Empoli Football Club is an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...
,
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
. Founded in 1920, the side is part of a select group of Italian football clubs not based in a provincial capital city that have participated in
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
.
Empoli has spent most of its history in professional football.
Empoli competed in European competitions once, in which they were eliminated in the qualification stage of
2007–08 UEFA Cup
The 2007–08 UEFA Cup was the 37th edition of the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup, UEFA's former second-tier club association football, football tournament. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final, final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, E ...
.
History
From the 1920s to the 1970s
In August 1920 in Empoli, ''Foot Ball Club Empoli'' and the football section ''Unione Sportiva Empoli'' were born. After the participation of a tournament in
San Miniato
San Miniato is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy.
San Miniato sits at a historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley, between the valleys of the E ...
, the two merged into a single local football club. The next season, the new club, after having obtained in September affiliation in the
Italian Football Federation
The Italian Football Federation (, ; FIGC ), known colloquially as (), is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
It manages a ...
(FIGC) ratified by the Tuscan Regional Committee, was included in Group A of the Tuscan
Promozione
The Promozione (, "promotion") is the sixth level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level. Depending on each league's ...
1921–22, but did take part due to economic problems, choosing instead to join the league of
Terza Categoria
The Terza Categoria is the lowest level of amateur football in Italy. It is the ninth level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Terza Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the ...
, where the team achieved second place in the group A.
In the 1922–23 season, Empoli finished in second place in Group A of the Terza Categoria, gaining admission to the final round after winning the play-off in
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, held on 15 April 1923 against
Pontedera
Pontedera (; ) is an Italian comune with a population of 30070, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence.
It houses the headquarte ...
, 1–0. The season concluded with a third place in the group final.
From 1923 to 1926, Empoli continued to play in the Tuscan third division. Then, in the 1926–27 season, Empoli won the Group A division of Tuscany, and was admitted to the interregional finals; thanks to a fourth place in Group G, the Tuscans were promoted in the North Division of the Second Division 1927–28, the third Italian football tier of the era. In the following season the team was then inserted in Group C of the North Division, which concluded in fourth place, but for economic reasons refused the invitation to take part in the next championship of
Prima Divisione
Prima Divisione (''First Division'') was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...
, and therefore followed the downgrading of the Seconda Divisione from third to fourth tier. However, already the following season, in the 1928–29 Seconda Divisione, the club won promotion, winning the Tuscan championship, and returned to the North Division of Prima Divisione.
Empoli was in the
Prima Divisione
Prima Divisione (''First Division'') was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...
, then
Serie C
The Serie C (), officially known as Serie C NOW for sponsorship purposes, 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 ...
, until the 1935–36 season, when the team withdrawn halfway through the season because of the call to arms for many of its players. Empoli resumed competitive activity from Prima Divisione the next season, under the name of ''OND Empoli'', with the colours gray and blue; the team won the Tuscan Group A again gaining admission in Serie C. Until the shutdown from the causes of war, Empoli played in Serie C, obtaining a best result of sixth place in 1938–39. Meanwhile, the club was renamed ''OND Interaziendale Italo Gambaccioni Section Soccer'' from 1938 to 1941, until the name was changed again to ''Associazione Calcio Empol''. On 15 September 1935, Empoli debuted in the
Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
with a 1–0 home success against Pontedera.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Empoli took up the club name of ''Empoli Foot Ball Club'' after being called ''Sports Group Azelio Landi'' for a brief period between October and November 1944, and was admitted into
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as 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 b ...
thanks to a third-place finish in the 1945–46 season. In Serie B, Empoli played for four consecutive seasons, finishing in third place in the 1946–47 season. Relegation of the club – which by then had adopted the colour blue – occurred at the end of 1949–50 championship. The permanence in Serie C lasted for six seasons: in the summer of 1955, the club sold most of its players and at the end of the 1955–56 season, the Tuscan side were relegated to
Serie D
The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...
