Enrique Domingo Flamini was born in Rosario, Argentina, on April 17, 1917.
He arrived in Italy to play for Lazio in 1939 from Argentinian club Racing Avellaneda. In Argentina he was nicknamed 'El Flaco' (thin in Spanish) for his slim physique. In Italy he was known as Enrico or Flacco (a distortion of Spanish).
In his first year at Lazio he impressed for his sheer determination but also for his speed and shooting accuracy. In his first season he played 26 league games with 5 Goals. One of them was in a derby winning triumph beating Roma 1-0 on the 26th May (?!?!). Over the next three seasons he would play 87 league games with 6 more goals.
With the worsening of the World War II situation in 1944 he returned to South America to play for Penarol in Uruguay. The following year he played in Brazil for Cruzeiro.
With the end of the war he returned to Europe and to Lazio. In the 1946-1947 season he was again representing the blue and white Eagles of Rome. He stayed for six consecutive seasons making 158 appearances and scoring 27 goals (reaching double figures in two seasons 1949-50 and 1950-51).
In 1952 he went to Reggiana in Serie C but would only play 3 times. The following season he was back at Lazio but he would not play again. His career ended in 1954-55 when he played 3 games for Terracina, a small coastal town near Rome, in Serie D.
His competitive career had basically ended in 1952 and what a career it was. At Lazio he played 271 games in Serie A, with 43 goals, 11 games in Coppa Italia, with 1 goal 2 games in the Latin Cup and 2 in the Mitropa Cup. So, a grand total of 287 appearances and 44 goals.
His love affair with Lazio did not end when he hung up his boots. In 1960 Flamini started coaching in the Lazio youth sector. In 1960-1961 he was also joint first team manager with Jesse Carver for a brief period. The following year he was deputy manager and then he went back to work in the youth sector for ten years. In the 1970-71 season he was again called to help out and again acted as deputy manager to Bob Lovati after Juan Carlos Lorenzo was sacked. At Lazio he was later in charge of the talent scout staff and continued to be involved in the running of the youth sector. Maybe not on the level of Bob Lovati but Flamini, in various roles, dedicated the major part of his life to Lazio.
Flamini started off his career as a striker but later developed into a classy midfielder. He had style both on the pitch and off it and was always immaculately dressed, with perfectly gelled back hair. On the field he was quick, hardworking, had an excellent left foot and scored goals, even when he played further back as a playmaker. At Lazio he is considered to be one of the greats. He played for Lazio for ten seasons and then stayed at the club in training roles.
He died in Rome in 1982.
Adios y Gracias “Flaco”.
Lazio Career
Season | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup | Latin Cup |
1939-40 | 28 (5) | 26 (5) | 2 | - | - |
1940-41 | 34 (3) | 30 (2) | 4 (1) | - | - |
1941-42 | 32 (1) | 30 (1) | 2 | - | - |
1942-43 | 30 (3) | 27 (3) | 3 | - | - |
1946-47 | 24 (4) | 24 (4) | - | - | - |
1947-48 | 26 | 26 | - | - | - |
1948-49 | 22 (3) | 22 (3) | - | - | - |
1949-50 | 32 (10) | 30 (10) | - | - | 2 |
1950-51 | 35 (10) | 33 (10) | - | 2 | - |
1951-52 | 23 (5) | 23 (5) | - | - | - |
Total | 286 (44) | 271 (43) | 11 (1) | 2 | 2 |
Sources