Filippo Citterio was born in Giussano (Monza), on November 17, 1955.
At 14 he joined local Vis Nova Giussano youth teams and stayed with the "Lucertole" (The Lizards) until he was almost 18.
He then joined Seregno (Monza) in Serie C. He stayed one season, the "Spartani" finished 6th and he played 36 league games with one goal.
In 1974-75 he moved to A.C Milan. The manager was Gustavo Giagnoni and Citterio played 1 league game and 4 in Coppa Italia. The Rossoneri finished 5th and were losing finalists in the Coppa Italia (Fiorentina 2-3).
In 1975-76 he moved to Sicily and more specifically Palermo in Serie B. He stayed four seasons with 11th, 12th, 6th and 7th places. His managers were Benigno De Grandi, Antonio De Bellis, Giuseppe Grassotti and Fernando Veneranda for two full seasons. Citterio played 129 games with 2 goals.
In 1979 he joined Lazio. The manager was Bob Lovati and Citterio had a good season playing every league game (30) with 1 goal (winner against Torino) and 6 in Coppa Italia. The same could not be said for Lazio who narrowly avoided relegation on the pitch but then were sent down for some of their players' involvement in the "Totonero" betting scandal. It was also the season of Vincenzo Paparelli's death, the Lazio fan killed by a flare shot from the Roma end before a derby.
Citterio stayed on in Serie B under new manager Ilario Castagner. Lazio just missed out on promotion finishing 4th, also due to a crucial penalty miss by Stefano Chiodi (who had never missed a penalty). Citterio had another positive season playing 38 league games with 6 goals (Catania, Varese, Atalanta, Monza, Pisa, Taranto) and 5 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Varese).
In 1981 Citterio moved down to Naples but back up to Serie A. The manager was former Lazio player Rino Marchesi and the Partenopei finished 4th. He played 21 league games with 2 goals (Como and winner vs Roma), 6 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the UEFA Cup. He played with future Lazio, Raimondo Marino, Claudio Vinazzani and Oscar Damiani.
The following year former Lazio player Massimo Giacomini was manager but was replaced in November by the duo Bruno Pesaola - Gennaro Rambone. The Azzurri finished 10th and Citterio played 24 league games, 7 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the UEFA Cup.
In 1983 he moved to Le Marche and signed for Ascoli in Serie A. The first year went well under Carlo Mazzone, the "Picchio" (The Woodpecker) finished 10th. Citterio played 18 league games and 6 in Coppa Italia. In the squad were Paolo Pochesci, Carlo Perrone and Giuseppe Greco, all former Lazio.
The second season was difficult. Mazzone was sacked after seven matches and replaced by Mario Colautti (with Vujadin Boskov as TD). The Piceni finished 14th and were relegated, winning only 4 league games all season. Citterio only played 8 league games. One of his teammates was former Lazio Aldo Cantarutti.
In 1985 he joined Cremonese in Serie B. He stayed five seasons under Emiliano Mondonico, Bruno Mazzia for three seasons and finally Tarcisio Burgnich. The" Violini" (The Violins) finished 9th, 5th, 6th, 4th (promoted to A after playoff) and 17th (relegated). Citterio played 165 league games with 6 goals. He played alongside many future Laziali: Attilio Lombardo, Giuseppe Favalli, Mauro Bonomi, Dario Marcolin and former player Gustavo Dezotti
His last team was still in Lombardy but was Brescia in Serie B. The managers were Bruno Mazzia (1-3) and Bruno Bolchi (4-38) and the "Leonessa" finished 9th. Citterio played 30 league games. He was in squad with Lazio connections Luca Luzardi, Luciano De Paola and Marco Piovanelli.
The final professional year, under Adelio Moro (Mircea Lucescu TD), ended on a high and the "Rondinelle" (Little Swallows) won the league and were promoted to Serie A. Citterio however, despite being in the squad, made no appearances.
He retired at 36 and went straight into coaching. He spent three years in the Cremonese youth sector, a year with his original home club Vis Nova, a short spell with SüdTirol-Alto Adige, two years with Mariano (Como), a year with Seregno (Bergamo), another season with Vis Nova, three years with Molinello (Monza) and a year with Nibionno (Lecco).
Since 2010 he has concentrated more on running Sports Academies (Mariano Comense) and in 2015 he opened a new Football Academy called Palaextra Sport Academy in Mariano Comense (Como) where he is Technical Director. A grass roots man rather than in top professional football.
As a player he was a left fullback. He is 1.88 and 80 kilos, so was a strong defender. He was particularly good going forward, often helping the offensive moves. He had good athleticism and technique. He played 129 games in Serie A
He played 79 games for Lazio. He was a popular player and the fans were sad to see him leave. He was unlucky with his timing at Lazio, arriving at one of the many difficult periods in their history.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1979-80 | 36 (1) | 30 (1) | - | 6 |
1980-81 | 43 (7) | - | 38 (6) | 5 (1) |
Total | 79 (8) | 30 (1) | 38 (6) | 11 (1) |
Sources