Top 100 Players in Lazio History: Positions 41-50
- Lazio Stories
- Jul 12
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 24
After having passed the half way mark we now look at position 41-50 in our Top 100 Lazio players. Curiously enough in these positions we have six forwards, two wingers, a defender and a goalkeeper ranging from 1909 to 2021.
He played for Lazio from 1920 to 1928.
Dante Filippi must be considered one of the best forwards Lazio have ever had and maybe one of the first “golden boys” of the Biancocelesti. He started playing very young. In 1920 he was noted in Villa Borghese, in those games among kids which never lasted less than five hours a match. He was quickly signed by Lazio, of which he was already a fan, and he started playing for the “boys” youth team. Fernando Saraceni I realised how good he was and forced the manager to promote him to the first team. He never left the first eleven and was soon joined by another golden boy, Fulvio Bernardini. Together the two made history and in 1923 Lazio reached the national final where they were beaten by Genoa with three penalties awarded to the champions. Filippi was the Lazio scorer in the final. He had also set a record of five goals in a match in an earlier game against US Romana.
Mad. Crazy. Lazy. Genius. These are four of the many words which fans and media used when they had to describe Humberto Tozzi. A centre-forward with great potential, he did not like to train and sometimes he did not even want to play, but he could change the course of a game in a second. He arrived in 1956 and was a fundamental part of that Lazio and formed a spectacular attacking partnership with Arne Selmosson. He was a key member of the team that won the Coppa Italia in 1958, Lazio’s first ever national trophy. He stayed until 1960.
He played for Lazio from 1988 to 1990 and from 2004 to 2006.
At Lazio Di Canio is a legend. A local fan who always wore his heart on his sleeve when playing for the Biancocelesti and defended them on and off the field. He was an attacking midfielder or winger, extremely talented and creative with excellent dribbling skills. He was a quick thinking and intelligent player and exciting to watch. His goals were often spectacular, confirming his acrobatic skills. His two goals in city derbies, sixteen years between them, are legendary folklore on the Biancoceleste side of Rome.
Alen Boksic was an exceptional talent who, despite not living up to his potential, delighted Lazio fans for many years. He arrived in November 1993 and stayed for three seasons before signing for Juventus. In Turin he stayed for just one year before coming back to Rome for another three seasons. With Lazio he won a scudetto, twice the Coppa Italia, a Super Coppa (but did not play), a UEFA Super Cup (also absent), and a Cup Winners Cup. Boksic was a modern attacker. He was tall, physically strong and dynamic. He would drop from the box, switch flanks, attract and disorientate defenders with his runs, accelerations and dribbling. Running at defenders at full force he was devastating. He had power and skill enabling him to open up defences and give depth to his team. He was criticised for not being clinical enough in front of goal and he also suffered several serious injuries. At Lazio he was called the 'L'Alieno' (The Alien). He was part of the Sergio Cragnotti glory years and will forever belong to the Scudetto winning squad of 2000, in the most successful period in the club's history.
He played for Lazio from 2004 to January 2013.
Tommaso Rocchi was one of the first players signed by President Claudio Lotito and became a club legend. He took Lazio to an incredible Champions League qualification in 2006-07, a Coppa Italia triumph in 2009 and a Super Coppa victory against Inter, who would go on to win the "triplete" (scudetto, Coppa Italia and Champions League). An atypical centre forward since he was not that tall, but he was good at headers, fast and skilful. He also had a great right foot. With Goran Pandev he made up a formidable attacking duo which characterised Lazio from 2004 to 2009. He is in sixth place for the most goals scored for the club, sixth for goals in the Italian championships and fourth for goals in Serie A behind Ciro Immobile, Silvio Piola, Beppe Signori and above Giorgio Chinaglia. Great company to be in.
Diego Zanetti was a pillar of 1960's Lazio. He played 260 games over 8 seasons (1961-69).
He was a strong, physical full-back and in his number 2 jersey held his own against all forwards. He was humble and dedicated, spending hours improving his control and left foot against the wall. He was a reserved character but was a popular, reliable and ever-present player in 1960's Lazio history.
The 1968-69 season would be Zanetti's last in the capital but he ended in style. Lazio won the Serie B championship and were promoted back to the top flight, under Juan Carlos Lorenzo. And despite being his last year Zanetti was as regular as ever and played 31 league games.
He played for Lazio from 1923 to 1925 and from 1926 to 1934.
Sclavi was one of Lazio’s legendary goalkeepers. He was agile and quick and despite not being very tall he was good in the air on high crosses and corners. At Lazio he was one of the more popular players of the period. He is remembered as a real character and a tough nut. In a game against Alessandria in 1931 he fainted after a collision with an opponent and was carried off, he soon insisted to come back on only to be forced off again with a face injury that needed several stitches, but once again Sclavi reappeared between the posts, this time so heavily bandaged that the press at the time likened him to a mummy. His courage was greatly admired and appreciated especially as Lazio went on to win the game.
He definitely belonged to another era, on one occasion he even challenged a journalist to a duel after some criticism, the two did later become friends.
Held captive by the British for six years during World War II, he came back and took up painting for which he had an exceptional talent. A man and player no-one can forget and even the younger generations have heard of the legendary “portiere-artista” (the artist-goalkeeper).
May 26, 2013. Rome. Coppa Italia Final. Derby. Minute 71. Free kick for Lazio. Eddy Onazi to Antonio Candreva on the right inside the Roma half, ball back to Abdoulay Konko who passed it to Stefano Mauri who immediately gave it to Candreva and ran into an open space 5 metres from the edge of the box. Candreva understood what Mauri wanted to do, passed him the ball and ran forward. The Lazio skipper waited for Candreva to get into the right position and passed it to the winger who in the meantime had accelerated and beaten Federico Balzaretti. As soon as Candreva saw the possibility of a cross and Lulic on the other side of the box, in came the low pass. Bogdan Lobont got a hand to it thus cutting out a Marquinhos clearance. The ball arrived to Lulic, open goal, 1-0. Senad Lulic becomes legend.
A spectacular left winger, Lulic played in all positions on the left flank, attack, midfield, defence, but was also the dominator of the whole left wing in a 3-5-2 formation. He could shoot, cross, defend and scored some great goals in his ten years with Lazio. He always played on the left even if he was right footed.
He played for Lazio from 1909 to 1922.
Pino Fioranti must be considered one of Lazio’s best early players.
Greatly talented, he could play anywhere, usually as a forward or midfielder, but it is known that he was also a ruthless defender.
With the Biancocelesti he reached the finals of the Championship three times and won many other trophies such as the Tosti Cup and the Bacelli Cup.
He could not play too regularly because he worked in Genoa and it was difficult at the time to go back and forth.
Just one season, 1998-99, and he missed half of it through injury, but Christian Vieri left his mark. As a player Vieri was a classic centre-forward. At 1.85 metres and 82 kilos he was physically strong but quick once he got going and good in the air. Despite his size he also had opportunist qualities. He had a very powerful and precise left foot which allowed him to score with long range shots too. He was a goal scorer but was also an effective attacking partner to play off so he was also a useful assist man. He was a team player and had good leadership qualities which made him one of the best forwards of his generation.
He has been compared to Gigi Riva, Giorgio Chinaglia. Nowadays Erland Haaland could be considered to have "Vieriesque" qualities.
At Lazio he was a huge success. Unfortunately, he stayed only a year and was injured until January. When he started playing again, he was a whirlwind presence and scored goals. Lazio deserved to win the Scudetto that year, falling agonizingly short, but won the Cup Winners Cup.
Vieri is possibly the player who in the shortest time (5 months in the end) made the biggest impact at Lazio.
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