Unione Sportiva Lecce, commonly referred to as Lecce (), is an

Italian football Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only ...

club based in Lecce, Apulia. The club play 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 ...

in the 2022–23 season, the top level of the Italian football pyramid, having been promoted from

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 ...

. Lecce plays its home games at Stadio Via del Mare, which has a capacity of 31,533 spectators. The club was formed in the 1908 and has spent a large part of their recent history bouncing between Italy's second division 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 as regards 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 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

and 2010, a

Coppa Italia Serie C Coppa Italia Serie C ( it, Serie C Italian Cup), formerly named Coppa Italia Lega Pro, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie C in Italian football first held in 1972. Format There are a total of six rounds in the ...

in 1975 and an Anglo-Italian Cup Semiprofessionals in 1976. Lecce players and fans are nicknamed ''

salentini The Messapians ( grc, Μεσσάπιοι, Messápioi; la, Messapii) were a Iapygian tribe who inhabited Salento in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Daunians, inhabited central and northern Apulia respecti ...

'' or simply ''giallorossi'' or ''lupi''.

History

Lecce was founded as Sporting Club Lecce on 15 March 1908, initially including football,

track-and-field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping event ...

and cycling sports. The first club president was Francesco Marangi. The first colours worn by Lecce during this time were black and white stripes, known in Italy as ''bianconeri''. 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. The club was still wearing black and white stripes (similar to Juventus' 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 Taranto Football Club 1927, commonly referred to as Taranto, is a professional Italian football club, based in Taranto, Apulia. Originally founded in 1927 by the union of two pioneering clubs that created the first city squad, Taranto currently p ...

played Lecce in a game for promotion to

from the local Southern Italian league; Lecce were victorious winning 3–2 after extra time. They were entered into

for the 1929–30 season. The first game match played in the league was against

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...

on 6 October 1929, a 2–1 victory. Lecce would eventually finish 13th. However, for the second time in the club's history, it ceased activity at the end of the 1931–32 season. Four years later, Lecce returned and competed

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 ...

, finishing 11th in their return season. Around this time, the club was in turmoil: 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 the club had violated the league's federal regulations. The club finished in first place during the 1943–44 season, but club football was then suspended due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Nonetheless, when club football resumed, Lecce finished as champions of Serie C, gaining promotion back into Serie B. Two decent seasons followed (finishing fourth and third in respective seasons), with star player Silvestri scoring 20 goals in one season, before the club was relegated. Lecce stayed down in Serie C for six seasons during this period, though this was not a particularly successful time for the club. Striker Anselmo Bislenghi scored 83 goals for the club during this period, thus becoming a hero. The club slipped even lower to Serie IV, where they spent three years.

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

From 1959 to 1975, Lecce played 17 seasons in Serie C. 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. The same year as their promotion, Lecce tasted cup success, winning the

. In 1976, Lecce took part in the

Anglo-Italian Cup The Anglo-Italian Cup ( it, Coppa Anglo-Italiana, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) is a defunct European football c ...

, notching up a 4–0 victory against

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

. In 1980, a scandal occurred which rocked

, including Lecce under president Franco Jurlano. However, Jurlano was able to demonstrate his innocence and the scandal only lead to disqualification of player Claudius Merlo. Later, the club was struck by a tragedy in 1983: players Michele Lo Russo and Ciro Pezzella died in an automotive accident. To this day, Lo Russo remains the club record holder for most number of appearances, with 415.

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

Under the management of

Eugenio Fascetti Eugenio Fascetti (born 23 October 1938 in Viareggio, Province of Lucca) is an Italian professional football coach and a former player, who played as a midfielder. Honours Player ;Juventus * Serie A champion: 1960–61. Manager * As a coach, won ...

, Lecce would achieve promotion to

for the first time in 1985. They finished bottom and were relegated after only one season, but defeated

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

3–2 away in the penultimate game to deal a fatal blow to Roma's title hopes. Losing a promotion play-off 2–1 to

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was o ...

the following season, they would return to Serie A in 1988. Under

Carlo Mazzone Carlo "Carletto" Mazzone (born 19 March 1937 in Rome) is an Italian retired professional association footballer and manager, who played as a centre-back. Playing career Mazzone played several seasons for A.S. Roma, as well as for SPAL and Ascoli ...

