Nicola Lo Buono was born in Bari on June 4, 1933.
He started his career in nearby Trani in Serie D in 1953-54. He played two seasons for the "Dragoni” with 53 league appearances. The Biancazzurri finished 6th and 4th.
In the summer of 1955 during a match between Serie D North and South he was spotted by Lazio scout and former player Carlo Parola. Lo Buono was then signed by Lazio although it pretty much went under the radar as it was overshadowed by bigger buys (Arne Selmosson to name one).
In his first season in Rome, first under Luigi Ferrero (1-14) and then Englishman Jesse Carver (15-34), Lo Buono played 10 league games with 1 goal (Fiorentina). He made his debut in the derby on April 4, 1956, with a 1-0 Lazio win. Lazio had a good season finishing 3rd.
The following season was similar. Lazio again finished 3rd and Lo Buono made 7 league appearances.
In 1957-58 Lazio changed manager to Milovan Ćirić (1-19) and then to Alfredo Monza (20-34). Lazio finished 12th and Lo Buono made 16 league appearances.
In the summer of 1958 Fulvio Bernardini became Lazio manager and Lo Buono started playing even more regularly. He played 30 league games, 8 in the ‘57-‘58 Coppa Italia (played in summer and September '58) and 1 game in the ‘58-‘59 Coppa Italia (Lazio knocked out by Inter 0-1 in January '59). Lazio finished 11th in Serie A. In September 1958 however Lazio won their first historic trophy beating Fiorentina 1-0 to lift the Coppa Italia. Lo Buono played the final helping to keep Kurt Hamrin at bay.
In 1959-60 Lo Buono played 23 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia. Lazio came 12th in the league and 3rd in Coppa Italia.
The 1960-61 season was a difficult one and Lazio were relegated for the first time in thirty years. Bernardini was replaced by former star player Enrique "El Flaco" Flamini after ten games (with Jesse Carver as Technical Director from the 15th game) but things did not improve. They did however reach the Coppa Italia final losing 2-0 to Fiorentina and won the second derby 2-1. Lo Buono only played 5 league games due to a muscular injury in the autumn that kept him out of action for a long period.
The 1961-62 season in Serie B would be Lo Buono's last in Rome. Lazio, under Paolo Tedeschini (1-21, Bob Lovati (22-27) and then Carlo Facchini (28-38) narrowly missed out on promotion by one point with a 4th place. Lo Buono however was out of favour after his injury and made no appearances.
In 1962 he was sold to Pescara in Serie C. Despite more injuries, Lo Buono made 40 league appearances over the next two seasons. The "Delfini" (The Dolphins) finished 4th and 10th.
He retired early at 31, hampered by physical problems, and became a manager. He started at Formia, in South Lazio, in 1964 at amateur level. He would then coach ten different amateur regional clubs over the next 15 years. He won 7 promotions and in 1976-77 won the "Seminatore d'oro" award while manager at Colleferro (near Rome) as best Italian Amateur League coach.
In 1986 he took on the job of Sporting Director at local Roman club Vis Aurelia, one of the best youth sectors in the area.
As a player Lo Buono was a left full-back. He played 103 games for Lazio over seven seasons plus 60 in the reserves league (Lazio won it in 1954-55). He was a pillar of the 1958 Cup winning team, playing every game. That first Lazio triumph took on legendary status for later generations, a team that had actually won something, also thanks to Nicola Lo Buono.
Lo Buono died on September 8, 2009, in Rome.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearance (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1955-56 | 10 (1) | 10 (1) | - |
1956-57 | 7 | 7 | - |
1957-58 | 21 | 16 | 5 |
1958-59 | 34 | 30 | 4 |
1959-60 | 25 | 23 | 2 |
1960-61 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Total | 103 (1) | 91 (1) | 12 |
Sources