Bernardo Corradi was born in Siena on March 30 1976.
He started playing professionally for Poggibonsi in Serie C2 and D between 1994 and 1996. He then signed for Ponsacco, again in Serie C2. In August 1997 his big break when he joined Cagliari. He was immediately loaned to Montevarchi in C1 for the 1997-98 season and the year after he played for Fidelis Andria in Serie B. He did not do too badly, scoring 8 goals in 33 appearances so Cagliari took him back. He debuted in Serie A against Lazio on August 30 1999. That year he did not score, never good for a centre forward, but he attracted the attention of Inter and moved to Milan in 2000. The Nerazzurri loaned him to Chievo Verona and in two years he made his mark: 23 goals in 74 appearances. In his second year Chievo qualified for the UEFA Cup, an amazing feat for the small club.
Back at Inter in 2002 he remained just in time to appear in the Champions League qualification match against Sporting Lisbon before he was sold to Lazio in the deal that saw Hernan Crespo move to Milan.
At Lazio he became one of the best centre forwards in Serie A. In two years, he made 82 appearances with 22 goals under Roberto Mancini. Lazio qualified for the Champions League in his first year and won the Coppa Italia in his second. In the return final against Juventus, Lazio were in trouble. They had won the first leg at home 2-0 but were losing in Turin 2-0 so it was all square. A spectacular header allowed the Biancocelesti to get the necessary away goal to bring the trophy back to Rome. The game then ended 2-2.
Lazio were however in great financial difficulty. The disastrous signing of Gaizka Mendieta left a huge debt with Valencia. When Claudio Lotito took over the club, he sold Corradi and Stefano Fiore to the Spanish club in order to cover the debt. Neither of the two wanted to go but it was in the club's best interest. In Spain he did not do very well, even if he did win a UEFA Super Cup, and after a year he was loaned to Parma. The good year (39 appearances with 10 goals) led him to go on loan to Manchester City but he had a pretty poor season (just 3 goals in 25 appearances). In 2007 he was back at Parma, again on loan but he continued to score little. At the end of his contract, he signed for Reggina where he started to score again (11 goals). In 2009 he signed for Udinese but in two years his contribution was minimal. In 2012 he moved to Canada to play for Montreal Impact. It would be his last year in active football.
At International level he played 13 times for Italy with one goal. He was part of the Italian squad at Euro 2004 and played in the opening match against Bulgaria.
Since he stopped active football, he has been involved with the Italian National team. He has been head coach of the Under 16s, Under 17s and Under 18s and is currently in charge of the Under 19s. He has also done punditry for Mediaset.
Corradi was an excellent centre forward. His time at Lazio was his probable highlight and the maximum level of football he achieved. Very dangerous on headers, he often missed easy chances with his feet, but a cross in the box was always a good idea when one had Corradi in one’s team.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
2002-03 | 36 (10) | 32 (10) | 4 | |
2003-04 | 46 (12) | 32 (10) | 6 (1) | 8 (1) |
Total | 82 (22) | 64 (20) | 10 (1) | 8 (1) |
Sources
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