. After three seasons in the fourth division, in 1959–60 the ''Azzurri'' risked relegation to the regional level after finishing in 15th place, on equal points with Carrarese and Rieti. The club managed to escape relegation before drawing with Carrarese and then surpassing
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
, in
Pesaro
Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
, with a goal from Vezzosi. In 1960–61, Empoli returned to the third tier of Italian football, but for only one season, again suffering relegation.
The club returned to Serie C on 9 June 1963 after beating Tempio 2–0 in the play-off in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
. The club's permanence in the third tier of Italian football, then called
Serie C1
Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions.
History
Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
, lasted for 20 years until the 1982–83 season.
The 1980s and 1990s
In 1986, the small-town club was promoted to Serie A. Playing their first few home games in
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, Empoli's Serie A debut resulted in a 1–0 win over
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. Since 1 ...
. Helped by a nine-point deduction from
Udinese
Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
, they avoided relegation with 23 points and 13 goals in 30 games. Empoli themselves received a five-point penalty the following season, and were relegated despite an improved showing. They were relegated again to
Serie C1
Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions.
History
Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
in 1989.
This club then spent several seasons in Serie C1 before returning to Serie B in 1996 and achieving a second successive promotion in 1997. With
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti (; born 7 March 1959) is an Italian Association football, football Association football manager, manager and former association footballer, player. He was most recently the manager of the Italy national football team, Italian n ...
at the helm, Empoli defied the odds to finish in 12th place and avoid relegation. Relegation the following year began a three-year stay in Serie B, in which time the club became renowned for nurturing its own outstanding young talent.
Promotions to Serie A in 2002 and 2005 have seen the club emerge as battlers against relegation. They ended the
2005–06 season in tenth place in the top-flight. As a result of the
Serie A match-fixing scandal at the end of that season, they gained qualification for the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
for the following season, but did not participate as club management failed to apply for a UEFA licence. In the
2006–07 season, the club once again qualified for the UEFA Cup.
The years 2000 and participation in the UEFA Cup
With the prospect of European football approaching, the management strengthened the squad, most notably signing a number of young players from large Serie A clubs, such as
Rincón of Inter,
Ignazio Abate and
Lino Marzoratti of
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and
Sebastian Giovinco
Sebastian Giovinco (; born 26 January 1987) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. A quick and creative player on the ball, Giovinco was a versatile attacker c ...
,
Claudio Marchisio
Claudio Marchisio (; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder.
A product of the Juventus F.C. Youth Sector, Juventus youth system, he spent a large portion of his career ...
and
Rej Volpato of
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
on loan or co-ownership deals. Empoli marked their debut in the UEFA Cup with a two-legged match against
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, losing 4–2 on aggregate. A poor showing in the initial part of the season then led chairman Fabrizio Corsi to sack
Luigi Cagni, who led the Tuscans to UEFA Cup qualification, and replace him with
Alberto Malesani.
However, the club's fortunes did not change and Malesani was sacked after a 2–0 defeat to
Sampdoria which left them at the bottom of the table. Cagni was re-appointed on 31 March 2008 but the team suffered a last-minute relegation. Cagni resigned and was replaced by
Silvio Baldini ahead of the
2008–09 season. Baldini's tenure, however, did not prove to be successful, as the Tuscans ended the season only in fifth place, and were later defeated in the promotion playoffs by
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
.
Between Serie B and Serie A
Despite modest results, Baldini was sacked. By December 2011, the club had gone through four coaches since the 2009–10 season. The club maintained their Serie B status dramatically in 2011–12. After a poor season, Empoli finished 18th, one point from safety, which meant a relegation play-off against
Vicenza
Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) 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 Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
over two legs. The first game finished goalless before Vicenza led 2–0 in the second leg with 30 minutes to go. However, two goals in two minutes saw the ''Azzuri'' level the tie before
Massimo Maccarone
Massimo Maccarone (; born 6 September 1979) is an Italian football coach and former player, who played as a striker. He was nicknamed ''Big Mac'' during his playing days.
Club career Early career
Maccarone started his career at A.C. Milan's y ...
secured a 3–2 victory in the fourth minute of injury time.
