Pietro Paolo Virdis

Pietro Paolo Virdis

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Personal information
Full name	Antonio Pietro Paolo Virdis
Date of birth	(1957-06-26) 26 June 1957
Place of birth	Sassari, Italy
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1971–1973	Juvenilia Sassari
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1974	Nuorese	25	(11)
1974–1977	Cagliari	75	(24)
1977–1980	Juventus	45	(8)
1980–1981	Cagliari	22	(5)
1981–1982	Juventus	30	(9)
1982–1984	Udinese	45	(12)
1984–1989	Milan	135	(53)
1989–1991	Lecce	46	(8)
International career
1976–1978	Italy U-21	8	(1)
1987–1988	Italy Olympic Team	15	(9)
Managerial career
1998–1999	Atletico Catania
2001	Viterbese
2002	Nocerina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Antonio Pietro Paolo Virdis (born 26 June 1957) is a former Italian footballer who played as a forward. Throughout his career, he played for Cagliari Calcio, Juventus F.C., Udinese Calcio, and A.C. Milan; he was part of Milan's European Cup victory in 1989.

Career

Club

He started his career in his native Sardinia with amateur Serie D side Nuorese in 1973, scoring 11 goals in his first senior season at the young age of 16. He later joined Cagliari, making his Serie A debut on 6 October 1974 in a league game versus Udinese.

In 1977 he joined Juventus, where he played until 1982, except for a one-year stint back at Cagliari in 1980–81. After failing to find a first team place, in 1982 he left Juventus for Udinese. In 1984 he then moved at A.C. Milan, where he enjoyed his best period at club level. He made his Serie A debut with the club in a 2–1 away defeat to Parma on 22 August 1984, and he played five seasons with the rossoneri, winning the Serie A top-scorer title during the 1986–87 season, with 17 goals; he also won the 1987–88 Serie A title, and the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana with the club, followed by the 1988–89 European Cup. In total, he made 186 appearances for Milan, scoring 76 goals, 53 of which were scored in Serie A in 135 appearances. In 1989, aged 32, he left AC Milan to join Lecce, where he spent his final two seasons as a professional footballer before retiring in 1991.

National team

Although he never gained a cap for the senior squad, he helped the Italian Olympic team qualify for Seoul 1988. In the tournament, he went on to score 3 goals in 6 matches as Italy reached the semi-finals, losing out 2–0 to West Germany in the bronze medal final. Before this he competed in the 1982 UEFA U21 Championship.

Managerial career

After retiring from active football, Virdis tried to pursue a career as a manager. In November 1998 he took his first managerial role, becoming head coach of Serie C1 club Atletico Catania, being however fired later in April 1999.

He then returned into management in March 2001, accepting an offer from Viterbese of Serie C1. However, his stint lasted a mere two months, as he was fired in May of that year. In April 2002 he then accepted a managerial role at Nocerina, leading the team for the final few weeks of the season.

He later abandoned football and opened a restaurant and wine bar in Milan. However, in July 2008 he stated his interest in getting back into management.

Club statistics

Stagione	Club	Campionato
		Comp	Pres	Reti
1973–74	Nuorese	D	25	11
1974–75	Cagliari	A	19	0
1975–76		A	23	6
1976–77		B	33	18
1977–78	Juventus	A	10	1
1978–79		A	23	6
1979–80		A	12	1
1980–81	Cagliari	A	22	5
1981–82	Juventus	A	30	9
1982–83	Udinese	A	16	2
1983–84		A	29	10
1984–85	Milan	A	28	9
1985–86		A	28	6
1986–87		A	28	17
1987–88		A	25	11
1988–89		A	26	10
1989–90	Lecce	A	25	4
1990–91		A	21	4
Totale Serie A			365	101

Honours

Club

Juventus

• Serie A: 1977–78, 1981–82
• Coppa Italia: 1978–79

Milan

• Serie A: 1987–88
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1988
• European Cup: 1988–89

Individual

• Serie A Top Scorer: 1986–87
• A.C. Milan Hall of Fame

External links

• Virdis profile at rsssf.com