Rinaldo Piraccini was born in Stresa (Piedmont), on December 14, 1958.
His youth career was spent at Omegna (near Stresa) between 1970 and 1975.
In 1975 he made his debut for the first team. The Rossoneri were in Serie D and finished 2nd, then losing the playoff against Biellese. Piraccini then stayed two more seasons and the Cusiani finished 1st (promoted to C1) and 17th (relegated to new C2). He played 59 league games and scored 4 goals over the three seasons.
In 1978-79 he spent a season at Mantova in C1. The manager was Ugo Tomeazzi and the Biancorossi finished 13th. Piraccini played 30 league games with 1 goal.
In 1979 he moved south to Foggia in C1. The manager was first Giorgio Sereni and then Ettore Puricelli and the "Satanelli" (Little Devils) won promotion. The following year under Puccinelli the Rossoneri finished 10th in B. Piraccini played 70 league games with 2 goals.
In 1981 he joined Pistoiese in Serie B. The Orange finished 14th under Lauro Toneatto. The following year the Tuscans finished 14th again under Enzo Riccomini. Piraccini played a total of 59 league games with 1 goal. His teammates included former Lazio, Pietro Ghedin (1974-79, 1980-81) and Stefano Borgo (1973-74, 1975-76).
In 1983-84 he moved to the capital and signed for Lazio in Serie A. The Romans were newly promoted and the manager was first Juan Carlos Morrone and then Paolo Carosi, both former players. It was a difficult year, but Lazio managed to avoid relegation on the last day of the season. Piraccini played 16 league games.
The following year he moved on and returned to Pistoiese in Serie C1. The "Olandesina" got through three managers and ended up relegated. Piraccini played 21 league games with 2 goals. His teammates included former Lazio, Maurizio Moscatelli (1980-83), future top manager Gian Piero Gasperini and future Italian international Luigi Appolloni (runner up in USA '94 and 304 games for Parma).
In 1985 Piraccini joined Varese in C1. The manager was Giorgio Canali and then Luigi Balestra and the Biancorossi were relegated. He played 28 league games. His teammates included a young Giovanni Lopez (Lazio 1997-98 and assistant manager 2010-12).
In 1986-87 Piraccini played a season with Modena in Serie B. The manager was Luigi Mascalaito and the Canarini finished 11th. Piraccini started to suffer from physical problems and only played 3 league games. One of his teammates was keeper Marco Ballotta (Lazio 1997-2000, 2005-2008).
In 1987-88 Piraccini played for Brindisi in Serie C1. The manager was first Giuseppe Leo and then Giancarlo Ansaloni and the Adriatici finished 14th. Piraccini was again limited by injuries and only played 6 league games with 1 goal
In 1988-88 he played a season for Rovereto in Interregionale (5th tier). The "Zebrette" finished 7th and he played 22 league games with 2 goals.
In 1989-90 he was back with Modena in Serie C1. The manager was Renzo Ulivieri (future Bologna, Napoli, Cagliari, Parma, Torino amongst others) and the Gialloblu won the league Piraccini played 28 league games. The squad included two other future managers, Walter Mazzarri and Franco Colomba.
In 1990 Piraccini joined Novara in Serie C2. He stayed two seasons finishing 6th and 11th. The Azzurri manager was Enrico Nicolini and Piraccini played a total of 50 league games.
He then played two more years but at amateur level with Intra (Verbania-Piedmont), with 59 games and 4 goals.
He then retired at 35.
He went straight into a coaching career but always at amateur level. He has had spells at Borgomanero, Gravellona, Verbania, Intra, Solbiatese and Valdossola, so always in his Piedmont.
Piraccini was a midfielder. He was a left-footed and quite technical player but a bit light-. He played 98 games in Serie B with 2 goals and 16 in Serie A, all with Lazio.
At Lazio he only stayed one season and it was the highpoint of his career. He played his fair share of games and contributed to Lazio avoiding relegation. The highlight of the season was defeating Inter 3-0, a game in which Piraccini was the assist man for Angelo Cupini for Lazio's second goal.
Lazio Career
Season | Serie A appearances |
1983-84 | 16 |
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