2012–13 saw the club finish fourth, a dramatic improvement on the previous season, but lost the promotion play-off final to
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
over two legs. The club secured promotion back to Serie A the
following season, finishing as runners-up to
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , 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 province. The ...
and stayed in the top flight for two seasons, finishing 15th in
2014–15 and 10th in
2015–16. Going into the final matchday of the
2016–17 Serie A
The 2016–17 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 115th season of top-tier Italian football, the 85th in a round-robin tournament, and the 7th since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...
season, Empoli were one point above the relegation zone ahead of
Crotone
Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy.
Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...
, however were eventually relegated to Serie B after they failed to beat Palermo, while Crotone beat Lazio. After a triumph of the
2017–18 Serie B
The 2017–18 Serie B (known as the Serie B ConTe.it for sponsorship reasons) was the 86th season since its establishment in 1929.
A total of 22 teams contested the league: 15 returning from the 2016–17 Serie B season, 4 promoted from 2016� ...
, Empoli promptly regained promotion to Serie A, after winning Serie B on 28 April 2018, four matches in advance. On the final matchday of the
2018–19 Serie A season, Empoli were one point above the relegation zone ahead of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
, however were eventually relegated to Serie B after they were defeated by Internazionale; while Genoa drew with
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
, both sides finished on the same number of points, but Genoa had a greater goal difference by one. However, Empoli finished first in the
2020–21 Serie B season, their third title in the competition in their history, and so returned to Serie A after two seasons. In the
2023–24 season, Empoli secured their continued presence in Serie A, following a stoppage time goal in a 2–1 victory against
Roma on the final matchday.
Players
Current squad
Primavera
Out on loan
Coaching staff
''As of 2 July 2024''
Notable former players
;Players with international caps, appearances in Olympic Games or 100 league appearances with Empoli
*
Etrit Berisha
*
Ardian Ismajli
*
Stiven Shpendi
*
Kristjan Asllani
*
Elseid Hysaj
*
Nedim Bajrami
*
Frédéric Veseli
*
Mark Bresciano
Mark Bresciano ( ; ; born 11 February 1980) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.
Born in Melbourne, Bresciano played youth football for Bulleen Lions, before moving into the National Soccer League wi ...
*
Vince Grella
Vincenzo Grella (born 5 October 1979) is an Australian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Dandenong to Italian immigrants, Antonio and Maria, Grella began his senior career in Australia before moving to Italy, where he spent ov ...
*
EmÃlson Cribari
*
Jorge Vargas
*
Igor Budan
*
Ignazio Abate
*
Daniele Adani
*
Stefano Bianconi
*
Marco Borriello
*
Raoul Bortoletto
Raoul Bortoletto (; 9 May 1925 – 4 January 2003) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Bortoletto played for 7 seasons (162 games, 10 goals) in the Serie A for ACF Fiorentina, A.S. Lucchese Libertas ...
*
Luca Bucci
Luca Bucci (; born 13 March 1969) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Bucci played for several Italian clubs throughout his career; he is mostly remembered for his choice of unusual shirt numbers and successf ...
*
Antonio Buscè
*
Andrea Coda
*
Dario Dainelli (youth)
*
Antonio Di Natale
*
Éder
*
Sebastian Giovinco
Sebastian Giovinco (; born 26 January 1987) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. A quick and creative player on the ball, Giovinco was a versatile attacker c ...
*
Massimo Maccarone
Massimo Maccarone (; born 6 September 1979) is an Italian football coach and former player, who played as a striker. He was nicknamed ''Big Mac'' during his playing days.
Club career Early career
Maccarone started his career at A.C. Milan's y ...
*
Claudio Marchisio
Claudio Marchisio (; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder.
A product of the Juventus F.C. Youth Sector, Juventus youth system, he spent a large portion of his career ...
*
Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella (; born 18 June 1974) is an Italian association football, football manager and former striker (association football), striker. He is the current head coach of the Turkey national football team.
Montella's nickname during his p ...
*
Alessandro Pane
*
Andrea Raggi
*
Tommaso Rocchi
*
Luca Saudati
*
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti (; born 7 March 1959) is an Italian Association football, football Association football manager, manager and former association footballer, player. He was most recently the manager of the Italy national football team, Italian n ...
