Pierluigi Cera

Pierluigi Cera (Italian pronunciation: [ˌpjɛrluˈiːdʒi ˈtʃeːra]; born 25 February 1941) is a former Italian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a defender, most notably for Cagliari, and the Italy national football team.

Pierluigi Cera
Cera at Cagliari in 1969
Personal information
Full name Pierluigi Cera
Date of birth (1941-02-25) 25 February 1941
Place of birth Legnago, Verona, Italy
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1964 Verona 141 (7)
1964–1973 Cagliari 240 (4)
1973–1979 Cesena 97 (0)
Total 478 (11)
International career
1963 Italy under-21 7 (0)
1969–1972 Italy 18 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Cera was born in Legnago. During his club career, he played for Verona (1957–64), Cagliari (1964–73), and Cesena (1973–79). He made his Serie A debut with Verona, in a 2–0 away defeat to Milan on 4 May 1958. He later captained Cagliari to the Serie A title in 1970, the first and only league title in the club's history.[1][2][3][4]

International career

At international level, Cera earned 18 caps for the Italy national football team between 1969 and 1972;[5] he made his debut on 22 November 1969, in a 3–0 win over East Germany in a World Cup qualifier, and subsequently played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, including the final against Brazil, in which Italy finished in second place following a 4–1 defeat.[1][2][3][4][6]

Style of play

A versatile player, Cera was capable of playing both as a midfield playmaker, and also as a defender. He occupied the role of a Libero or sweeper in his later career, due to his vision, passing, creativity, and ability to bring the ball out from the back, as well as his consistent defensive attributes, which made him, alongside Franz Beckenbauer, one of the first offensive sweepers of his time.[1][2][3]

Honours

Club

Cagliari[2]

International

Italy[2]

Individual
  • Cagliari Greatest XI of all-time[1]

References
  1. "Speciale: Top 11" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  2. "PIERLUIGI CERA" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. Gianni Mura (10 March 2014). "Pierluigi Cera, quel libero per caso da Cagliari al Messico: "Il 4-3? Partita orribile"" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. "Pierluigi Cera" (in Italian). enciclopediadelcalcio.it. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  5. "Pierluigi Cera" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. Pierluigi Cera – FIFA competition record (archived)
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