Top 10 Flops, Positions 1-5, Extremely Disappointing

Dag Jenkins
9 hours ago
6 min read

Today we continue our list of the 10 most disappointing signings since 1980. These are players who arrived with high expectations but failed to deliver. This is obviously a very subjective topic and everyone no doubt has their ideas and pet hates, although I think there can be little discussion over the number 1 slot...

Here are our choices from 1-5 in reverse order.

5) Giuseppe Galderisi - No No Nanu

Giuseppe Galderisi arrived from Milan on loan in the summer of 1987. For Serie B he was considered a luxury and Lazio had high hopes.

Galderisi had previously played for Juventus for three seasons (34 games and 8 goals including a hat-trick against Milan), Verona for three (113 games and 37 goals) and Milan for one (28 games and 4 goals). He had won the Scudetto 3 times (Juventus 1981 and 1982, Verona 1985) and a Coppa Italia (Juventus 1983). He had also earned 10 caps for Italy and played in the 1986 World Cup.

Galderisi was a quick and agile forward. He was hard-working with a solid shot, was an infallible penalty taker and had surprisingly good heading skills for his height (at 1.70 he was nicknamed Nanu).

In Serie B he was expected to make the difference but did not. He played 33 league games with 1 goal (Bologna) and 5 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Juventus). He lost his scoring touch but fortunately forward Paolo Monelli scored 8 league goals and midfielder Gabriele Savino 8 and Lazio were promoted to Serie A under manager Eugenio Fascetti.

Lazio unsurprisingly did not attempt to extend his loan or sign him and he continued his career with Verona in A again for one season (8 goals), Padova in B for seven and a half seasons (50 goals), N.E Revolution for one month, Tampa Bay Mutiny for 12 months (12 goals) and N.E Revolution again for 3 months in the MLS.

For someone who had won league titles with Juventus and Verona, played for Milan and in a World Cup, his performances in the Italian Serie B with 1 goal can only mean he had a negative season.

4) Dino Baggio - Past Glory

Dino Baggio arrived from Parma in October 2000. Lazio were Italian Champions.

Baggio had played for Torino (two seasons), Inter (one season), Juventus (two seasons) and Parma (seven seasons). He had 174 games in A with 19 goals plus a goal in Coppa Italia and 7 in Europe. He had won the UEFA Cup three times (Juve '93, Parma '95 and '99), a Coppa Italia (Parma '99) and an Italian Supercoppa (Parma '99). He had also played 60 games for Italy (including 1994 WC final) with 7 goals (including one in ‘94 WC quarterfinal against Spain). He also took part in the 1998 World Cup.

He was a strong, hard-tackling central midfielder. At 1.88 and 80 kilos he was physical with good shooting and heading skills. He had performed well consistently at the top level for ten years.

He arrived at Lazio with a strong curriculum and good years at Parma. He flattered to deceive. In November in one of his first games he scored a brilliant long-range goal against Milan but then over the next three years rarely shone. He was often injured and played a total of 62 games (44 in A, 7 in Coppa Italia and 11 in Europe). When he played, he had lost speed and physicality becoming more a plodding midfielder.

Lazio finished 3rd, 6th and 4th.

In 2003 he went to Blackburn (PL) on loan until January then Ancona (A) on loan.

In 2004-05 he was back at Lazio but was not included in the first team squad. He then had a season with Triestina in B and later turned out for amateurs Tombolo.

Considering his previous career Dino Baggio did not live up to expectations at Lazio. He was past his peak and had lost his fire.

3) Valon Berisha - No Red Bull Effect

Valon Berisha arrived from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2018. Lazio paid the Norwegian-Kosovarian 7.5 million Euros. He signed a 5-year contract with a salary of 1.5 million Euros plus bonus per season.

He had played for Egersund and Viking Stavanger in Norway before moving to Austria. With Salzburg he had played six seasons, making 233 appearances with 45 goals and winning 5 league titles and 4 Austrian Cups. He had also earned 20 caps for Norway and 9 for Kosovo with 1 goal (Finland).

In 2017-18 he had played against Lazio in the Europa League and hugely impressed. He had helped the Austrians eliminate Lazio 6-5 on aggregate in the quarter-finals and scored a penalty in Rome. His performances convinced Lazio to sign him for the following season.

They saw in him a solid all-round box-to-box midfielder. He was strong, athletic, had good technique, took free kicks and had a strong personality on the field.

