Aimo Stefano Diana (; born 2 January 1978) is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

manager, currently for Reggiana, and a former player. A player of wide range, he was capable of playing both as a

wide midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

or as a defender on the right flank.

Club career

Born in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, Diana is a product of

Brescia Calcio Brescia Calcio, commonly referred to as Brescia (), is an Italian football club based in Brescia, Lombardy, that currently plays in . The club holds the record for total number of seasons (64) and consecutive seasons (18, from 1947–48 to 1 ...

's youth system. He made his debuts for the first team in

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

in 1997, and played his first

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

game on 31 August of the same year, against

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

. He played one season with

Hellas Verona F.C. Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...

in a co-ownership deal, helping the side to a final ninth position in the top level, and left for Parma A.C. in 2001. Diana was used irregularly by the

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

side,

winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

the

Italian Cup Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

in his first season, but hardly featuring at all in 2002–03. In January 2003 he moved on loan to

Reggina Calcio Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are ni ...

along with

Emiliano Bonazzoli Emiliano Bonazzoli (; born 20 January 1979) is a former Italian footballer who played as a striker. Club career Bonazzoli started his career at Brescia. He played his first professional match on 15 May 1997 against Lecce, which his only mat ...

, posteriorly signing for

U.C. Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, S ...

at the end of the campaign. A key member from the start for the

Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine ar ...

, he helped the team qualify for the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

in his second year, scoring five goals in 32 matches; in early May 2005 he scored the game's only at

Juventus F.C. )''I Bianconeri'' (The White and Blacks)''Le Zebre'' (The Zebras)''La Signora Omicidi'' (The Killer Lady)''La Gheuba'' (: The Hunchback) , founded = as Sport-Club Juventus , ground = Juventus Stadium , capacity = 41,507 , owner = Agnelli ...

and, the following week, also found the net, in a 3–0 home success against

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

. In the 2006 summer, Diana signed for

U.S. Città di Palermo Palermo Football Club, more simply known as Palermo F.C. or Palermo (; scn, Paliemmu, link=no, ), is an Italian football club based in the Sicilian city of Palermo, conventionally founded for the first time on 1 November 1900. Among the club� ...

for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

5 million, with Sampdoria also selling

Marco Pisano Marco Giovanni Pisano (born 13 August 1981) is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a left-sided defender. Career Early career Pisano started his career at S.S. Lazio youth team. He joined Brescia of Serie B in January 2000 ...

to the same club for €4 million and receiving Massimo Bonanni (50% for €2million), Pietro Accardi (€2 million) and Christian Terlizzi (50% for €1.5 million). He was regularly used in one 1/2 seasons and scored two goals, including the equalizer in a 2–1 home win by the ''Rosanero'' against

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

on 26 September 2007. On 30 January of the following year he was sold to

Torino F.C. Torino Football Club (), commonly referred to as Torino or simply Toro, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont. They currently play in Serie A. Founded as ''Foot-Ball Club Torino'' in 1906, Torino are among the mos ...

in a permanent move, for €1.2 million. In early January 2010,

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...

of Torino attacked club players during

David Di Michele David Di Michele (; born 6 January 1976) is an Italian football manager and former player in the role of striker, last in charge as head coach of Serie C club Turris. Throughout his playing career, he played for several Italian clubs, and als ...

's birthday party. After the incident,

Riccardo Colombo Riccardo Colombo (born 1 December 1982) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender. Club career In the 2008–09 season, Colombo played three games in the 2008–09 Coppa Italiabr> During the 2009–10 season, ultras of Torino at ...

, Diana, Di Michele,

Massimo Loviso Massimo Loviso (born 9 April 1984) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Castelnuovo Vomano. Career Bologna Born in Bentivoglio, the Province of Bologna, Loviso started his career at Bologna. After made his debut on 8 Novemb ...

Francesco Pratali Francesco Pratali (born 17 January 1979) is a retired Italian footballer who played as a defender. During the 2009–10 season, ultras of Torino F.C. attacked the club's players during David Di Michele's birthday party. After the incident the ...

and

Paolo Zanetti Paolo Zanetti (born 16 December 1982) is an Italian football coach and a former player who is the head coach of Serie A club Empoli. As a player he played as a midfielder. Club career Zanetti started his career at native club Vicenza. Empoli Za ...

were transferred to other clubs, with only

Rolando Bianchi Rolando Bianchi (; born 15 February 1983) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. With 77 total goals, he is Torino's 11th-highest all-time goal scorer. Bianchi was primarily known for his ability in the air. Clu ...