, Lecce finished a respectable ninth place in 1989. Stars of the side included striker

Pedro Pasculli Pedro Pablo Pasculli (born 17 May 1960) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a forward and is currently technical secretary at Bangor City in the Cymru North. He spent most of his career with Argentinos Juniors and Italian club L ...

and midfielders

Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later b ...

and Paolo Benedetti. They lasted three seasons before relegation, and returned two years later. The 1993–94 season saw Lecce finish in last place with a pitiful 11 points, the lowest ever of any Serie A team, and a second relegation came the following year.

Giampiero Ventura Gian Piero Ventura (; born 14 January 1948) is an Italian football manager. His playing career as a midfielder was spent in the lower leagues, having not made the grade at Sampdoria, where he began his coaching career with the youth team in 1976 ...

saw Lecce achieve two successive promotions from Serie C to Serie A before leaving for

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

. Once more, it proved a struggle in Serie A despite the best efforts of striker Francesco Palmieri and a famous away win against

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

on 19 October 1997. In the summer of 1998,

Pantaleo Corvino Pantaleo Corvino (born 12 December 1949) is an Italian director of football, currently working for Lecce. After his father's death, he was forced to interrupt his career as a player and became non-commissioned officer. His early career in manage ...

was appointed new

sports director The title of sports director can refer to the director of a live sports broadcast. It can also refer to an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. Director Director may refer to: Literature * ...

, gaining a reputation for scouting new talents in the years to come. 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.

Three years in Serie A (2003–2006)

In 2004, under

Delio Rossi Delio Rossi (born 26 January 1960) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. He was most recently in charge as head coach of Serie B club Ascoli. Playing career Rossi was born in Rimini. His playing career ...

, who had been managing the club since 2002, Lecce achieved an impressive result, reaching a high-point of tenth despite a poor first half of the season. Famous performances include two sensational victories in a row, first against Italian giants Juventus 3–4 in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

(the first ever win at the Stadio Delle Alpi for Lecce) and then against

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

2–1 at the Stadio Via del Mare. In 2004–05, coach Zdeněk Zeman oversaw a highly attack-minded team that scored plenty of goals. Lecce ended the year again finishing tenth, putting in the spotlight talents like

Valeri Bojinov Valeri Emilov Bojinov ( bg, Валери Емилов Божинов, ; born 15 February 1986) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Throughout his career, Bojinov has played for seventeen different clubs during his ...

and

Mirko Vučinić Mirko Vučinić (, ; born 1 October 1983) is a Montenegrin former professional footballer who played as a forward. Having caught the attention of Pantaleo Corvino, the sporting director of the Italian club Lecce, he transferred there in the s ...

. The team had the second-best attack with 66 goals (Juventus came first with 67) and the worst defence, with 73 goals conceded. This is a record, as for the first time the team with the worst defence managed to survive in the history of Serie A. The 2005–06 season was a continual struggle for Lecce. The club changed its manager two times (

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 ...

for Angelo Adamo Gregucci and in January 2006 youth team coach Roberto Rizzo, supported by goalkeeper coach

Franco Paleari Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

, for Baldini). The numerous managerial moves could not turn Lecce's fortune as they were relegated with a few games to spare and ended the season in 19th place. In June 2006, Giovanni Semeraro returned at the helm of the club after nine months. 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.

Two-year stint in Serie B and promotion

The club had a mixed start to the 2006–07 season in Serie B, winning three home matches (including a win against early league leaders

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

), though they suffered poor away form. After a large drop in form, recording 10 losses in 18 matches, Zeman was sacked as manager and replaced by

Giuseppe Papadopulo Giuseppe Papadopulo (born 2 February 1948) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a defender. He was last in charge as head coach of Torino. Career Papadopulo was born in Casale Marittimo, Pisa. He played for Livorno, La ...

. On 10 March 2007, Lecce clinched a historical victory over

Frosinone Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the Va ...

