Us Lecce

The club play in Serie A in the 2023–24 season, the top level of the Italian football pyramid. Lecce plays its home games at Stadio Via del Mare, which has a capacity of 31,533 spectators.

Lecce

Full name	Unione Sportiva Lecce S.p.A. (Sports Union Lecce S.p.A.)
Nickname(s)	I Giallorossi (The Yellow and Reds) I Salentini (The Salentians) I Lupi (The Wolves)
Founded	17 March 1908 (forerunner) 16 September 1927 1934 (re-founded)
Ground	Stadio Comunale Ettore Giardiniero - Via del mare
Capacity	31,533
President	Saverio Sticchi Damiani
Manager	Luca Gotti
League	Serie A
2022–23	Serie A, 16th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

The club was formed in 1927 and has spent a large part of their recent history bouncing between Serie B and Serie A, where the team debuted in the 1985–86 season. Its best Serie A finish is the ninth place obtained in the 1988–89 season. The club is 27th in the Serie A all-time table and is the second club from Apulia with appearances in the first two tiers of Italian football, with 16 Serie A seasons and 29 Serie B seasons.

Lecce won a Serie B title in 2022 and 2010, a Coppa Italia Serie C in 1975 and an Anglo-Italian Cup Semi-professionals in 1976.

Lecce players and fans are nicknamed salentini or simply giallorossi or lupi.

 

Lecce was founded as Sporting Club Lecce on 15 March 1908, initially including football, track-and-field and cycling sports.^{[citation needed]} The first club president was Francesco Marangi.^{[citation needed]} The first colours worn by Lecce during this time were black and white stripes, known in Italy as bianconeri.^{[citation needed]}

In its formative years, Lecce played in mostly regional leagues and competitions. During the 1923–24 season, the club dissolved before returning on 16 September 1927 as Unione Sportiva Lecce.^{[citation needed]} The club was still wearing black and white stripes (similar to Juventus's kit) at this point, and the first president under the name Unione Sportiva Lecce was Luigi López y Rojo.

League: Early years 1930s, 40s and 50s

Taranto Sport played Lecce in a game for promotion to Serie B from the local Southern Italian league; Lecce were victorious^[tone] winning 3–2 after extra time.^{[citation needed]} They were entered into Serie B for the 1929–30 season.^{[citation needed]} The first game match played in the league was against Novara on 6 October 1929, a 2–1 victory.^{[citation needed]} Lecce would eventually finish 13th.^{[citation needed]} However, for the second time in the club's history, it ceased activity at the end of the 1931–32 season.^{[citation needed]}

Four years later, Lecce returned and competed Serie C, finishing 11th in their return season.^{[citation needed]} Around this time,^{[when?][vague]} the club was in turmoil:^[tone] the following season they withdrew from Serie C after four days, and then during the 1938–39 season, they finished in third place but were moved down to 12th after it was revealed^{[by whom?]} the club had violated^[how?] the league's federal regulations.^{[citation needed]}

The club finished in first place during the 1943–44 season,^{[citation needed]} but club football was then suspended due to World War II. Nonetheless,^[tone] when club football resumed, Lecce finished as champions of Serie C, gaining promotion back into Serie B.^{[citation needed]} Two decent^{[according to whom?]} seasons followed (finishing fourth and third in respective seasons), with star^[tone] player Silvestri scoring 20 goals in one season, before the club was relegated.^{[citation needed]}

Lecce stayed down in Serie C for six seasons during this period, though this was not a particularly ^{[clarification needed]} successful time for the club. Striker Anselmo Bislenghi scored 83 goals for the club during this period, thus becoming a hero.^{[tone][citation needed]} The club slipped^[tone] even lower to Serie IV, where they spent three years.^{[citation needed]}

Seventeen seasons of Serie C: 1960s, 70s and 80s

From 1959 to 1975, Lecce played 17 seasons in Serie C.^{[citation needed]} They came extremely close to promotion several times during that period, finishing in second place three seasons in a row (1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74) before gaining promotion in the 1975–76 season.^{[citation needed]}

The same year as their promotion, Lecce tasted^[tone] cup success, winning the Coppa Italia Serie C. In 1976, Lecce took part in the Anglo-Italian Cup and a 4–0 victory against Scarborough won them the title.