*
Francesco Tavano
*
Luca Toni
*
Ighli Vannucchi
*
Piotr Zieliński
*
Samuel Mráz
*
Zlatko Dedić
*
Johnny Ekström
*
Marcelo Zalayeta
Marcelo Danubio Zalayeta (; born 5 December 1978) is a Uruguayan former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker.
Zalayeta began his club career with Danubio F.C., Danubio before movi ...
* See also: ''
:Empoli FC players''
List of coaches
Below is a list of Empoli coaches from 1920 until the present day.
*
Antonio Vojak (1937–39)
*
Enrico Colombari (1939–40)
*
Sergio Cervato (1968–70)
*
Sergio Castelletti (1971–72)
*
Renzo Ulivieri
Renzo Ulivieri (born 2 February 1941) is an Italian football manager. He is the current chairman of the ''Associazione Italiana Allenatori Calcio'' (Italian Football Managers' Association).
Career
After a very short playing career as a midfielde ...
(1972–76)
*
Bruno Giorgi (1976–77)
*
Vincenzo Guerini (1983–85)
*
Luigi Simoni (1988–89)
*
Vincenzo Montefusco (1989–91)
*
Francesco Guidolin (1991–92)
*
Adriano Lombardi (1993–94)
*
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti (; born 7 March 1959) is an Italian Association football, football Association football manager, manager and former association footballer, player. He was most recently the manager of the Italy national football team, Italian n ...
(1995–98)
*
Luigi Delneri
Luigi Delneri (born 23 August 1950), often incorrectly written as Del Neri, is an Italian football manager and a former player.
After a playing career as a midfielder including for several Serie A clubs, he began managing in the lower leagues, a ...
(1998)
*
Mauro Sandreani (1998–99)
*
Corrado Orrico (1998–99)
*
Elio Gustinetti (1999–2000)
*
Silvio Baldini (2000–03)
*
Mario Somma (2004–06)
*
Luigi Cagni (2006–07)
*
Alberto Malesani (2007–08)
*
Luigi Cagni (2008)
*
Silvio Baldini (2008–09)
*
Salvatore Campilongo (2009–10)
*
Alfredo Aglietti (2010–11)
*
Giuseppe Pillon (2011)
*
Guido Carboni (2011–12)
*
Alfredo Aglietti (2012)
*
Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri (; born 10 January 1959) is an Italian professional football manager who is currently manager of Serie A club Lazio.
Sarri did not play football professionally, taking part as an amateur centre back and coach while working as a ba ...
(2012–15)
*
Marco Giampaolo
Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A club Lecce.
Playing career
Although born in Bellinzona, Switzerland, ...
(2015–16)
*
Giovanni Martusciello (2016–17)
*
Vincenzo Vivarini (2017)
*
Aurelio Andreazzoli (2017–18)
*
Giuseppe Iachini (2018–19)
*
Aurelio Andreazzoli (2019)
*
Cristian Bucchi (2019)
*
Roberto Muzzi (2019–20)
*
Alessio Dionisi (2020–21)
*
Aurelio Andreazzoli (2021–22)
*
Paolo Zanetti (2022–23)
*
Aurelio Andreazzoli (2023–24)
*
Davide Nicola
Davide Nicola (born 5 March 1973) is an Italian professional football manager and former player.
Club career
Nicola was born in Luserna San Giovanni.
During his time with Genoa, he was noted for kissing a policewoman on the sideline after a g ...
(2024)
*
Roberto D'Aversa (2024–present)
*
Continental appearances
UEFA Cup
Source:
Honours
*
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as 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 b ...
** Winners:
2004–05,
2017–18,
2020–21
*
Serie C1
Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions.
History
Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
** Winners:
1928–29,
1982–83
*
Coppa Italia Serie C
** Winners: 1995–96
Divisional movements
References
External links
*
{{Serie C
Football clubs in Tuscany
Association football clubs established in 1920
Serie A clubs
Serie B clubs
Serie C clubs
Serie D clubs
Empoli
1920 establishments in Italy