Angelo Ogbonna Obinze Angelo Ogbonna (; born 23 May 1988) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club West Ham United. Ogbonna signed for Torino in 2002, having previously been a member of Nuova Cassino's youth set-up. Ogbonna m ...

and

Matteo Rubin Matteo Rubin (born 9 July 1987) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for club Campodarsego. Club career Early career & Torino Matteo Rubin signed his first professional footballing contract for Serie C1 team Cittadella before sig ...

remaining. Diana joined

AC Bellinzona AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948. After being folded in 2013 declaring bankruptcy, the team played the Ticino Group of 2.Liga, the sixth tier of the Swi ...

in Switzerland on loan in early February 2010, making his

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

debut on the 21st in a 1–2 away loss against

FC Luzern Fussball-Club Luzern (), or simply abbreviated to FCL, is a Swiss sports club based in Lucerne (german: Luzern). It is best known for its professional football team, which plays in the Super League, the top tier of the Swiss football league syste ...

, eventually contributing solidly (15 matches, 14 starts) as the club narrowly retained its division status. Subsequently, 32-year-old Diana returned to Torino. On 4 January 2011 he mutually terminated his contract, re-signing for Bellinzona (on a permanent basis) the following day.

International career

After impressing for Sampdoria, Diana received his first call-ups to the

Italian national team The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...

, making his debut in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on 28 April 2004. A regular for the ''Azzurri'' under

Marcello Lippi Marcello Romeo Lippi (; born 12 April 1948) is an Italian former professional football player and manager, who led the Italian national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was appointed as Italy head coach in the summer of 2004 and 2 ...

, an injury prevented him from being picked to the squad at the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

in Germany. On 2 June 2007, in his last appearance, Diana assisted on

Filippo Inzaghi Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi (; born 9 August 1973) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He was nicknamed "Superpippo" or "Alta tensione" by fans and commentators during his playing career. He is t ...

's second goal against the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, in a 2–1 away win for the

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

qualifiers.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.''

Managerial career

After retiring, Diana took up a role as youth coach at FeralpiSalò, being successively promoted as head coach later in November 2015. He completed the season in eighth place in the

2015–16 Lega Pro The 2015–16 Lega Pro Divisione Unica is the second season of the unified Lega Pro division. The championship name, which is ''Divisione Unica'' according to the FIGC regulations, is called ''Lega Pro'' in official documents. Teams A total of ...

, not being confirmed for the following year. In August 2016, he was hired new head coach of

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

, but resigned shortly thereafter, following the club's exclusion from

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

due to financial issues. In February 2017, he was signed by

Lega Pro The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

club

Melfi Melfi (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,7 ...

, failing to escape relegation by the end of the season. He returned into management in December 2017 as the new boss of Sicilian

Serie C The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

club

Sicula Leonzio Associazione Sportiva Dilettantisica S.S. Leonzio 1909, also commonly known as Leonzio, is an Italian football club located in Lentini. They participate in the 2022–23 Eccellenza, the fifth level of the Italian football league system. Histo ...

. On 20 November 2018, he was appointed head coach of

club Renate, in relegation spot at the time. He guided Renate for three full seasons, the last of which ended with Renate topping the league for a long time until losing out to more renowned teams such as

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

and

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

, and then losing to second-placed Girone B club

Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

in the promotion playoffs. Following that, Diana agreed to leave Renate and accepted to join recently-relegated Serie C club Reggiana on a one-year deal, with an option of further extension in case of promotion to Serie B.

Managerial statistics

Honours

;Parma *

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

: 2001–02

References

External links

*
Aimo Diana
at ''

Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence. It ...

'' (archived) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diana, Aimo 1978 births Living people Footballers from Brescia Italian footballers Association football defenders Association football midfielders Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players Brescia Calcio players Hellas Verona F.C. players Parma Calcio 1913 players Reggina 1914 players U.C. Sampdoria players Palermo F.C. players Torino F.C. players F.C. Lumezzane V.G.Z. A.S.D. players Swiss Super League players AC Bellinzona players Italy under-21 international footballers Italy international footballers Italian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Switzerland Italian football managers A.C. Reggiana 1919 managers Serie C managers