In 1980, a scandal occurred which rocked^[tone] Italian football, including Lecce under president Franco Jurlano.^{[citation needed]} However, Jurlano was able to demonstrate his innocence^[how?] and the scandal only lead^{[clarification needed]} to disqualification of player Claudius Merlo.^{[citation needed]} Later, the club was struck^[tone] by a tragedy in 1983: players Michele Lo Russo and Ciro Pezzella died in an automotive accident.^{[citation needed]} To this day, Lo Russo remains the club record holder for most number of appearances, with 415.^{[citation needed]}

Promotion to Serie A: mid-1980s and 90s

Under the management of Eugenio Fascetti, Lecce would achieve promotion to Serie A for the first time in 1985.^{[citation needed]} They finished bottom and were relegated after only one season, but defeated Roma 3–2 away in the penultimate game to deal a fatal blow^[tone] to Roma's title hopes.^{[citation needed]} Losing a promotion play-off 2–1 to Cesena the following season, they would return to Serie A in 1988.^{[citation needed]}

Under Carlo Mazzone, Lecce finished a respectable^{[according to whom?]} ninth place in 1989. Stars^[tone] of the side included striker Pedro Pasculli and midfielders Antonio Conte and Paolo Benedetti.^{[citation needed]} They lasted three seasons before relegation, and returned two years later.^{[citation needed]} The 1993–94 season saw Lecce finish in last place with a pitiful^[tone] 11 points, the lowest ever of any Serie A team, and a second relegation came the following year.^{[citation needed]}

Giampiero Ventura saw Lecce achieve two successive promotions from Serie C to Serie A before leaving for Cagliari.^{[citation needed]} Once more, it^{[clarification needed]} proved a struggle in Serie A despite the best efforts^[tone] of striker Francesco Palmieri and a famous^{[according to whom?]} away win against Milan on 19 October 1997.^{[citation needed]}

In the summer of 1998, Pantaleo Corvino was appointed new sports director, gaining a reputation^{[by whom?]} for scouting new talents in the years to come.^{[citation needed]} The team was good enough to return to Serie A in 1999 and begin another three-year stint in the top-flight, with yet another return to Serie A in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

Three years in Serie A (2003–2006)

 

In 2004, under Delio Rossi, who had been managing the club since 2002, Lecce achieved an impressive^[tone] result, reaching a high-point of tenth despite a poor first half of the season. Famous^[tone] performances include two sensational^[tone] victories in a row, first against Italian giants^[tone] Juventus 3–4 in Turin (the first ever win at the Stadio Delle Alpi for Lecce) and then against Internazionale 2–1 at the Stadio Via del Mare.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004–05, coach Zdeněk Zeman oversaw a highly^{[clarification needed]} attack-minded team that scored plenty^[quantify] of goals. Lecce ended the year again finishing tenth, putting in the spotlight talents^[tone] like Valeri Bojinov and Mirko Vučinić.^{[citation needed]} The team had the second-best attack with 66 goals (Juventus came first with 67) and the worst defence, with 73 goals conceded.^{[citation needed]} This is a record, as for the first time the team with the worst defence managed to^[tone] survive in the history of Serie A.^{[citation needed]}

The 2005–06 season was a continual struggle for Lecce.^{[according to whom?]} The club changed its manager two times (Silvio Baldini for Angelo Adamo Gregucci and in January 2006 youth team coach Roberto Rizzo, supported by goalkeeper coach Franco Paleari, for Baldini).^{[citation needed]} The numerous managerial moves could not turn Lecce's fortune^[tone] as they were relegated with a few^[quantify] games to spare and ended the season in 19th place.^{[citation needed]} In June 2006, Giovanni Semeraro returned at the helm of the club after nine months.^{[citation needed]} The club re-appointed Zdeněk Zeman as manager, just one year after he left the club.

