Luca Brunetti was born in Cecina (Livorno), on November 10, 1964.
His youth career was spent in his hometown club and Sampdoria.
In 1979-80 he was part of the Cecina first team squad in Serie D but did not make his debut. The Rossoblu finished 5th.
In 1980 he went back to Sampdoria where he stayed for three years. He made his Serie A debut on March 13, 1983, in a victorious 2-0 win at Cesena. This would remain his only first team appearance. The manager was Renzo Ulivieri and the Blucerchiati finished 7th. One of his teammates was Roberto Mancini (Lazio, 1997-2000 and then 2002-04 as manager).
In 1983 he joined Rondinella (Florence) in Serie C1. The "Rondine" finished 7th and Brunetti played 22 league games.
In 1984 he moved to Perugia in Serie B. The manager was Aldo Agroppi and the Umbri went close to promotion, finishing 4th. Brunetti played 30 league games. The squad included former Lazio, Massimo De Stefanis (1975-79).
The following year Brunetti stayed at Perugia, first under Massimo Giacomini (Lazio 1963-64) and then Giampiero Molinari. It was a terrible year for the Biancorossi, first relegated on the pitch with an 18th place and then further relegated in the courts to C2 for their involvement in the Totonero bis match fixing scandal. Brunetti had played 32 league games with 1 goal.
In 1986 he joined Lazio in Serie B. Lazio too were punished for the Totonero affair and docked nine points. The manager was Eugenio Fascetti and the Biancocelesti managed in the minor miracle of avoiding relegation in dramatic style. First scoring eight minutes from time in the last game of the season (Giuliano Fiorini's epic goal against Vicenza) and then in a three-team playoff beating Campobasso 1-0 (with Fabio Poli's header). Brunetti played 17 league games plus the 2 playoff games and 5 in Coppa Italia.
The following year both Brunetti and Fascetti stayed on. Lazio finally won promotion back to Serie A. Brunetti played 21 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia.
In 1988 he joined Taranto in Serie B. He stayed four years. They finished 19th (relegated), 1st (promoted), 9th and 16th (safe via a playoff). His managers were Fernando Veneranda and then Roberto Clagluna (Lazio 1970-83) the first year, Clagluna the second, Walter Nicoletti the third and Nicoletti and then Giampiero Vitali in the fourth. Brunetti played 130 league games with 9 goals. His teammates included Francesco Dell' Anno (Lazio 1983-86) and Ciro Muro (Lazio 1987-89).
In 1992 Brunetti joined Brescia in Serie A. The manager was Adelio Moro with Mircea Lucescu as technical director. The Biancazzurri were relegated and Brunetti played 32 league games with 1 goal (84th minute equaliser in 1-1 away draw to Milan).
The following year the Rondinelle bounced straight back up. Brunetti played 12 league games. They also won the Anglo-Italian Cup beating Notts County 1-0 in the final.
In 1994 -95 he spent his last year in Brescia. The Leonessa was relegated, first under Lucescu (1-20), then Luigi Maifredi and finally Moro again. Brunetti played 6 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia.
In his time at Brescia he played with Lazio connections Luciano De Paola (1993), Giampaolo Saurini (1988-89, 1990-91, 1993), Paolo Negro (1993-2005), Sergio Domini (1990-91), Marco Piovanelli (1995-97), Maurizio Neri (1981-93), Marco Ballotta (1997-2000, 2005-08) and Luigi Corini (1991-94) plus, in his final year, a young Andrea Pirlo (future Milan and Juventus legend and World Champion in 2006) and the great Gheorghe Hagi.
In 1995-96 Brunetti played a season at Lucchese in Serie B. The manager was Bruno Bolchi and the Pantere finished 6th. Brunetti however only played 2 league games.
In 1996-97 he was with Pontedera (Pisa) in C2. The Granata finished 15th under manager Piero Braglia. Brunetti played 16 league games with 2 goals.
In 1997-98 he played for Sangiovannese (San Giovanni Valdarno-Arezzo) in Serie D. The Azzurri finished 8th and Brunetti played 15 league games.
His final four years of playing career were spent with his local Cecina team in Serie D. He then retired in 2003, at 38.
Since retiring he has remained in the football world especially at youth level. He started with Rosignano Sei Rose (Livorno) in the 5th tier, then had a year in the Pisa youth set up, in 2007-08 he was Lecce U19's manager, in 2009 he collaborated with Bologna and in 20011 with Torino. His last job was in 2015-16 in the Livorno youth academy. He also worked as a talent scout for Padova.
Brunetti was a defender. As a player he was physically strong at 1.82 and 80 kilos. He played 33 games in Serie A and had the satisfaction of scoring at San Siro. Most of his career however was spent in Serie B and C. He won promotions to A with Brescia and Lazio and won C1 with Taranto.
At Lazio he is part of one of the most popular squads ever, the -9 team of 1986-87 that avoided Serie C and possibly the end of the club. The following year he was part of the promotion squad. He played a total of 49 games for the Biancocelesti.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1986-87 | 24 | 19 | 5 |
1987-88 | 25 | 21 | 4 |
Total | 49 | 40 | 9 |
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