Maurizio Scarsella was born in Rome on March 28, 1962.
His first club at youth level were Urbetevere but in 1973 he joined Lazio.
He went through all the various age group teams and in 1978-79 won a Coppa Italia with the Primavera (U19's).
On May 4 1980 he made his Serie A debut in a 0-1 away defeat to Torino. He was called up from the youth side due to the "Calcio scommesse" betting scandal which had deprived Lazio of four first team players (Massimo Cacciatori, Pino Wilson, Lionello Manfredonia and Bruno Giordano). He also played the following Sunday against Milan in a 0-2 defeat.
Lazio had already managed to stay up on the pitch but were then punished with relegation for their players' alleged involvement in the betting ring.
He was considered an extremely talented and promising player and he hoped to continue with the first team the following season too. New manager Ilario Castagner however did not call him up for the pre-season training camp and he was forced to go back to the Primavera team coached by Roberto Clagluna.
Scarsella then asked to be sold. Behind this request was a difficult family situation as both his parents were unwell and unable to work. Scarsella needed to earn money.
The best offer came from Triestina but Lazio refused to let him go. He spent the season with Lazio Primavera apart from one game in Coppa Italia with the first team.
In 1981 however, he was sold to Teramo in Serie C2 where he played 15 games with 1 goal. The Diavoli finished 5th.
In 1982-83 he played for Varese in Serie B. The manager was future Lazio legend Eugenio Fascetti and Scarsella played 18 games with 3 goals. The Bosini finished 10th.
His career then took him to Foligno in 1983-84 in Serie C1 but the Falchetti (Falcons) were relegated. He was the club top league scorer with 7 goals. One of his teammates was former Lazio, Mauro Manzoni (1979-81).
In 1984-85 he was at Reggiana in Serie C1. The manager was Franco Fontana and the Granata finished 5th. Scarsella scored 3 league goals. He stayed on the next season and la Regia finished 4th but he did not feature much.
In 1986-87 he spent a year at Messina in Serie B. The manager was Franco Scoglio and the Giallorossi finished 7th. Scarsella only played 5 matches all in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Italia '90 top scorer Totò Schillaci.
The rest of his fading career was spent at Campania-Puteolana, Frosinone, Lodigiani, Chieti and Cuneo. He retired in 1990 at 28.
In his youth Scarsella was considered a potential rising star. He was a natural talent. He was strong physically and had a sublime left foot. Former Lazio Bruno Giordano who became Scarsella's friend compared it to Sinisa Mihajlovic's.
His problem, like many talented young players, was that he was not dedicated enough to his football. He was a good-looking lad and he took full advantage of his looks and status.
He died prematurely, of AIDS, at 31 on September 26 1993.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1979-80 | 2 | 2 | - |
1980-81 | 1 | - | 1 |
Total | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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