, beaten 5–0 at Stadio Via del Mare. Having gained 36 points in the second half of the season, Lecce ended the season in the middle of the table, in ninth place. In 2007, Lecce gained more points than any other team in Serie B. 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 Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

) and boasting the best defence in the tournament, the ''giallorossi'' were forced to face play-offs for promotion in the top flight. 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. 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.

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 Mario Beretta (born 30 October 1959 in Milan) is an Italian association football manager and former football player. He most recently served as head coach of Serie B club Latina. Career Playing career Beretta had a short career as footballer, p ...

, who had a quite satisfactory start in the

2008–09 Serie A The 2008–09 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 107th season of top-tier Italian football, the 77th in a round-robin tournament. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the ...

season. 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 Luigi De Canio (born 26 September 1957) is an Italian football manager and a former player who played as a full-back. Career Player De Canio, a full back, played mostly with Serie C1 and Serie C2 teams, his lone season in Serie B being 1979– ...

was appointed new manager. Seven points earned in ten matches were not enough to secure Lecce a spot in the next Serie A season. Relegation was official with one match to spare, after a 1–1 home draw against

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 ...

. Lecce had a mixed start in the

2009–10 Serie B The 2009–10 Serie B season is the seventy-eighth edition since its establishment in 1929. Serie B is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega ...

campaign, but clinched first place in November 2009 and kept it for the rest of the season. 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. A goalless home draw with

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; egl, label=Modenese dialect, Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town ...

proved enough to clinch the Serie B title with 75 points and win the Coppa Ali della Vittoria. Lecce ended a satisfactory

2010–11 Serie A The 2010–11 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 109th season of top-tier Italian football, the 79th in a round-robin tournament, and the 1st since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B ...

season successfully avoiding relegation with one match to spare after beating arch-rival and already relegated

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

2–0 away on 15 May 2011. In the last few matches, the team managed to win a tough battle against other underdogs and some glorious teams such as

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, ...

that ended the season in despair. Manager

left the team in June. In the 2011–12 Serie A season, Lecce was relegated to Serie B. The start of the season was bad and new manager

Eusebio Di Francesco Eusebio Di Francesco (; born 8 September 1969) is an Italian manager, and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Di Francesco started his career with Tuscan teams Empoli and Lucchese. In 1995, he joined Piacenza ...

was sacked in December, after 9 losses in 13 matches.

Serse Cosmi Serse Cosmi (born 5 May 1958) is an Italian football coach, most recently in charge of Rijeka. Career Early career Cosmi was born in 1958 in Ponte San Giovanni, a Perugia ''frazione''. His father, a cycling fan, called him Serse after Faust ...

was appointed new manager. Lecce refused to crumble as Cosmi's arrival instilled battling qualities into the relegation strugglers, who managed to gain a considerable number of points in the following months, but eventually failed to avoid relegation, due to four losses in the last five matches. Lecce managed to 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 Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

and was surprisingly defeated in the promotion playoffs finals by another outsider club,

Carpi Carpi may refer to: Places * Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, a large town in the province of Modena, central Italy * Carpi (Africa), a city and former diocese of Roman Africa, now a Latin Catholic titular bishopric People * Carpi (people), an ancie ...

. The following season ended in similar fashion, with Lecce failing to win the league once again and then losing the playoffs finals, this time to

, despite a number of high-level signings such as former

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

star, and well-known Lecce supporter,

Fabrizio Miccoli Fabrizio Miccoli (; born on 27 June 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored 103 goals in 259 matches in Serie A across nine seasons, representing Perugia, Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo, also spen ...

. In 2014–15 Lecce ended the season in sixth place and did not enter the playoffs. Following the departure of the Tesoro family, the club was taken over by a consortium of entrepreneurs led by Saverio Sticchi Damiani. The club ended the 2015–16 season in third place, two points behind the second-placed team, and qualified for the playoffs round. After defeating Bassano 3–0 at home, in the semi-finals Lecce lost to

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

in both the home and the away match. In the following season, Lecce finished in second place. The elimination came in the play-off quarterfinals against

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 ...

penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

after two draws in two matches.

