1. Overview
Francesco Stefano Antonioli is a former Italian professional goalkeeper who enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Italian football, spanning over two decades. Born on 14 September 1969, in Monza, Lombardy, Antonioli began his journey in the youth academy of AC Milan before making his professional debut with AC Monza. Throughout his career, he played for several prominent Italian clubs, including two spells with Bologna FC 1909, and also represented AC Milan, AS Roma, and UC Sampdoria. He achieved significant success, winning multiple titles with Milan, Bologna, and Roma, including Serie A championships and the Supercoppa Italiana. Antonioli was also part of the Italy squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2000, and he won the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with the Italy U-21 team, participating in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Known for his elegant playing style, strong reflexes, and notable penalty-saving abilities, Antonioli retired from professional football after the 2011-12 Serie A season, holding the distinction of being the oldest player in Serie A until his club AC Cesena was relegated. After retiring, he transitioned into coaching, primarily serving as a goalkeeping coach.
2. Early Life and Background
Francesco Antonioli's early life laid the foundation for his extensive football career, beginning in his hometown and developing through one of Italy's most prestigious youth academies.
2.1. Birth and Youth Career
Francesco Stefano Antonioli was born on 14 September 1969, in Monza, a city in the Lombardy region of Italy. He spent his formative years in the youth ranks of AC Milan, a prominent Italian club, where he honed his goalkeeping skills.
3. Club Career
Antonioli's professional club career spanned over two decades, seeing him play for numerous Italian teams and achieve significant success across various divisions.
3.1. Early Career (Monza, Loans)
Antonioli made his professional debut at a young age with AC Monza, then known as SSD Monza 1912. He was just 16 years old when he played his first professional match on 27 August 1986, in a Coppa Italia fixture against Juventus FC, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. During his time at Monza, he played alongside future notable footballers such as Pierluigi Casiraghi and Alessandro Costacurta.
Following his stint at Monza, Antonioli was loaned out to gain further experience. In 1990, he was loaned to AC Cesena, but did not feature in any matches under manager Marcello Lippi. He then moved to Modena FC on loan for the 1990-91 Serie B season, where he had a successful period, making 30 appearances. Later in his career, during the 1993-94 Serie A season, he had another loan spell, this time at Pisa Calcio, where he made 26 appearances. After his time with Pisa, he played for AC Reggiana during the 1994-95 Serie A season, appearing 30 times for the club.
3.2. AC Milan
Antonioli's time at his boyhood club, AC Milan, began when he joined the club around his 19th birthday in the 1988-89 season. He was initially positioned as the third-choice goalkeeper, behind Davide Pinato (who was the second choice). He made his Milan debut on 3 September 1988, in a 2-1 home victory against SS Lazio in the Coppa Italia. After a season with no official appearances in 1989-90, he returned to Milan in the 1991-92 Serie A season as a backup to Sebastiano Rossi. On 18 April 1992, he made his Serie A debut for Milan in a 1-0 win over cross-city rivals Inter. He subsequently featured in the next three matches.
At the beginning of the 1992-93 Serie A season, following some promising performances, coach Fabio Capello decided to give Antonioli a starting role. He played in Milan's 2-1 victory over Parma in the 1992 Supercoppa Italiana, securing a title. However, a series of mistakes, including a significant fumble in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, which gifted Luigi De Agostini an easy goal, led to fans questioning his selection and demanding Rossi's return. In a match against ACF Fiorentina on 4 October, he was substituted at halftime due to an error. Despite this, he started the next week against Juventus FC on 29 November 1992, but was substituted in the first half due to an injury. Rossi came on as a substitute and saved a penalty from Gianluca Vialli, contributing to Milan's 1-0 victory. This performance solidified Rossi's position as the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. Milan went on to win the league title that season and also reached the 1993 UEFA Champions League final of the 1992-93 UEFA Champions League. Antonioli's final appearance for Milan was the aforementioned match against Juventus. He made a total of 27 appearances for the club before being loaned out to Pisa in the 1993-94 Serie A season.
3.3. Bologna FC 1909 (First Spell)
In 1995, Antonioli joined Bologna FC 1909 and quickly established himself as the team's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, with the exception of the 1997-98 Serie A season, during which he served as backup to Giorgio Sterchele. He played a crucial role in helping Bologna achieve promotion to Serie A, winning the 1995-96 Serie B title. His contributions also extended to European competitions, as he helped Bologna win the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Furthermore, under his goalkeeping, the club reached the semi-finals of both the 1998-99 UEFA Cup and the 1998-99 Coppa Italia. During this first spell, he made 103 league appearances for Bologna.
