As we await the end of this interminable international break, finding Fiorentina stuff to write about has gotten tricky. Fortunately, drew t suggested this last month: Who left the team and subsequently returned to the greatest success? For the purposes of the exercise, I’m not counting anyone who was on the books and got loaned away. I’m also setting myself a time limit to my memory, so with apologies to Massimo Orlando (returned from Milan 1995) and his predecessors, they’re out. Finally, I’m only
including guys who made at least one senior appearance before departing. So now, in ascending order, let’s run through the returnees.
7. Matija Nastasic
Someone had to finish last and it’s poor old Matija. I always liked him as a player but he only spent a season in Florence the first time around before Manchester City swooped in on deadline day with €5.5 million and Stefan Savić. When he returned 9 years later, he was a grizzled veteran who’d won silverware, stacked up international appearances, and battled through promotion, relegation, and a bunch of injuries. By the time he made his way back, it was as a roll of the dice on a 4th centerback, a roll that came up snake eyes: his knees were completely shot and he couldn’t play in Vincenzo Italiano’s high line. Fiorentina conceded 6 goals in his 2 starts. Nobody was upset when he shuffled off Mallorca on a free just 3 months after arriving.
Length of absence: 3277 days
Grading the return only: D- Seems like a nice enough guy but it didn’t work out at all
6. Luca Lezzerini
Again, this is nothing against Luca, who’s never been anything but a faithful servant to the club. An academy graduate who got 4 cameo appearances before Avellino bought him for €450,000 in 2017, he bounced around as a competent pro, usually as a backup, before making a surprise return on deadline day last year. He was never supposed to be more than a backup and was mostly brought in to help Fiorentina make up the numbers of academy-trained players, he looked pretty shaky in his 3 appearances last year. That’s not a problem for a guy who’s embraced the role of third goalkeeper and as far as I can tell, his duties matter more off the pitch than on it (more on that later). He knows his job, does it, and doesn’t make waves.
Length of absence: 2944 days
Grading the return only: C+ Hasn’t taken the world by storm but has provided a refreshing drizzle
5. Cristiano Lupatelli
After joining from Roma on a free in 2004, the former U21 international spent 2004-2005 as the starter as the Viola nearly plunged into Serie B. The following year, a certain corpulent Frenchman displaced him. Lupatelli alternated loan moves away (Parma, Palermo) with stints as Sebastien Frey’s backup before leaving permanently in 2008. I was pretty surprised when he reappeared in 2012 and even more surprised that he stuck around for 3 more seasons before retiring. He was obviously a great guy to have working with the young Neto: Lupatelli’s since rocked up as a senior goalkeeping coach for Italy and from what I can tell, everyone respects him immensely in that role.
Length of absence: 1406 days
Grading the return only: C+ Pretty similar to Lezzerini but gets an extra bump for being the guy with that facial hair configuration, y’know, that one
4. Cristiano Zanetti
He’s a touch before my time, having left Fiorentina in 1996 (which means he got a Coppa Italia medal) after aging out of the Primavera, but I remember him in the years after. He was always a quality player at Roma, Inter Milan, and Juventus, spending a decade as a cog in some excellent teams without ever becoming a star. Pantaleo Corvino brought him back in 2009 for just €2 million and Zanetti did what he always did, taking the reins as a smart, disciplined, and unfussy midfield general. He didn’t have a ton left in the tank and moved on in January 2011 but he played a key role in that final, glorious Prandelli team that beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Length of absence: 4708 days
Grading the return only: B Cheap, effective, and brief is a pretty good combination for your bargain bin veteran
3. Antonio Rosati
He only had one season as a regular starter in Serie A (2010-2011 at Lecce) but embraced the role of beloved backup early. After initially joining the Viola on loan from Napoli in 2013 (4 appearances in relief of Neto), he made the move permanent a year later on a free and formed the Nexus of Genuinely Delightful Career Bench Goalies with Lupatelli for a year before leaving for the starting job at Perugia. His return to Florence in 2020 was initially greeted with a shrug but he endeared himself to teammates and fans alike with his goofy and generous personality and deadly accurate Adriano Celentano impression. Even a man as notoriously prickly as Italiano was helpless against his charm: Rosati’s been on his staff as a goalkeeping coach since retiring.
Length of absence: 2027 days
Grading the return only: A- We didn’t understand it the first time around but the second time, he became the coolest uncle anyone has ever had and I will never not love him for it
2. Luca Toni
We all know Zio Luha, who is Fiorentina’s best striker since Gabriel Batistuta. Dude is an absolute legend. When he rocked up at the Franchi in 2012, though, it smacked of shameless pandering to a nostalgic fan base. Toni was 35 and coming off a half-season with Al-Nassr in the UAE. This was the most transparent attempt to engender goodwill after three straight listless seasons. The thing is that Toni wasn’t finished by any stretch. He scored 8 goals and chipped in 4 assists in Vincenzo Montella’s magical first season. He could barely move but his size, strength, and cunning were undiminished. In hindsight, it was pretty dumb to offer him a management position after he’d demonstrated he was still up for the challenge; he had 2 straight 20-goal seasons with Hellas Verona after leaving again. Whoops.
Length of absence: 1888 days
Grading the return only: A The expectation was nil and he rocketed past that with his typical joy in a way that turned even the wintriest hearts to tender spring
1. Borja Valer0
I mean, yeah, duh. I don’t really care that, after Borja came back from Inter, he wasn’t particularly effective as a player. I don’t care that Rocco Commisso and Daniele Pradè brought him back to curry favor with the supporters. I don’t care that he lasted just a season. What matters is that il Sindaco came home, righting a cosmic wrong committed by the Della Valle regime.
Length of absence: 1164 days
Grading the return only: A+++++++++ The balance was restored