Back to the top

In September 2017,

Fabio Liverani Fabio Liverani (; born 29 April 1976) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder, who was most recently in charge of Cagliari. He made 288 Serie A appearances across 12 seasons, representing Perugia, Lazio, Fiorentina and Palermo. He ...

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

for survival and made it 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 Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

in the play-off semifinals after a 4th-place finish, but then, with coach

Marco Baroni Marco Baroni (born 11 September 1963) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender. He is current manager of Serie A club Lecce. Playing career Baroni started his career with Fiorentina, and reached his football ...

, won the

2021–22 Serie B The 2021–22 Serie B (known as the Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons) was the 90th season of the Serie B since its establishment in 1929. Changes The following teams have changed division since the 2020–21 season: To Serie B Relegated fr ...

championship, thus celebrating their tenth elevation to the top flight and being awarded the Coppa Nexus. Lecce striker

Massimo Coda Massimo, also Massimino, and Massimine () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist *Massimo Ago ...

was top scorer of the Serie B for two seasons in a row in 2020–21 and 2021–22.

Colours, badge, nicknames, and symbols

The team plays in red and yellow stripes, the heraldic colours of city. Lecce players and fans are referred to as ''

'' or ''giallorossi''. The official anthem of Lecce is ''Giallorossi per Sempre'' composed by Gioy Rielli. The symbol of Lecce is a female

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

under a holm oak tree which is typical to Apulia and is also the symbol of the city of Lecce.

Stadium

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

Club rivalries

The main rivalry is with the other most successful football team from Apulia,

S.S.C. Bari Società Sportiva Calcio Bari, commonly referred to as Bari, is an Italian football club based in Bari, Apulia. Bari currently plays in the . The team finished the 2021–22 season in first place in Serie C and earned promotion to Serie B for ...

. The match against them is called ''Derby di Puglia''. The first ''Derby di Puglia'' was played on 8 December 1929 in

in Lecce, with the home team winning 1–0. After that occasion, the derby di Puglia was played many times in

and

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 ...

, and especially in

. 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 in the derby for Lecce there is a Serie B match ended 4–0 in Bari on 22 December 2007. On the other end, Lecce has a famous and long-standing friendship with the fans of

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

– ''

Scudetto The ''scudetto'' (Italian language, Italian for: "little shield") is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in ...

''-winning manager of Juventus and English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

-winning manager of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

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 *

Graziano Pellè Graziano Pellè (; born 15 July 1985) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Pellè began his career at local Serie A club Lecce, and was loaned to three lower-division sides before moving to the Dutch club AZ in 2007. ...

– 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 *

Javier Chevantón Ernesto Javier Chevantón Espinosa (born 12 August 1980) is a Uruguayan former footballer, who played as a forward. He obtained a Spanish passport after playing a few years in Spain. Chevantón has been described as a player who possesses exp ...

–

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

international, all-time top-scorer for Lecce *

Juan Cuadrado Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Bello (born 26 May 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the Colombia national team. He is known for his direct style of play, including his pace (both on and off the ball) as wel ...

–

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

international * Guillermo Giacomazzi –

international *

– 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 *

Luis Muriel Luis Fernando Muriel Fruto (born 16 April 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Atalanta and the Colombia national team. Having started his professional career with Colombian side Deportivo Cali, Muriel ...

–

international *

Massimo Oddo Massimo Oddo (; born 14 June 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player who played as a full-back. He was most recently in charge as the head coach of Serie C club Padova. Oddo played for several Italian clubs throug ...

– part of the squad which won 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 ...

, spent a season on loan at Lecce towards the end of his career * Dimitris Papadopoulos –

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

international and member of the

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

-winning squad * Pedro Pablo Pasculli –

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

international,

1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...

Winner *

Nenad Tomović Nenad Tomović (; born 30 August 1987) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca. A former Serbian Olympian and U21 international, Tomović made 22 appearances for Serbia at full l ...

