Giuliano Fiorini was the last of his kind. A classic 1970s centre forward. He never scored an enormous number of goals but was a team player, one of those forwards who would open up spaces for others. He was big, very vocal with everybody, but much loved by fans and teammates.
Fiorini was born in Modena on January 21 1958. He debuted in Serie A in February 1975 with an assist that allowed Beppe Savoldi to score the winning goal against Fiorentina. For the next two seasons he was sent on loan first to Rimini (with whom he won the Serie C championship) and then Brescia in Serie B. After another year at Bologna in which he did not play much, he played a year at Foggia and another one at Piacenza in Serie C1. Here he scored 21 goals, top goal scorer of the season, and Bologna decided to bring him home.
He stayed for another two years at Bologna, in the first they managed to avoid relegation but not in the second. In 1982-83 he signed for Genoa. After a first relatively unsuccessful year, he was loaned to Sambenedettese in Serie B and then went back to Liguria for another year.
In 1985 he signed for Lazio. It was a rather disastrous year for Lazio. They were one of the favourites to return to Serie A but the club’s financial problems marred the spirit of the team that almost risked relegation. Fiorini had an injury that left him out of the squad for a while.
With the sale of Oliviero Garlini, Fiorini was Lazio’s centre-forward for the 1986-87 season. This was the dramatic -9 season as Lazio started with a nine-point docking following the 1986 match fixing scandal. Fiorini played 30 league games and scored 7 goals, the last one allowed Lazio to go to the play off and avoid Serie C. Relegation would have certainly meant the end of the club.
His goal, his run under the Curva Nord, his tears. All of this made him a legendary, almost mythical, player at Lazio. One to be remembered forever. He played 61 games for Lazio, 48 in Serie B (10 goals), two in the play offs and 11 in Coppa Italia (5 goals).
In the summer of 1987 he signed for Venezia Mestre, the new team formed by the merger between Venezia and Mestre, in Serie C2 and with his ten goals contributed to the promotion. His last two years of active football were both in Serie C1 with Siena and Ternana.
After a brief experience as manager at L’Aquila, he became a Sports Director at Spezia and Massese as well as Director for Vasto.
He opened a bar in Bologna and would sit there in the afternoons, often joined by Beppe Signori who would pop in for a chat and a coffee.
On August 5 2005, the Lazio fans woke up to the news that Giuliano Fiorini had died of cancer. A terrible day for everybody.
Giuliano Fiorini will never be forgotten and will live forever in the hearts of all Lazio fans.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie B | Serie B Playouts | Coppa Italia |
1985-86 | 23 (5) | 18 (3) | - | 5 (2) |
1986-87 | 38 (9) | 30 (7) | 2 | 6 (2) |
Total | 61 (14) | 48 (10) | 2 | 11 (4) |
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