Lecce was unable to avoid relegation from Serie A, despite some initial hope due to the Serie A match-fixing scandal.^{[citation needed]}

Two-year stint in Serie B and promotion

The club had a mixed start^{[according to whom?]} to the 2006–07 season in Serie B, winning three home matches (including a win against early league leaders Genoa), though they suffered^[tone] poor away form.^{[citation needed]} After a large drop in form, recording 10 losses in 18 matches, Zeman was sacked as manager and replaced by Giuseppe Papadopulo.^{[citation needed]} On 10 March 2007, Lecce clinched^[tone] a historical victory^[tone] over Frosinone, beaten 5–0 at Stadio Via del Mare.^{[citation needed]} Having gained 36 points in the second half of the season, Lecce ended the season in the middle of the table, in ninth place.^{[citation needed]} In 2007, Lecce gained more points than any other team in Serie B.^{[citation needed]}

The 2007–08 season saw Lecce fight for a place in Serie A for the next season. Despite earning 83 points (12 more than sixth-placed Pisa) and boasting^[tone] the best defence in the tournament, the giallorossi were forced^{[by whom?]} to face play-offs for promotion in the top flight.^{[citation needed]} In the semi-final, they beat Pisa in both legs (1–0 away and 2–1 at home) to secure a place in the final against AlbinoLeffe.^{[citation needed]} Then they won the first leg 1–0 away, before securing a 1–1 draw in the second leg at the Studio Via del Mare to gain promotion.^{[citation needed]}

Between Serie A and Serie B

 

After persistent rumours, Papadopulo quit due to a difference of opinion with the general manager of the club and was replaced by Mario Beretta, who had a quite satisfactory start in the 2008–09 Serie A season.^[how?] He remained in charge for twenty-seven games, but, due to four defeats in the last five matches, with the team one point below the survival zone, he was sacked and Luigi De Canio was appointed new manager.^{[citation needed]} Seven points earned in ten matches were not enough to secure Lecce a spot in the next Serie A season.^{[citation needed]} Relegation was official with one match to spare, after a 1–1 home draw against Fiorentina.^{[citation needed]}

Lecce had a mixed start^{[according to whom?][clarification needed]} in the 2009–10 Serie B campaign, but clinched^[tone] first place in November 2009 and kept it for the rest of the season.^{[citation needed]} In May, the team was on the verge of promotion, but wasted opportunities in their last two matches meant they had to wait until the last match to celebrate their eighth elevation to the top flight in the last 25 years.^{[citation needed]} A goalless home draw with Sassuolo proved enough to clinch^[tone] the Serie B title with 75 points and win the Coppa Ali della Vittoria.

Lecce ended a satisfactory^{[according to whom?]} 2010–11 Serie A season successfully avoiding relegation with one match to spare after beating arch-rival and already relegated Bari 2–0 away on 15 May 2011. In the last few matches, the team managed to^[tone] win a tough battle against other underdogs and some glorious^[tone] teams such as Sampdoria that ended the season in despair.^{[clarification needed][relevant?][citation needed]} Manager Luigi De Canio left the team in June.^[why?]

In the 2011–12 Serie A season, Lecce was relegated to Serie B. The start of the season was bad^{[according to whom?][clarification needed]} and new manager Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked in December, after 9 losses in 13 matches.^{[citation needed]} Serse Cosmi was appointed new manager. Lecce refused to crumble^[tone] as Cosmi's arrival instilled battling qualities^[tone] into the relegation strugglers,^{[clarification needed]} who managed to^[tone] gain a considerable number^[quantify] of points in the following months, but eventually failed to^[tone] avoid relegation, due to four losses in the last five matches.^{[citation needed]} Lecce managed to^[tone] struggle until the final game.

