezzo; Giorgio Dell'Arti (17 January 2014). "Biografia di Angelo Di Livio" (in Italian). www.cinquantamila.it. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
^"I soprannomi dei calciatori più illustri del calcio - Parte 2:11-angelo-di-livio-il-soldatino" (in Italian). 90min.com. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
^"Instinctive Casiraghi helps Italy sink Russia". UEFA.com. 6 October 2003.
^"Euro 2000 Profile: Angelo Di Livio". BBC. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
^"Di Livio: "Capello non mi volle alla Roma"" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb.com. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
^Stefano Bedeschi. "Gli eroi in bianconero: Angelo DI LIVIO" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
^"Italy squad at a glance". BBC. 14 November 2000. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
^Phil Cole (13 July 2000). "Profile: Angelo Di Livio". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
^Germano Bovolenta; Nicola Cecere (3 July 1998). "Niente paura, noi siamo l' Italia" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^Potts, Ricci (22 March 2017). "When Calcio Ruled the World: Il Soldatino, Angelo Di Livio" (in Italian). gentlemanultra.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
^Ferrara, Benedetto (28 May 2005). "Il ritorno di Di Livio ora serve la sua esperienza". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 28 July 2022.
^Mason, Joshua (12 September 2016). "Serie A- Keeping in it in La Famiglia | IFD". www.italianfootballdaily.com. Italian Football Daily. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
^ Brzezicka, Alex (22 March 2022). "Adiel's techno music". www.lampoonmagazine.com. Lampoon. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
^planetwin365 renews cooperation with Angelo Di Livio: sks365 - planetwin365 renews cooperation with Angelo Di Livio, accessdate: 26 August 2015
^"Angelo di Livio - International Appearances". Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
^ abc"Angelo Di Livio". Eurosport. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
^Billero, Elia (14 November 2023). "Hall of Fame Viola, premiati gli ex Di Livio, Sella e Pagliari". gonews.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
^"A. Di Livio". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
^"ONORIFICENZE". quirinale.it (in Italian). 12 July 2000. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angelo Di Livio.
Angelo Di Livio at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)