YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD by now that Italian club Parma have been relegated to the amateur leagues after declaring bankruptcy.
It is a steep fall for the two-time Uefa Cup winners, who once had a squad that was considered as being among the most talented in Europe.
In 1999, they earned a convincing 3-0 victory over a Marseille side that featured the likes of Robert Pires, Laurent Blanc, Titi Camara and Florian Maurice, thanks to goals from Hernán Crespo, Paolo Vanoli and Enrico Chiesa.
Here’s what became of that famous Parma team…
Gianluigi Buffon: Still playing today, Buffon left Parma for Juve for a world-record goalkeeper’s transfer fee of over €51 million in 2001. He has stayed with the Turin side ever since, making over 400 appearances for the club, and playing in their Champions League final against Barcelona recently.
Lilian Thuram: One of the best defenders in the world at the time, like Buffon, Thuram would make a big-money move from Parma to Juve in 2001. After another successful stint there, he finished his career by spending two years at Barcelona. Since retiring, Thuram has become noticeably politically active, supporting same sex marriage and opposing the policies of Nicolas Sarkozy.
Roberto Sensini: Sensini moved to Lazio soon after the Uefa Cup final, before returning for a second spell at Parma in 2000. Two years later, he would join Udinese and finish his career there. Post-retirement, he has managed a number of clubs, including Udinese, Newell’s Old Boys and Colón, though he has yet to enjoy anything like the success he had as a player since becoming a coach.
Fabio Cannavaro: Widely considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, the World Cup winner left Parma for Inter in 2002. He has also played for Juventus (twice), Real Madrid and Al-Ahli. Since retiring, he has worked as an occasional TV pundit and was handed a 10-month jail sentence earlier this year.
Dino Baggio: Left Parma for Lazio in 2000, and spent further stints at a number of clubs, including Blackburn, Ancona and Triestina. He has kept a relatively low profile since retiring.
Alain Boghossian: A member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad (he even appeared from the bench in the final against Brazil), Boghossian left Parma in 2002 and retired after just one season at Espanyol, owing to injury troubles. He is now assistant coach of the French national team.
Diego Fuser: The former winger left Parma in 2001 and went on to play for several clubs, including Roma, Torino and Canelli. Since retiring, he has managed Italian club Nicese.
Juan Sebastián Verón: Joined Lazio at the end of that season, before moving to England to join Man United and then Chelsea. The midfielder only retired last year, and is now a sporting director at Estudiantes.
Paolo Vanoli: Left Parma for Fiorentina in 2000 and played for a number of clubs, including Rangers, thereafter. He is now coach of Italy’s U18 side.
Hernán Crespo: Crespo joined Lazio in 2000, and represented other top clubs, including Chelsea, Milan and Inter, before finishing his career with another spell at Parma. He is now hoping to pursue a career in coaching.
Enrico Chiesa: A prolific striker in his day, Chiesa left Parma to join Fiorentina following their Uefa Cup success. After a further brief stint at Lazio, Chiesa finished his career in the lower leagues, before embarking on a coaching career with Figline in 2010.
Subs
Davide Micillo: Became a bit of a journeyman after leaving Parma in 2001, and probably enjoyed his best spell at Ascoli between 2003 and 2004, making 44 appearances for the club. Micillo has since worked as a goalkeeping coach with Brescia.
Luigi Sartor: Left Parma in 2002, but failed to enjoy similar success at Roma or any other side he joined thereafter. He was arrested for his part in the 2011 Italian football scandal and banned from the game for five years.
Roberto Mussi: Retired from football after the Uefa Cup success, he briefly came out of retirement in 2010 to play for Massese, but didn’t make a single appearance for the club.
Luigi Apolloni: Joined Verona in 2000 and retired after just one season with the side. Apolloni went on to manage a number of teams, including Modena and Grosseto. He currently manages Gorica in the Slovenian PrvaLiga.
Stefano Fiore: Departed Parma for Udinese after the Uefa Cup triumph, he played for several other clubs subsequently — Lazio, Valencia and Fiorentina among them. Fiore has since worked behind the scenes at lower league side Cosenza.
Faustino Asprilla: One of the era’s most enigmatic payers, Asprilla left at the end of the season and went to Palmeiras. He then stayed in South America with a series of clubs until his retirement in 2004. The former Colombia international came back into the headlines in 2014, after it was announced he was producing his own line of condoms.
Abel Balbo: Was never really the same player after leaving Parma that summer, and had unsuccessful stints at Fiorentina, Roma and Boca Juniors thereafter. He managed lower-tier clubs, including Arezzo, after ending his playing career in 2002. He now works as a commentator for Italian football show Stadio Sprint.
Manager
Alberto Malesani: Left Parma in 2001 and struggled to enjoy similar success thereafter, amid tenures at Verona, Udinese and Genoa among several other clubs. He last managed Sassuolo in 2014.