Third division years

On 10 August 2012, Lecce was provisionally relegated by the Disciplinary Commission set up for the Scommessopoli scandal investigations 2012–13 Lega Pro Prima Divisione because of their involvement. Furthermore, the former president of Lecce, Semeraro, was suspended from all football activities for five years. On 22 August 2012, Lecce's relegation was confirmed by the Federal Court of Justice. In the first season back into the third tier, Lecce ended in second place behind outsiders Trapani and was surprisingly ^{[according to whom?]} defeated in the promotion playoffs finals by another outsider club, Carpi.^{[citation needed]} The following season ended in similar fashion, with Lecce failing to^[tone] win the league once again and then losing the playoffs finals, this time to Frosinone, despite a number of high-level signings such as former Palermo star, and well-known^{[by whom?]} Lecce supporter, Fabrizio Miccoli.^{[citation needed]} In 2014–15 Lecce ended the season in sixth place and did not enter the playoffs.^{[citation needed]}

Following the departure of the Tesoro family,^[why?] the club was taken over by a consortium of entrepreneurs led by Saverio Sticchi Damiani.^{[citation needed]} The club ended the 2015–16 season in third place, two points behind the second-placed team, and qualified for the playoffs round.^{[citation needed]} After defeating Bassano 3–0 at home, in the semi-finals Lecce lost to Foggia in both the home and the away match.^{[citation needed]} In the following season, Lecce finished in second place.^{[citation needed]} The elimination came in the play-off quarterfinals against Alessandria on penalties after two draws in two matches.^{[citation needed]}

Back to the top

In September 2017, Fabio Liverani was named new coach of Lecce, with whom he achieved two direct promotions from Serie C to Serie A, thus bringing the Salento club back to the Italian top-tier league after seven years. Lecce then fought against Genoa for survival and made it^[tone] to the last day of the 2019–20 season before being relegated with a home loss to Parma. The salentini missed out promotion to Serie A in the 2020–21 season, losing to Venezia in the play-off semifinals after a 4th-place finish, but then, with coach Marco Baroni, won the 2021–22 Serie B championship, thus celebrating their tenth elevation to the top flight and being awarded the Coppa Nexus.^{[citation needed]} Lecce striker Massimo Coda was top scorer of the Serie B for two seasons in a row in 2020–21 and 2021–22.^{[citation needed]} The giallorossi side then gained survival in the next Serie A campaign with a game to spare, with Baroni and Lecce parting ways at the end of the 2022–23 season.^[why?]

The team plays in red and yellow stripes, the heraldic colours of city. Lecce players and fans are referred to^{[by whom?]} as salentini or giallorossi. The official anthem of Lecce is Giallorossi per Sempre composed by Gioy Rielli. The symbol of Lecce is a female wolf under a holm oak tree which is typical to Apulia and is also the symbol of the city of Lecce.

Lecce's home games are played in the 31,533-seater Stadio Via del mare.

The main rivalry is with the other most successful football team from Apulia, SSC Bari. The match against them is called Derby di Puglia. The first Derby di Puglia was played on 8 December 1929 in Serie B in Lecce, with the home team winning 1–0. After that occasion, the derby di Puglia was played many times in Serie C and Coppa Italia, and especially in Serie A. The first derby played in Serie A was played on 27 October 1985 in Bari, and was won by the home team. The last one was also played in Bari on 15 May 2011 and saw Lecce prevailing by 2-0 and securing their stay in Serie A (however that match was later object of an investigation for match-fixing). Among the most important wins^[why?] in the derby for Lecce there is a Serie B match ended 4–0 in Bari on 22 December 2007.^{[citation needed]}

On the other end, Lecce has a famous and long-standing friendship with the fans of Palermo.

