Enrico Vella is one of those players who, although he played just a season plus a few months for Lazio, is remembered with great affection by all Lazio fans.
Born in Genoa on September 18, 1957, Vella played most of his youth career for his hometown team, but started as a professional playing in Serie D for Sestri Levante in the 1976-77 season.
The next year he moved to nearby Sanremese where in three years he was one of the protagonists in the two-tier jump from Serie D to Serie C1. In 1980 he signed for Sampdoria for a year in Serie B and the year after he moved to Sicily and played for Catania.
In 1982 he signed for Lazio. He became an immediate fan favourite. His generosity on the pitch had no rivals and for the Laziali it was love at first sight. He was usually in charge of man marking the opponent’s playmaker, but this did not stop him from scoring. In the 1982-83 season he scored some extremely vital goals for Lazio such as at Pistoia and Perugia. Lazio got promoted back to Serie A, and he was one of the protagonists.
In the 1983-84 season he finally debuted in Serie A in Verona on September 11 but after five games he was sold to Atalanta. He had an argument with the Manager Giancarlo Morrone and asked Giorgio Chinaglia for a transfer.
At Bergamo he played for two seasons and in 1985 he signed for Palermo. Unfortunately, during his medical, the doctors found he had a ventricular arrhythmia. He had to stop playing for a few months, and once he was cured he continued with Atalanta. His last season as a pro was with Arezzo in 1986-87. He continued to play at lower levels until 39 years of age with various teams in Liguria, often as player-manager. Once he stopped playing he continued as manager always for clubs in the regional categories.
Vella played 52 games for Lazio: 5 in Serie A, 38 in Serie B and 9 in Coppa Italia. He scored six goals for the Biancocelsti, 5 in Serie B and one in Coppa Italia
The Lazio fans have never forgotten him. He received a Prize from a Lazio journal in 1983 for his “Lazialità” and in a Corriere dello Sport poll at the time he was voted second favourite player behind Bruno Giordano, and to this day we can safely define him as a Lazio hero.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1982-83 | 42 (5) | - | 38 (5) | 4 |
Aug-Oct 1983 | 10 (1) | 5 | - | 5 (1) |
Total | 52 (6) | 5 | 38 (5) | 9 (1) |
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