Intro
The Laziali will have a five-piece feature piece surrounding a “Lazio Team of Legends” since the birth of the club in 1900. This team was selected by the Laziali fan base who voted in polls on Twitter in 2019; firstly a piece on the manager and goalkeeper, secondly a piece on the defenders, thirdly a piece on the midfielders, fourthly a piece on the attackers, and finally a piece on the substitutes. Below, a deep dive into the midfielders of the starting 11.
Luciano Re Cecconi
L’Angelo Biondo (The Blond Angel), was known for his blistering speed and humorous personality. He was part of Maestrelli’s Lazio and was key in preventing a relegation in the ‘75/’76 season through an incredible performance that saw Lazio secure goal differential over Ascoli to keep them in the top flight of Italian football. Re Cecconi could be described as having “16 lungs”, a great defender of the ball, and one of the best filtering midfielders that Lazio ever had. He was not particularly known for technical play, nor for being a scorer – his role was to be a wall for the midfield in front of the defenders, making Lazio’s defense in the ‘73/’74 season the best, conceding only 23 goals in 30 matches. Unfortunately, his story is a bit of a tragedy as he died when performing a practical joke, using a fake gun to “mock” rob his friend’s jewelry store. Garlaschelli had taken the loss especially hard as they were very close and Re Cecconi had told Garlaschelli of his plans to pull the prank.
Juan Sebastián Verón
There are not many players who stayed such a short time with Lazio yet left such a remembrance of their performance. As a midfielder, and in as few as 51 games, Veron made such an impact with an outstanding 11 goals. An arrival under Eriksson, he debuted when Lazio defeated Manchester United in the match for the European Super Cup, earning the number one spot in all of Europe. 2000 will forever be a year for the books of Lazio, and in this year Veron had terrific performances, scoring 8 goals for the biancocelesti. His transfer to the Premier League would break the transfer amount record for the English league, the first Non-UEFA player to do so.
Matías Jesús Almeyda
It is difficult to forget the man who screamed a ball past Buffon from 35-yards out. Though his time with Lazio was short, his pairing with the likes of Veron would see the club have great success. While Veron was the visionary of the midfield, Almeyda was a physically imposing player – somewhat ironic considering his rather short build. However, he tended to impose his defensive role in the midfield through tough tackles, and endless energy.