Giuliano Giannichedda was born in Pontecorvo (Frosinone), on September 21, 1974.
He began kicking a ball with his local side Sporting Pontecorvo and then in 1992 moved to nearby Sora in C2. He played for the Bianconeri for three seasons winning a promotion to C1 in 1994. He played 64 league games with 2 goals.
In 1995 he joined Udinese in Serie A. The first year, under Alberto Zaccheroni, he only played 8 league games but then started to play regularly. Over the next five years (two more with Zaccheroni, one with Francesco Guidolin, one with Luigi De Canio and the last De Canio/Luciano Spalletti) he played 180 games (151 A, 15 in Coppa Italia and 21 in Europe). The "Zebrette" finished 11th, 5th (UC), 3rd (UC), 6th (UC), 8th and 12th. In 2001 they reached the semi-final of the Coppa Italia but lost to Parma on away goals. In Friuli, at various points, he played alongside Lazio connections Giovanni Stroppa, Raffaele Sergio, Stefano Fiore, Roberto Muzzi and Giampiero Pinzi.
In 2001-2002 he joined Lazio, where after Dino Zoff's sacking he was soon reunited with Zaccheroni. The first season was poor with a 6th place and disappointing Champions League campaign. Giannichedda played 28 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 4 in CL.
The following year Roberto Mancini returned as manager. Lazio finished 4th (CL qualification) and reached the semi-finals of both the UEFA Cup (Porto 1-4) and the Coppa Italia (Roma 1-3). Giannichedda played 25 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 6 in Champions League.
In 2003-04 Mancini stayed on and Lazio finished 6th. In this uncertain post -Cragnotti period and in the middle of financial problems, Lazio managed to win a trophy, the Coppa Italia. After defeating Modena, Parma and Milan, the Biancocelesti triumphed 4-2 on aggregate against Juventus in the final. In the Champions League the Aquile went out in the first stage with only one win in a group with Chelsea, Sparta Prague and Beşiktaş. Giannichedda played 22 league games with 1 goal (winner against Perugia away), 6 in Coppa Italia and 4 in CL.
In 2004-05 Lazio had a new owner, Claudio Lotito. The club had to take on strict austerity measures to pay off its heavy debts. Many of the star players left and it was a difficult season. Lazio started off with former player Domenico Caso as manager but he was replaced in January by Giuseppe Papadopulo. Lazio survived in the end finishing 13th. Giannichedda played 32 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia, 3 in the UEFA Cup and 1 in the Italian Supercoppa (lost 0-3 to Milan). The highlight of the season was beating Roma 3-1 on Papadopulo's debut. Giannichedda was brilliant playing in the centre of defence alongside Talamonti, due to injuries and suspensions. He played an epic game dominating the battles with Totti and company.
In 2005-06 Giannichedda joined Juventus. The Bianconeri, coached by Fabio Capello, won the league but subsequently due to the Calciopoli scandal were stripped of their title and relegated to Serie B. Giannichedda had played 15 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 5 in the Champions League.
He stayed on in the second tier under Didier Deschamps (then Giancarlo Corradini for the last two matches). The "Madama" won promotion winning the league and Giannichedda played 20 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia. In his two years in Turin, he played with Pavel Nedved.
In 2007-08 he joined Livorno in Serie A. The coaches were former Lazio, Fernando Orsi, Giancarlo Camolese and then Orsi again. The Amaranto were relegated after only managing 6 league wins all season. In Leghorn he played with former Lazio teammates Antonio and Emanuele Filippini plus former Lazio, Alessandro Grandoni. Giannichedda played little due to injuries, only 8 league games.
At almost 34 he retired.
Giannichedda won 3 full Italy caps, in 1999, in two Euro 2000 qualifiers (Bielorussia and Denmark) and a friendly (Croatia).
Since retiring he has had some experiences as a coach. In 2013 he started as assistant to Alberigo Evani with Italy U20's and then assistant first to Bruno Tedino and then Alessandro Dal Canto with the U17's (2014-16). He then spent a year as manager of Racing Roma in Lega Pro but was replaced after 32 games and the Gialloverdi were relegated. In 2018 he had spells at Viterbese Castrense and Pro Piacenza in Serie C. In 2019 he had a stint at Aprilia in Serie D and then took charge of the Italy LND (National Amateur League) U18's and from 2019 the U19's. He still currently holds this position.
Giannichedda was a central defensive midfielder. He is 1.79 and 77 kilos. He was a classic ball winning midfielder. A non- stop dynamo tackling anything that moved. He was extremely hardworking and versatile. He played 282 games in Serie A, 20 in B, 31 in C1, 33 in C2, 34 in Coppa Italia, 43 in Europe and an Italian Supercoppa final with 5 total goals.
At Lazio he had four good seasons. He arrived at the end of the Cragnotti glory days but managed to win a trophy (CI 2004). He was a popular player for his work rate, always putting in a good shift. His performance in the 3-1 derby victory on January 6, 2005, was epic. He adapted his position and played in the centre of defence putting on a perfect performance, limiting Totti and Cassano. For this and more he will always be considered a Laziale.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Cup | Super Coppa |
2001-02 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 4 | - | - |
2002-03 | 34 | 25 | 3 | - | 6 | - |
2003-04 | 32 (1) | 22 (1) | 6 | 4 | - | - |
2004-05 | 37 | 32 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 |
Total | 138 (1) | 107 (1) | 13 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
Sources