ROME – Gigi Simoni is dead, he was 81 years old.
The health condition of the former coach had been serious for some time now, but in the last few days it had deteriorated even more.
Already in June last year he had suffered from illness while he was in his home, being hospitalized urgently in the intensive care unit of the Cisanello hospital in Pisa.
His wife Monica Fontani later revealed that the former coach had been suffering from a stroke .
Born in 1939, he had worn the jacket of Naples, Turin and Juventus among others as a player, before starting his career as a coach at Genoa, where he had actually ended his career.
His most important experience remains that at Inter in the 1997-1998 season.
He was the first to train the Ronaldo phenomenon in Italy.
At the helm of the Nerazzurri he won the UEFA Cup by beating Lazio in the final in Paris 3-0.
But in the minds of all sportspeople remains the championship race between Inter and Juventus, culminating in the famous penalty not given to Ronaldo for a foul by Iuliano in the challenge in Turin on April 26, 1998.
He also led Napoli on two occasions.
He obtained eight promotions from professional championships (record shared with Osvaldo Jaconi), with 7 promotions in Serie A with Genoa (1975-1976 and 1980-1981), Brescia (1979-1980), Pisa (1984-1985 and 1986-1987) , Cremonese (1992-1993) and Ancona (2002-2003), and one in Serie C1 with Carrarese (1991-1992). (source GAZZETTA)
Source: Blitz Quotidiano