At Lazio all these faded. He stayed a season and a half and only played a total of 22 games (11 in A, 2 in Coppa Italia and 9 in the Europa League). He had several injuries and was not a success. His performances lacked athleticism and initiative and he also suffered from the strong competition in midfield (Leiva, Cataldi, Badelj, Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic, Parolo, Romulo and Luis Alberto). In January 2019 he left for Fortuna Dusseldorf on loan. He then also played for Stade Reims, Melbourne City, LASK and is currently with Zurich. Since leaving Lazio in six years he has only played 100 games with 3 goals.

At Lazio he failed and never replicated the performances he had produced against them as an opponent.

2) Iván de la Peña - The Little Buddha Fails to Illuminate

Ivan del Pena arrived from Barcelona in the summer of 1998. Lazio paid 30 billion Lire for the Santander-born Spaniard.

He had played 107 games for Barcelona with 15 goals. Under Johan Crujff, Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal he had won a league title, 3 Spanish Cups, a Spanish Super Cup, 2 UEFA Cup Winners Cups and a UEFA European Super Cup.

De la Peña was a central midfield playmaker. He organised the game with excellent ball control and great vision. He was not physical but was a creative midfield dynamo. A sort of Xavi Hernández.

At Lazio he did not live up to expectations. In 1998-99 he played 23 games (15 in A, 3 in Coppa Italia, 4 in the Cup Winners Cup plus the Italian Supercoppa) with 1 goal (Panionios in CWC). He arrived overweight and never reproduced his Barcelona form. He was no longer inventive and energetic but was predictable and cautious. He never really became a regular at Lazio and after one season went to Olympique Marseilles and then Barcelona both on loan for a season (only playing a total of 32 games with 1 goal)

For Lazio the 1998-99 season was bitter sweet. The Biancocelesti narrowly missed out on the Scudetto but won the European Cup Winners Cup (Mallorca 2-1) and the Italian Supercoppa (Juventus 2-1).

He returned to Lazio in 2001-02. He was at the fringes of the first team squad and only played 1 league game and 1 in Coppa Italia. Lazio had a poor season finishing 6th, first under Dino Zoff (1-3) and then Alberto Zaccheroni.

De la Peña then had nine decent seasons at Espanyol in Spain, playing 206 games with 9 goals. In 2005 he even broke into the Spanish national team winning 5 caps.

At Lazio he was welcomed with enthusiasm but hugely underperformed.

1) Gaizka Mendieta - Player or DJ?

The Basque midfielder arrived from Valencia in the summer of 2001. Lazio paid 89 billion Lire for him (approx. 45 million Euros) and sold Pavel Nedved to Juventus.

He had played 305 games for Valencia with 54 goals. He had won a Spanish Cup and Super Cup in 1999. The Blanquinegres had also reached two consecutive Champions League finals (lost to Real Madrid in 2000 and Bayern Munich in 2001) and Mendieta was voted best player of the tournament by UEFA for both years. When he arrived at Lazio, he also had 27 caps for Spain with 7 goals.

At the time he was considered one of the best players in Europe. A box-to-box midfielder, strong, athletic and skilful with good shooting skills.

At Lazio he was a huge disappointment. He played a total of 31 games (20 in A, 4 in Coppa Italia and 7 in the Champions League) without any goals. He never really fitted in, lacked energy and confidence and at times his ball control looked like someone trying to trap a balloon. The only explanation could be he was already practicing for his future disk-jockey career.

In his defence Lazio had a mediocre season finishing 6th and lost 4 out of 6 in their Champions League campaign. They started with Dino Zoff but he was replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni after 3 league games. Mendieta left Lazio after only one season.

The Nedved - Mendieta change was obviously a huge mistake. The Czech went on to win the Ballon d'Or with Juventus (and the Scudetto twice) while the Spaniard played a season on loan with Barcelona (6th) and then five with Middlesbrough (one League Cup).

For the price Lazio paid and the player's previous level of performances Gaizka Mendieta can be considered Lazio's biggest flop in the last 45 years.

There are other potential candidates: Roberto Tavola, Astutillo Malgioglio, Walter Speggiorin, Roberto Galbiati, Sergio Domini, Roberto Baronio, Ricardo Kishna, Anthony Seric, Juan Pablo Sorin, Ravel Morrison, Riza Durmisi, Denis Vavro, Mohamed Fares and unfortunately many more...