–

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

international *

–

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

international, began his career in

with Lecce *

Gheorghe Popescu Gheorghe "Gică" Popescu (; born 9 October 1967) is a Romanian former professional football who played as a defender. He notably played in La Liga where he is a former captain of FC Barcelona. He played for a string of European clubs in tha ...

–

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

international *

–

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

international *

Sebastjan Cimirotič Sebastjan Cimirotič (born 14 September 1974) is a retired Slovenian football player. He played for the Slovenia national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring the nation's first ever World Cup goal. Internatio ...

–

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

international * Samuel Umtiti –

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

international,

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

Winner *

Franco Causio Franco Causio (; born 1 February 1949) is an Italian former professional footballer who won the 1982 FIFA World Cup and played for Juventus for many years in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Regarded as one of Italy's greatest ever wingers, through ...

–

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

international,

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...

Winner *

Christian Maggio Christian Maggio (; born 11 February 1982) is an Italian former footballer who played as a right-back, as a wing-back, or as a right winger. A dynamic and hard-working offensive full-back, prior to joining Napoli in 2008, Maggio played for It ...

–

international, spent a season on loan at Lecce towards the end of his career *

Francesco Moriero Francesco "Checco" Moriero (; born 31 March 1969) is an Italian football former player and current manager, who played as a midfielder, usually as a winger on the right flank. He is the current head coach of the Maldives national football team ...

–

international, began his career in

with Lecce *

Pietro Paolo Virdis Antonio Pietro Paolo Virdis (born 26 June 1957) is an Italian association football, football manager and former player, who played as a forward (association football), forward. Throughout his career, he played for A.S. Nuorese Calcio, Nuorese, b ...

–

international, ended his career in Lecce

Coaching Staff

Coaching history

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

Coaching records

;All-time Top 10 coach appearances ;Most Serie A appearances

Honours

**Champions (2): 2009–10, 2021–22 *

**Champions (4): 1945–46, 1975–76, 1995–96, 2017–18 *

**Champions (1): 1975–76 * Anglo-Italian Semiprofessional Cup **Champions (1): 1976–77

Youth team

Campionato Nazionale Primavera The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in th ...

**Champions (2): 2002–03, 2003–04 *

Coppa Italia Primavera The Coppa Italia Primavera (Italian for Spring Italian Cup) is an Italian football competition played by youth teams from Campionato Primavera. All players are under 20 of age. The first edition was held in the 1972–73 season. Due to sponsorshi ...

**Champions (2): 2001–02, 2004–05 *

Supercoppa Primavera The Supercoppa Primavera is an Italian youth teams football match played by the winners of the Campionato Primavera championship and the winners of the Coppa Italia Primavera at the beginning of the season. The competition has been held since 200 ...

**Champions (2): 2004, 2005

National championships

Player records

;All-time Top 10 Lecce Goalscorers ;Most appearances ;Most Serie A goals ;Most Serie A appearances ;Players capped for

Italy national football 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 ...

* Marco Cassetti (3 call-ups, 2 caps) – 2005 * Vincenzo Sicignano (1 call-up) – 2005 *

Andrea Esposito Andrea Esposito (born 17 May 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for club Latina. Club career As a young boy, Esposito started his career in the local Lecce Primavera youth squad before being sent to Sambenedettese on loan ...

(1 call-up) – 2009 ;Players capped for

Italy national under-21 football team The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years. Italy (along with ...

Giulio Donati Giulio Donati (born 5 February 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Monza. Club career Inter Milan Primavera and first team Born in Pietrasanta, the Province of Lucca, Donati started his career at hom ...

(8 caps) *

Cesare Bovo Cesare Bovo (born 14 January 1983) is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a centre back. Club career Early career Bovo grew up playing in the A.S. Roma youth system, while in the 2001–02 season he only played a game in ...

(7 caps, 1 goal) (UEFA European under-21 Championship winner) *

Andrea Bertolacci Andrea Bertolacci (; born 11 January 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Cremonese. Bertolacci began his career at Roma, and was signed by AC Milan in 2015. Following loans to Genoa and Sampdoria, in ...

(7 caps, 1 goal) * Luigi Garzya (7 caps) * Pierluigi Orlandini (6 caps) *

Marco Amelia Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish co ...