3.4. AS Roma
In 1999, Antonioli transferred to AS Roma for a fee of 10.00 B ITL. At Roma, he was reunited with manager Fabio Capello. His tenure with the club was highly successful, culminating in winning the prestigious Scudetto (Serie A title) in the 2000-01 Serie A season. He also secured the 2001 Supercoppa Italiana with Roma. In 2003, he reached the final of the 2002-03 Coppa Italia, though they were ultimately defeated. Antonioli made 102 league appearances for AS Roma.
3.5. UC Sampdoria
In the summer of 2003, Antonioli joined UC Sampdoria on a free transfer. He spent three seasons with the Genoa-based club, making 104 league appearances. In the 2006-07 Serie A season, with the emergence of Luca Castellazzi as a strong goalkeeping option, Antonioli's playing time began to diminish, leading to his departure.
3.6. Bologna FC 1909 (Second Spell)
In 2006, Antonioli returned to his former club, Bologna FC 1909, again on a free transfer. He played a significant role in leading Bologna to achieve Serie A promotion for the second time in his career in mid-2008, following the 2007-08 Serie B season. He remained with Bologna until the end of the 2008-09 Serie A season, after which he was released by the club and replaced by the promising Italy U-21 international, Emiliano Viviano. During his second spell, he made 119 league appearances, bringing his total appearances for Bologna across both spells to 222.
3.7. AC Cesena
In July 2009, after his release from Bologna, Antonioli joined newly promoted Serie B side AC Cesena. He quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper, replacing the previous starter, Nicola Ravaglia, who was sent to a lower division club, and playing ahead of Michele Tardioli. Antonioli was instrumental in Cesena's remarkable achievement of a second consecutive promotion in 2010, which saw the club return to Serie A. This meant that at the age of 41, Antonioli would once again compete in Italy's top flight during the 2010-11 Serie A season. Cesena successfully avoided relegation that season by finishing 15th, and Antonioli was subsequently offered and accepted a new one-year contract. He continued to play for Cesena until the end of the 2011-12 Serie A season, when the club was relegated back to Serie B. At the time of his retirement from professional football following this relegation, Antonioli held the distinction of being the oldest footballer to play in Serie A. He made 106 league appearances for Cesena.
4. International Career
Antonioli represented Italy at various youth levels and was part of the senior squad for a major international tournament, though he never made a senior appearance.
4.1. Italy U-21 and Olympic Teams
Antonioli was the starting goalkeeper for the Italy national under-21 football team that achieved victory in the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. His success at the youth level also saw him represent Italy at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was part of the Italian squad.
4.2. Italy Senior Team
Despite a long and successful club career, Antonioli never made an appearance for the Italian senior side. However, he was included in the Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2000, serving as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Toldo. A few days before the tournament began, Buffon sustained an injury during a warm-up friendly, elevating Antonioli to the role of second-choice goalkeeper. Christian Abbiati was called up as Buffon's replacement, becoming the third-choice. Italy ultimately reached the final of the tournament but were defeated.
5. Playing Style
Francesco Antonioli was known for his distinct goalkeeping attributes and commanding presence. An experienced and authoritative figure in goal, he was considered one of Italy's most talented and promising young goalkeepers in his youth. However, some pundits suggest that he may not have fully realized his immense potential due to a combination of injuries and aspects of his character.
His goalkeeping style was characterized by its elegance and efficiency, and he was greatly influenced by his role model, Giovanni Galli. Antonioli possessed excellent shot-stopping abilities, quick reflexes, and strong technical skills, allowing him to produce spectacular, decisive, and stylish saves. He was also particularly adept at saving penalty kicks. With 14 penalty saves across 416 appearances between 1992 and 2012, he holds the joint-seventh highest number of penalty saves in Serie A history, alongside Stefano Sorrentino. Due to his acrobatic and commanding style, he earned the nickname "Batman".
6. Coaching Career
After retiring as a professional player in 2012, Antonioli transitioned into football management, focusing on goalkeeping. Starting from the 2013-14 season, he served as a goalkeeping coach for AC Cesena, the club where he concluded his playing career. He was also an assistant coach for Cesena from 2018 to 2019.
7. Honours
Antonioli achieved significant team and individual accolades throughout his career, winning titles at both club and international levels.
; Milan
- Serie A: 1991-92, 1992-93
- European Cup: 1988-89, 1989-90
- Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990
- European Super Cup: 1989, 1990
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992, 1993
; Bologna
- Serie B: 1995-96
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
; Roma
- Serie A: 2000-01
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2001
; Italy
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1992
8. Orders and Awards
Francesco Antonioli has received a notable civilian honor from the Italian Republic.
- 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000