Current squad

As of 1 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF   CRO Marin Pongračić 6 DF   ITA Federico Baschirotto (vice-captain) 7 FW   SWE Pontus Almqvist (on loan from Rostov) 8 MF   TUN Hamza Rafia 9 FW   MNE Nikola Krstović 10 MF   FRA Rémi Oudin 11 FW   ITA Nicola Sansone 12 DF   ITA Lorenzo Venuti 13 DF   DEN Patrick Dorgu 16 MF   ESP Joan González 17 DF   FRA Valentin Gendrey 18 MF   ALB Medon Berisha 20 MF   ALB Ylber Ramadani (3rd captain) 21 GK   ITA Federico Brancolini

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 FW   ZAM Lameck Banda 24 MF   DEN Jeppe Corfitzen 25 DF   ITA Antonino Gallo 29 MF   FRA Alexis Blin (captain) 30 GK   ITA Wladimiro Falcone 40 GK   FIN Jasper Samooja 45 FW   ROU Rareș Burnete 50 FW   ARG Santiago Pierotti 55 DF   ALB Kastriot Dermaku 59 DF   ALG Ahmed Touba (on loan from İstanbul Başakşehir) 77 MF   FRA Mohamed Kaba 83 MF   CZE Daniel Samek 91 FW   ITA Roberto Piccoli (on loan from Atalanta) 98 GK   ROU Alexandru Borbei

US Lecce Primavera

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF   AUS Sebastian Esposito

Out on loan

As of 9 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ITA Marco Bleve (on loan to Carrarese until 30 June 2024) — DF   BEL Mats Lemmens (on loan to Lecco until 30 June 2024) — DF   SWE Zinedin Smajlović (on loan to Lecco until 30 June 2024) — MF   ITA Giacomo Faticanti (on loan to Ternana until 30 June 2024) — MF   ISL Þórir Helgason (on loan to Eintracht Braunschweig until 30 June 2024) — MF   MAR Youssef Maleh (on loan to Empoli until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   FIN Henri Salomaa (on loan to Lecco until 30 June 2024) — FW   POL Marcin Listkowski (on loan to Lecco until 30 June 2024) — FW   FIN Eetu Mömmö (on loan to SJK until 31 December 2024) — FW   ESP Pablo Rodríguez (on loan to Ascoli until 30 June 2024) — FW   BRA Gabriel Strefezza (on loan to Como until 30 June 2024) — FW   SWE Joel Voelkerling Persson (on loan to Vitesse until 30 June 2024)

•   Juan Barbas – Argentina international, 1982 FIFA World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup winner.^{[citation needed]}
•   Antonio Conte – Scudetto-winning manager of Juventus and English Premier League-winning manager of Chelsea as well as former Juventus and Italy national team player; product of Lecce's youth system and Lecce native best known for his 13-year career playing for the bianconeri side^{[citation needed]}
•   Graziano Pellè – Italy international, product of Lecce's youth system and San Cesario di Lecce native, he is from Monteroni di Lecce. He made his Serie A debut with Lecce in 2004^{[citation needed]}
•   Javier Chevantón – Uruguay international, all-time top-scorer for Lecce^{[citation needed]}
•   Juan Cuadrado – Colombia international^{[citation needed]}
•   Guillermo Giacomazzi – Uruguay international^{[citation needed]}
•   Fabrizio Miccoli – former Italy international and childhood supporter of the club. He was born in Nardò and is from San Donato di Lecce, a town close to Lecce^{[citation needed]}
•   Luis Muriel – Colombia international^{[citation needed]}
•   Massimo Oddo – part of the squad which won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, spent a season on loan at Lecce towards the end of his career^{[citation needed]}
•   Dimitris Papadopoulos – Greece international and member of the UEFA Euro 2004-winning squad^{[citation needed]}
•   Pedro Pablo Pasculli – Argentina international, 1986 FIFA World Cup Winner^{[citation needed]}
•   Nenad Tomović – Serbia international^{[citation needed]}
•   Mirko Vučinić – Montenegro international, began his career in Serie A with Lecce^{[citation needed]}
•   Gheorghe Popescu – Romania international^{[citation needed]}
•   Valeri Bojinov – Bulgaria international^{[citation needed]}
•   Sebastjan Cimirotič – Slovenia international^{[citation needed]}
•   Kastriot Dermaku – Albania international,^{[citation needed]}
•   Ylber Ramadani – Albania international,^{[citation needed]}
•   Samuel Umtiti – France international, 2018 FIFA World Cup Winner^{[citation needed]}
•   Franco Causio – Italy international, 1982 FIFA World Cup Winner^{[citation needed]}
•   Christian Maggio – Italy international, spent a season on loan at Lecce towards the end of his career^{[citation needed]}
•   Francesco Moriero – Italy international, began his career in Serie A with Lecce^{[citation needed]}
•   Pietro Paolo Virdis – Italy international, ended his career in Lecce^{[citation needed]}

