Francesco Graziani

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Graziani's move to Fiorentina in 1981 came after eight seasons at Torino, where he had won the Scudetto in 1975–76 and the Capocannoniere title as Serie A's top scorer in 1977 with 21 goals. At Torino, he formed the famous attacking pair nicknamed the "Gemelli del gol" ("Goal twins") with Paolo Pulici, scoring 122 goals in 289 games across all competitions. His transfer to Fiorentina alongside Pecci marked a new chapter, but the 1981–82 season ended in heartbreak as the Viola missed the title by a single point. After two seasons in Florence, Graziani moved to Roma in 1983.

In Their Own Story

The 1981–82 season at Fiorentina was a campaign of what-ifs. Graziani, who had scored 21 league goals in his Capocannoniere season at Torino just a few years earlier, joined a Viola side pushing for the Scudetto. The team fought through the season with determination, but when the final standings were tallied, Fiorentina found themselves trailing the champions by a solitary point. It was the closest Graziani would come to a second Serie A title, and the near-miss defined his brief but intense spell in Florence before he moved on to Roma in 1983.

Reader's Guide

Francesco Graziani joined Fiorentina in 1981 after eight seasons with Torino, where he had made his Serie A debut on 18 November 1973 against Sampdoria and scored his first top-flight goal on 16 December 1973 against Bologna. At Torino, he accumulated 221 league appearances with 97 goals, 45 Coppa Italia appearances with 17 goals, and 23 European appearances with 8 goals. He won the Scudetto in 1975–76 and was Serie A's top scorer in 1976–77 with 21 goals. At Fiorentina, he played for two seasons, missing the Serie A title by a single point in 1981–82. He later moved to Roma in 1983, where he won two Coppa Italia titles (1984 and 1986) and reached the 1984 European Cup Final, losing on penalties to Liverpool at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a match where Graziani himself missed a penalty in the shoot-out.

Did You Know?

• Graziani scored his first Serie A goal on 16 December 1973 — his 21st birthday — against Bologna.
• He is the seventh-highest scorer in Torino's history with 122 goals, just one behind Valentino Mazzola's 123.
• Graziani missed a penalty in the 1984 European Cup Final shoot-out for Roma against Liverpool.
• He is tied with Christian Vieri as the ninth-highest all-time scorer for Italy with 23 official goals.
• Graziani's son Gabriele also became a professional footballer.