(5 caps) * Giampiero Maini (5 caps) *

(5 caps) * Jonathan Bachini (3 caps) * Guido Marilungo (3 caps, 1 goal) * Jonathan Bachini (3 caps) *

Alberto Di Chiara Alberto Di Chiara (; born 29 March 1964) is an Italian former professional footballer, who played for Roma, Reggiana, Lecce, Fiorentina, Parma and Perugia, as well as for the Italy national side, as a winger and full back. He is the younger ...

(2 caps) *

Andrea Rispoli Andrea Rispoli (born 29 September 1988) is an Italian footballer who plays as a right-back for club Cosenza. Career Brescia Born in Cava de' Tirreni, Campania, Rispoli started his professional career at Brescia Calcio. Having played for the r ...

(2 caps) * Alessio Scarchilli (2 caps) *

(1 cap) *

Massimo Margiotta Massimo Margiotta (born 27 July 1977) is an Italian-Venezuelan former professional footballer who played as a forward, currently working as youth system chief of Hellas Verona. Club career Udinese Vicenza Margiotta was signed by Vicenza in c ...

(1 cap) * Giacomo Cipriani (1 cap) *

Matteo Ferrari Matteo Ferrari (; born 5 December 1979) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender He played top-flight football for several Italian clubs in Serie A, Everton of the Premier League, and for the Montreal Impact in Major Leagu ...

(1 cap) * Erminio Rullo (1 cap) ;Players capped for Italy national under-23 football team * Simone Altobelli (3 caps) ;Players capped for Italy military football team * Pietro De Santis (3 caps) ;Other national football teams ''List of foreign football players who had at least one cup in their national team while playing for Lecce'' * Kastriot Dermaku * Ledian Memushaj *

Djamel Mesbah Djamel Eddine Mesbah ( ar, جمال الدين مصباح; born 9 October 1984) is an Algerian former professional footballer who last played as a left back for Étoile Carouge. An Algerian international, Mesbah was a member of the Algeria na ...

Mazinho Iomar do Nascimento (born 8 April 1966), known as Mazinho, is a Brazilian football manager and former player. Mazinho played primarily as a defensive midfielder and a full-back in his professional playing career. As a manager, he had a short ...

Jaime Valdés Jaime Andrés Valdés Zapata ( born 11 January 1981) is a Chilean footballer who plays for Primera B de Chile side Santiago Wanderers. He usually plays as midfielder. Valdés was member of his national under-20 national team in the 2001 FIFA W ...

Saša Bjelanović Saša Bjelanović (; born 11 June 1979) is a Croatian retired footballer who played as a striker. He has held an Italian passport since 2007, as his grandmother was from Trieste, Venezia Giulia; this made him eligible to acquire Italian nationa ...

Davor Vugrinec Davor Vugrinec (born 24 March 1975) is a Croatian former professional footballer. He primarily played as a striker, but also operated as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. He is all-time top scorer of the Croatian First Football Leagu ...

Giannelli Imbula Gilbert Imbula Wanga (born 12 September 1992) is a professional footballer who last played as a defensive midfielder for Portuguese club Portimonense. Born in Belgium, Imbula played youth football for France, before changing international allegi ...

Alexei Eremenko Alexei Eremenko (born Aleksei Alekseyevich Yeryomenko; russian: Алексей Алексеевич Ерёменко; born 24 March 1983) is a former professional footballer. He is from a footballing family, with his father, Alexei Eremenko Sr. ...

Kwame Ayew Kwame Ayew (born 28 December 1973) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a striker. During nearly 20 years he played professionally in six countries, mainly in Portugal where he appeared for four teams in the 90s, amassing ...

Mark Edusei Mark Edusei (born 29 September 1976 in Kumasi) is a former Ghanaian football midfielder. Throughout his career Edusei moved around a lot, playing for clubs based in six countries. Career Early career Catania From the 2006–2007 season he play ...