As of 1 July 2021

Position	Staff
Sporting director	Stefano Trinchera
Manager	Luca Gotti
Assistant manager	Dan Thomassen
Technical coach	Simone Greco   Stefano Daniel
Athletic coach	Giovanni De Luca   Salvatore Sciuto
Goalkeeping coach	Luigi Sassanelli
Doctor	Giuseppe Congedo   Antonio Tondo
Physiotherapist - Osteopath	Graziano Fiorita
Physiotherapist	Marco Camassa   Francesco Soda
Osteopath	Stefano Carrisi
Podiatrist	Anna Chiara Schido
Nutritionst	Mirco Spedicato   Luigi Sturdà
Kit Manager	Giovanni Fasano   Emanuele Perrone
Technical director	Pantaleo Corvino

Lecce have had many head coaches throughout the history of the club, and in some seasons more than one coach was in charge. Here is a chronological list of them from 1927 onwards.

• Serie B
  • Champions (2): 2009–10,^{[citation needed]} 2021–22^{[citation needed]}
• Serie C
  • Champions (4): 1945–46,^{[citation needed]} 1975–76,^{[citation needed]} 1995–96,^{[citation needed]} 2017–18^{[citation needed]}
• Coppa Italia Serie C
  • Champions (1): 1975–76^{[citation needed]}
• Anglo-Italian Semiprofessional Cup
  • Champions (1): 1976–77

Youth team

• Campionato Nazionale Primavera
  • Champions (3): 2002–03,^{[citation needed]} 2003–04,^{[citation needed]} 2022–23^{[citation needed]}
• Coppa Italia Primavera
  • Champions (2): 2001–02,^{[citation needed]} 2004–05^{[citation needed]}
• Supercoppa Primavera
  • Champions (2): 2004,^{[citation needed]} 2005^{[citation needed]}

Most Serie A goals^{[citation needed]}

Players capped for Italy national football team

• Marco Cassetti (3 call-ups, 2 caps) – 2005^{[citation needed]}
• Vincenzo Sicignano (1 call-up) – 2005^{[citation needed]}
• Andrea Esposito (1 call-up) – 2009^{[citation needed]}
• Wladimiro Falcone (1 call-up)– 2023^{[citation needed]}

Players capped for Italy national under-21 football team

Players capped for Italy national under-23 football team

• Simone Altobelli (3 caps)^{[citation needed]}

Players capped for Italy military football team

• Pietro De Santis (3 caps)^{[citation needed]}

Other national football teams

List of foreign football players who had at least one cap in their national team while playing for Lecce

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Lecce.

UEFA European Championship players

The following players have been selected by their country in the European Championship Finals, while playing for Lecce.

Copa América players

The following players have been selected by their country in the Copa América Finals, while playing for Lecce.

African Cup of Nations players

The following players have been selected by their country in the African Cup of Nations Finals, while playing for Lecce.

Other tournaments

As of 2023, no Lecce player has ever been selected to play in the AFC Asian Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup or the OFC Nations Cup.^{[citation needed]}

• Name – Stadio Via del Mare
• City – Lecce
• Capacity – 31,533
• Inauguration – 1966
• Pitch Size – 105 x 70 metres^{[citation needed]}

Lecce is mentioned in many famous Italian movies and TV series. Among these there are the movies Al bar dello sport, Benvenuti al Nord and Eccezzziunale veramente - Capitolo secondo... me and the TV series I Cesaroni.^{[citation needed]}

US Lecce is also mentioned in many songs, including the 1938 anthem Arcu te Pratu.

In the game Captain Tsubasa 5: Hasha no Shōgō Campione, the main character Tsubasa Oozora plays for this team.^{[citation needed]}