Luigi "Gigi" Cagni (born 14 June 1950 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 ...

) is an Italian former football player, who played as a defender. He most recently served head coach of

in the

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie 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 season. It had been ...

league in the final weeks of the 2016–17 Serie B season.

Playing career

Cagni made his Serie A debut for

in 1970, in a league match lost 4–0 to Cagliari. He played only eight Serie A matches, but gained a deep experience of

, where he played 483 matches and scored 5 goals. Having played 483 matches in Serie B, he is currently the player with the most appearances in Serie B.

Managerial career

After a season as youth team coach in his home team

, Cagni coached Centese of

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 ...

2 in 1989–90, and successively signed for

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

1 in 1990–91, becoming one of the main authors of Piacenza's first appearance in Serie A, in 1993. Cagni stayed at Piacenza until 1996, when he moved to

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 ...

, again in

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 Cop ...

. However, Cagni was not able to maintain his team to the top division, and Verona was relegated. Since then, Cagni mostly served for Serie B teams, with the exception of Piacenza, who rehired him in 2002–03, in place of sacked

Andrea Agostinelli Andrea Agostinelli (born 20 April 1957) is an Italian football coach and former professional footballer. He played as midfielder. Coaching career In April 2013, he was hired by Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; l ...

, in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid relegation. In January 2006, after the dismissal of

Mario Somma Mario Somma (born 17 September 1963) is an Italian football manager. Career Player Somma, who was born in Latina, Lazio, started his career with Genoa and then spent his later years mostly at the Serie C1 and Serie C2 level, playing for seve ...

, Empoli appointed Cagni as head coach. Under his tenure, the experienced boss was able to lead the team up to tenth place, then become seventh following the Calciopoli scandal. His contract with Empoli was extended in March 2007 for another year, following impressive performances which led the team to fight for and eventually gain a spot in the next UEFA Cup, the first appearance in a continental competition for both the small Tuscan club and Cagni himself. However a poor start in the

Serie A 2007–08 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

, and a UEFA Cup elimination in the first round to FC Zurich convinced Empoli's management to sack Cagni, appointing

Alberto Malesani Alberto Malesani (; born 5 June 1954) is an Italian football manager and former player. As a manager, he is mostly remembered for his successful spell with Parma during the late 1990s, where he won the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup, and the Superco ...

as replacement. On 31 March 2008 he was re-called at the helm of Empoli, following the club board's decision to fire Malesani too, but he did not manage to save the club from last matchday relegation. He resigned after the verdict. On 29 May 2008, it was announced that Cagni signed a two-year contract with

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

and was to coach the club in their first season in

in 18 years. However, on 30 September 2008 he was fired by his team,

, and replaced by

Francesco Guidolin Francesco Guidolin (; born 3 October 1955) is an Italian football manager and former player, most recently the manager of Premier League team Swansea City. He has coached various Italian club sides in Serie A, winning the 1996–97 Coppa Ital ...

. On 6 October 2011 he became the new coach of

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

, in place of the sacked

Silvio Baldini Silvio Baldini (born 11 September 1958 in Massa) is an Italian association football manager, last in charge of Serie B club Perugia. Career Early years Born in Massa but hailing from nearby Carrara, Baldini started his coaching career in 1984 ...

. On 4 March 2012 he was sacked, but on 29 April 2012 he was recalled by

, but he could not save the team from relegation. He then served as

Walter Zenga Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian football manager and former player who last managed Serie A club Cagliari. He was a long-time goalkeeper for Inter Milan and the Italian national team. During his playing career, Zenga was pa ...

's assistant at Sampdoria for a short period at the beginning of the 2015–16 season, being sacked from his position in September 2015. On 12 March 2017, he was named new head coach of his hometown club

in the

league, taking over from outgoing manager

Cristian Brocchi Cristian Brocchi (; born 30 January 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Vicenza. As a defensive midfielder, Brocchi was rated for his durability and tackling. He began his c ...

. Under his tenure, he managed to save Brescia from relegation, and left by the end of the season to make room for new head coach

Roberto Boscaglia Rocco "Roberto" Boscaglia (born 24 May 1968 in Gela) is an Italian football coach and former midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Foggia. Career A former amateur midfielder, Boscaglia took his first head coaching role in 2004 at t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagni, Luigi Living people 1950 births Footballers from Brescia Empoli F.C. managers Piacenza Calcio 1919 managers Hellas Verona F.C. managers U.C. Sampdoria managers Genoa C.F.C. managers Parma Calcio 1913 managers L.R. Vicenza managers Serie A managers Italian football managers Italian footballers Association football defenders Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players A.S. Sambenedettese players Brescia Calcio players U.S. Catanzaro 1929 managers