* István Vincze * Souleymane Diamouténé *

Boban Nikolov Boban Nikolov ( mk, Бобан Николов; born 28 July 1994) is a Macedonian association football, footballer who plays for Liga I club FCSB and North Macedonia national football team, North Macedonia as a Midfielder, central midfielder. Cl ...

Vitorino Antunes Vitorino Gabriel Pacheco Antunes (; born 1 April 1987) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for F.C. Paços de Ferreira. He spent most of his career abroad, winning several items of silverware with Dynamo Kyiv in U ...

Romario Benzar Romario Sandu Benzar (born 26 March 1992) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays for Liga I club UTA Arad. Club career Viitorul Constanța Benzar started playing football in the Gheorghe Hagi Academy and made his debut for fellow tea ...

Rodney Strasser Rodney Strasser (born 30 March 1990) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Club career Milan Born in Freetown, Strasser began his career at local club Kallon, before moving to Italy to join Milan in 2007. Du ...

* Martin Petráš *

* Žan Majer *

Dejan Govedarica Dejan Govedarica (, ; born 2 October 1969) is a Serbian retired football player. Career He played three seasons for FK Proleter Zrenjanin (1989–1992), 3 and a half seasons for FK Vojvodina (1992-February 1996), little more than season and a ...

Sergei Aleinikov Sergei Yevgenyevich Aleinikov (russian: Сергей Евгеньевич Алейников; be, Сярге́й Яўге́навіч Але́йнікаў, ''Syarhey Alyeynikaw''; born 7 November 1961) is a Belarusian and Soviet former profes ...

David Sesa David Sesa (born 10 July 1973) is a Swiss football manager and former player. He is the manager of Rapperswil-Jona. A midfielder or forward, he made 36 appearances for the Switzerland national team. He is the current manager of Bellinzona in ...

* Karim Saidi * Yevhen Shakhov *

* Guillermo Giacomazzi *

Gabriel Cichero Gabriel Alejandro Cichero Konarek (born 25 April 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional who played as a centre-back or left back. Personal life He is the son of Mauro Cichero who was a professional football player and represented Venezuela ...

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

Finals, while playing for Lecce. * Pedro Pablo Pasculli (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

) (World Cup winner) *

(

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) *

(

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

) *

(

) * Karim Saidi (

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

) (on loan) *

(

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

)

UEFA European Championship players

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

(

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

) *

(

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

) *

(

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

)

Copa América players

The following players have been selected by their country in the

Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...

Finals, while playing for Lecce. *

(

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

) *

(

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

)

Stadium information

*Name – Stadio Via del Mare *City – Lecce *Capacity – 31,533 *Inauguration – 1966 *Pitch Size – 105 x 70 metres

In fiction

Lecce is mentioned in many famous Italian movies and TV series.Il Lecce nei film cult
leccezionale.it Among these there are the movies ''

Al bar dello sport ''Al bar dello sport'' (''At the Bar Sport'') is a 1983 Italian comedy film directed by Francesco Massaro. Plot Misadventures of Lino, a penniless Apulian immigrant in Turin, after he won 1.3 billion lire at Totocalcio. Cast * Lino Banfi: ...

'', ''

Benvenuti al Nord ''Benvenuti al Nord'' (eng: "Welcome to the North") is a 2012 Italian comedy film directed by Luca Miniero. It is the sequel of the high-grossing film '' Benvenuti al Sud''. It also obtained a great commercial success, gaining more than 27 million ...

'' and Eccezzziunale veramente - Capitolo secondo... me and the TV series ''

I Cesaroni ''I Cesaroni'' ("''The Cesaronis''") is an Italian television series produced between 2006 and 2014 by Publispei and Mediaset RTI, inspired by the Spanish series ''Los Serrano'' (produced by Globomedia and Telecinco). The series was broadcast in I ...

''. U.S. Lecce is also mentioned in many songs. In the game Captain Tsubasa 5: Hasha no Shōgō Campione, the main character Tsubasa Ohzora plays for this team.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lecce Football clubs in Apulia Association football clubs established in 1908 Serie A clubs 1908 establishments in Italy Phoenix clubs (association football) Coppa Italia Serie C winning clubs