Marco Nappi (born 13 May 1966), also known as ''Nippo'', is an Italian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

and current manager, who played as a striker.

Playing career

Nappi was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. After signing with Urbe Tevere in 1982, he went on to play for several other Italian clubs, starting his professional footballing career with

A.C. Cesena AC Cesena, commonly referred to as Cesena (), was an Italian football club based in Cesena, Emilia-Romagna. The club spent most of its history in professional leagues such as Serie A and Serie B, but went bankrupt and folded in 2018. Another cl ...

in 1983, remaining with the club until 1986, also spending two seasons on loan with

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

(1984–85, and 1985–86). He moved to

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

for a season in 1987, before moving to

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

in 1988. During his time with Genoa (1988–99), he notably won the

1988–89 Serie B The Serie B 1988–89 was the fifty-seventh tournament of this competition played in Italy since its creation. Teams Ancona, Monza, Licata, Cosenza and Reggina had been promoted from Serie C, while Avellino and Empoli had been relegated from S ...

title, helping the club to obtain

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

promotion, and also winning the 1995–96 Anglo-Italian Cup; he was also sent on loan to various clubs during his time with Genoa:

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

(1989 and 1994–95),

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

(1989–91),

Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...

(1991–92), and

SPAL Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly referred to by the acronym SPAL (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. During the 2024–25 season the team played in Serie C, the third tier of the Italian foot ...

(1992–93). He ended his career in 2006, after a season with

U.S.D. Sestri Levante 1919 Unione Sportiva Sestri Levante 1919 is an Football in Italy, Italian association football club located in Sestri Levante, Liguria. Currently, it plays in Serie C. History The club was founded in 1919. 1940s in Serie C Sestri Levante partic ...

. During his time with Fiorentina, he played alongside

Roberto Baggio Roberto Baggio (; born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former pr ...

and also

Stefano Borgonovo Stefano Borgonovo (; 17 March 1964 – 27 June 2013) was an Italian footballer and manager, who played as a striker. An opportunistic striker, Borgonovo played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, and came to prominence while playin ...

, helping the club to reach the

1990 UEFA Cup Final The 1990 UEFA Cup Final was an association football tie played on 2 May 1990 and 16 May 1990 between Juventus and Fiorentina of Italy. Juventus won 3–1 on aggregate. This was the first final between two Italian sides in the UEFA competiti ...

, where they were defeated by rivals

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

. Following his retirement, he worked as a coach.

Style of play

A quick, mobile, and creative forward, with an eye for goal, Nappi was known for his long blond hair, as well as his determination and work-rate on the pitch, and was capable of playing in several offensive positions. A skilful player, he was also known for his control, agility, flair and technical ability, as well as his notable use of tricks and feints to beat opponents when

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...

, such as the ''

sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...

''; one of his most famous gestures was his use of the ''

seal dribble A seal dribble is a form of dribbling in association football. It is performed by flicking the ball up from the ground onto the head, whereby the player then proceeds to run past opponents, whilst bouncing the ball on top of his forehead, imitating ...

'', which earned him the nickname ''foca'' (seal). His most famous use of the ''seal dribble'' came in the first leg of the semi-final of the

1989–90 UEFA Cup The 1989–90 UEFA Cup was the 19th season of the UEFA Cup, the secondary club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo, Turi ...

, against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

; during the match, Nappi picked up the ball in his area and ran 20 metres with the ball bouncing along his forehead along the right flank.

After retirement

Nappi served as a pundit for Telenord following his retirement. A good friend of former footballer and ex-Fiorentina team-mate

, Nappi organized the Genoa–

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

derby "United against

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

" in his honour on 27 March 2009, at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, scoring from a penalty.

Coaching career

In 2007, Nappi began a career as a youth

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

for Figenpa, a Genoan amateur side. In the summer of 2012, he returned to his former club

Savona Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main center of the Riviera di Ponente (the western se ...

(with whom he had played from 2002 to 2003) as a coach for the "Allievi Nazionali" youth side, reaching the "finali nazionali" with the youth side. In July 2014, he worked as a coach for

Serie D The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...

side Comprensorio Montalto, although he resigned from this position at the beginning of 2015. He successively served as the head coach of Serie D club Pomigliano. In 2021, after a two-year stint as a youth coach for Chinese club

Beijing Sport University F.C. Beijing Sport University Football Club (), commonly known as BSU (), was a Chinese professional football club that participated in the China League One division under license from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Beij ...

, he was appointed head coach of Serie D club

Arzachena Arzachena (; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Sassari, northern Sardinia, the second largest island off the coast of Italy. Arzachena lies halfway between the original Costa Smeralda resort and Porto Rafael, both founded in the la ...

. After two seasons with the Sardinian club, Nappi returned to management in October 2023 as the new head coach of Serie D club Nocerina. After leaving Nocerina by the end of the season, Nappi served as head coach of Ligurian Serie D club Cairese from October 2024 to March 2025.

Honours

Genoa *

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

: 1988–89 *

Anglo-Italian Cup The Anglo-Italian Cup (, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) was a European football competition. The competition was ...

: 1995–96 Como *

: 2001–02 Vis Pesaro *

Serie C2 Serie C2 was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. History Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Serie C. The league menaging t ...

: 1986–87 Ravenna *

: 1984–85

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nappi, Marco 1966 births Living people Men's association football forwards Italian men's footballers Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players Serie D players Vis Pesaro dal 1898 players Ravenna FC players SS Arezzo players Genoa CFC players Brescia Calcio players ACF Fiorentina players Udinese Calcio players SPAL players Atalanta BC players Ternana Calcio players Como 1907 players AC Cuneo 1905 players Carrarese Calcio 1908 players AC Cesena players Footballers from Rome 20th-century Italian sportsmen