Padova

Full name	Calcio Padova SpA
Nickname(s)	I Biancoscudati (The White-Shielded) The Patavini (The Patavins)
Founded	29 January 1910; 114 years ago (1910-01-29) as ACP
Ground	Stadio Euganeo, Padua, Italy
Capacity	32,420 (often limited to 18,060)
Owner	Amber Capital LP
Chairman	Daniele Boscolo Meneguolo
Manager	Bruno Caneo
League	Serie C Group A
2022–23	Serie C Group A, 5th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Calcio Padova, commonly referred to as Padova, is an Italian football club based in Padua, Veneto. Founded in 1910, Padova currently play in Serie C Group A, having last been in Serie A in 1996. The team's official colours are white and red.

The team was refounded in 2014 after the sports title was awarded to Biancoscudati Padova for the 2014–15 Serie D season as a phoenix club. The old holder of the title was in the process of liquidation after it was expelled from 2014–15 Lega Pro. The original Padova was renamed Football Padova in order to allow the new iteration of Padova to use the original name of the club, Calcio Padova in 2015.

History

In the 1940s, the team was coached by Béla Guttmann.^{[citation needed]} Padova's golden days^[tone] were the late 1950s, when the team managed by Nereo Rocco, reached the heights^[tone] of third place in 1958 thanks to the wing wizardry^[tone] of Kurt Hamrin.^{[citation needed]} Forwards Sergio Brighenti and Aurelio Milani would star^[tone] as Padova remained a force^[tone] in Serie A, before relegation in 1962.^{[citation needed]} The rest of the 1960s would see the club in Serie B before going into a serious decline ahead of a 1980s revival.^{[citation needed]}

The revival would see Padova return to Serie B in the early 1980s, and within a decade they would be serious^{[why?][vague][tone]} promotion contenders.^{[citation needed]} A play-off win over Cesena in 1994 saw the club return to Serie A after 32 years.^{[citation needed]} After a dire^{[why?][vague][tone]} start to the 1994–95 season, Padova looked like fulfilling most experts' predictions of a swift return to Serie B.^{[citation needed]} They nonetheless found their form in the second half of the year and when they recorded a 1–0 win away to Juventus, they were six points clear of the drop zone.^{[citation needed]} However, they eventually ended up contesting the relegation play-off against Genoa, due to a late Inter Milan goal assisted by a Rubén Sosa corner, which they won on penalties.^{[clarification needed][citation needed]}

There would be no such luck^[tone] the following year, as Padova were relegated, with further relegations in 1998 and 1999.^{[citation needed]} Since 2001, they have resided in Serie C1 and Lega Pro Prima Divisione.^{[citation needed]} The team returned in Serie B at the end of the 2008–2009 season.^{[citation needed]}

In total, Calcio Padova participated in 11 Prima Divisione/Divisione Nazionale championships between 1914–15 and 1928–29 (best place being 3rd in 1922–23) and 16 Serie A championships between 1929–30 and 1995–96 (best place being 3rd in 1957–58); in Coppa Italia, the best place was runner-up in 1967.^{[citation needed]} Padova won a Coppa Italia Serie C in 1980, and played also 34 Serie B championships (won in 1947–48) and 29 Serie C1/C2/Lega Pro Prima Divisione championships (won in 1936–37, 1980–81 and 2000–01). Padova finished runner-up the Anglo-Italian Cup of 1983.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2013–14 Serie B season, Padova were relegated after finishing 20th, and on 15 July 2014, the team did not sign up to the 2014–15 Lega Pro championship.^{[citation needed]} In April 2015, the company was put into liquidation.^[1]

Biancoscudati Padova

The club was founded in the summer of 2014, with the name Società Sportiva Dilettantistica a r.l. Biancoscudati Padova, after the non-inclusion of Calcio Padova in Lega Pro and Serie D.^[2]

The first official match was Biancoscudati Padova-Castellana (2–0), valid for the Coppa Italia Serie D, played 24 August 2014.^[3]

On 19 April 2015, by virtue of a 2–1 away victory against Legnago, the team secured promotion to Lega Pro.^[4]

On 5 June 2015, changed its name to Biancoscudati Padova Spa.^[5]

On 6 July 2015, changed its name to Calcio Padova Spa, after the old Calcio Padova changed its name to Football Padova Spa – società in liquidazione.^[6]

Players

First team squad

As of 1 February 2024.^[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ITA Antonio Donnarumma 2 DF  ITA Filippo Delli Carri 3 DF  ITA Marco Perrotta 4 DF  ITA Francesco Belli 6 MF  ITA Lorenzo Crisetig 7 MF  ECU Kevin Varas 8 MF  ITA Pietro Fusi 9 MF  ITA Nicola Valente 10 MF  ITA Igor Radrezza 11 MF  ITA Jacopo Dezi 12 GK  ITA Riccardo Rossi 14 DF  ITA Luca Villa 15 MF  ITA Nicolò Bianchi

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  ITA Alessandro Capelli 19 FW  ITA Simone Palombi 20 FW  ITA Mattia Bortolussi 21 FW  ITA Michael Liguori 22 GK  ITA Pablo Mangiaracina 26 DF  NZL Niko Kirwan 30 DF  ITA Giulio Favale 58 MF  ITA Carmine Cretella 72 DF  ITA Carlo Faedo 77 FW  ITA Simone Russini 90 FW  ITA Mattia Tordini (on loan from Lecco) 94 FW  ITA Luca Zamparo (on loan from Virtus Entella) 99 GK  ITA Alessandro Zanellati

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ITA Mattia Fortin (at Legnago until 30 June 2024) — DF  ITA Bernardo Calabrese (at Gubbio until 30 June 2024) — DF  ITA Antonio Granata (at Virtus Entella until 30 June 2024) — DF  ITA Giovanni Leoni (at Sampdoria U19 until 30 June 2024) — MF  ITA Jacopo Bacci (at Empoli until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ITA Simone Franchini (at Pescara until 30 June 2024) — MF  ITA Tommaso Miccoli (at Treviso until 30 June 2024) — FW  ITA Luca Gagliano (at Foggia until 30 June 2024) — FW  ITA Tommaso Ghirardello (at Genoa U19 until 30 June 2024)

Honours

• Serie B

Winners: 1947–48 (group B)^{[citation needed]}

• Serie C

Winners: 1936–37 (group C),^{[citation needed]} 2017–18 (group B)^{[citation needed]}

• Serie C2

Winners: 1980–81 (group B),^{[citation needed]} 2000–01 (group A)^{[citation needed]}

• Serie D

Winners: 2014–15 (group C)^{[citation needed]}

• Coppa Italia Serie C

Winners: 1979–80,^{[citation needed]} 2021–22^{[citation needed]}

• Supercoppa di Serie C

Winners: 2018^{[citation needed]}

Divisional movements

Series	Years	Last	Promotions	Relegations
A	16	1995–96	–	5 (1930, 1934, 1952, 1962, 1996)
B	38	2018–19	4 (1932, 1948, 1955, 1994)	6 (1935, 1969, 1985, 1998, 2014✟, 2019)
C +C2	31 +4	2021–22	5 (1937, 1983, 1987, 2009, 2018) 2 (1981 C2, 2001 C2)	2 (1979 C1, 1999 C1)
89 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
D	1	2014–15	1 (2015)	never