Giampiero Vitali

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Giampiero Vitali

| image =

| fullname =

| height = 1.76 m

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1940|8|1}}

| birth_place = Milan, Italy

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2001|5|20|1940|8|1}}

| death_place = Milan, Italy

| position = defender

| years1 = 1959–1962

| clubs1 = Fanfulla

| caps1 = 44

| goals1 = 3

| years3 = 1962–1964

| clubs3 = Triestina

| caps3 = 70

| goals3 = 4

| years4 = 1964–1966

| clubs4 = Lazio

| caps4 = 46

| goals4 = 2

| years5 = 1966–1967

| clubs5 = Fiorentina

| caps5 = 17

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1967–1968

| clubs6 = Brescia

| caps6 = 18

| goals6 = 0

| years7 = 1968–1969

| clubs7 = S.P.A.L.

| caps7 = 20

| goals7 = 2

| years8 = 1969–1976

| clubs8 = Massese

| caps8 = 245

| goals8 = 25

| manageryears1 = 1975–1976

| managerclubs1 = Massese (assistant)

| manageryears2 = 1977–1978

| managerclubs2 = Empoli

| manageryears3 = 1978

| managerclubs3 = Pisa

| manageryears4 = 1979–1981

| managerclubs4 = Lucchese

| manageryears5 = 1982–1983

| managerclubs5 = Empoli

| manageryears6 = 1983–1984

| managerclubs6 = Perugia

| manageryears7 = 1984–1985

| managerclubs7 = Varese

| manageryears8 = 1985–1986

| managerclubs8 = Sambenedettese

| manageryears9 = 1987

| managerclubs9 = Campobasso

| manageryears10 = 1987–1989

| managerclubs10 = Parma

| manageryears11 = 1989

| managerclubs11 = Como

| manageryears12 = 1991

| managerclubs12 = Empoli

| manageryears13 = 1991–1992

| managerclubs13 = Taranto

| manageryears14 = 1993–1994

| managerclubs14 = Modena

| manageryears15 = 1995

| managerclubs15 = Palermo

| manageryears16 = 1996

| managerclubs16 = Pistoiese

| manageryears17 = 1997

| managerclubs17 = Palermo

| manageryears18 = 1997–2000

| managerclubs18 = Carrarese (technical director)

| manageryears19 = 1998

| managerclubs19 = Carrarese (caretaker)

}}

Giampiero Vitali (1 August 1940 — 20 May 2001) was an Italian football defender and later manager.{{WorldFootball.net|giampiero-vitali}}

He died in 2001, aged 60, due to an incurable disease.[http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/2001/maggio/21/Calcio_lutto_morto_Giampiero_Vitali_ga_0_0105216481.shtml Calcio in lutto: è morto Giampiero Vitali] - La Gazzetta dello Sport, 21 maggio 2001[http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2001/maggio/21/morto_Giampietro_Vitali_Aveva_giocato_co_8_010521031.shtml È morto Giampietro Vitali. Aveva giocato con Lazio e Fiorentina] - Corriere della Sera, 21 maggio 2001

Overall, as a player, he scored 81 appearances and 2 goals in Serie A with Lazio, Fiorentina and Brescia, 124 appearances and 9 goals in Serie B with Triestina, SPAL and Massese, 255 appearances and 25 goals in Serie C with Fanfulla and Massese.

With Massese he obtained a promotion from Serie C to Serie B, still setting the record for matches played in the league with 245 appearances.[http://www.enciclopediadelcalcio.it/VitaliGianpiero.html Vitali Giampiero, Enciclopedia Del Calcio] - www.enciclopediadelcalcio.it

When he ceased playing sports, he had twenty years of experience as a coach (to his credit 13 Serie B championships), leading, among other things, Parma for two seasons before the advent of Nevio Scala and Palermo twice. He obtained one admission to the new Serie C1 championship with Empoli (1977-1978 season), a promotion from Serie C1 to Serie B in 1982-1983 always at the lead of Empoli and ended his career at Carrara, in Serie C1, season 1997-1998, when hired as Technical Director, the management asked him to return to coaching (with the team relegated to the last place in the standings), managing to save the Tuscans.{{cite book|author=M. Becherucci - M. Braglia - G. Magnani|date=2008|page=239|publisher=Società Editrice Apuana|title=Cuoreazzurro, storia personaggi miti della U.S. Carrarese 1908-2008}}[http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/massa/sport/2010/05/18/news/vitali-nove-anni-non-cancellano-il-lutto-il-calcio-apuano-piange-ancora-il-mister-1.1868712 Vitali, nove anni non cancellano il lutto, il calcio apuano piange ancora il mister] - Il Tirreno, 18 maggio 2010

In total, as a professional coach, he directed 539 matches in the league, of which 317 in Serie B, 154 in Serie C1 and 68 in Serie C2.{{cite book|author=Claudio Nassi e Alfio Tofanelli|date=1999|page=946|publisher=Ed. CALCIOSPORT s.a.s.|title=Tutto calcio 1998/99}}

Since 2001, the year of his death, a sporting event has been organized annually in Tuscany in memory of him,{{cite web|title=MemorialGianpieroVitali, il portale dell'evento dedicato a Gianpiero Vitali|url=http://www.memorialgianpierovitali.altervista.org/}} which attracts great personalities from the world of sport.[http://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/2006/08/11/LM2PO_LM205.html Marcello Lippi: sono qui al memorial perché sono legato alla famiglia Vitali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908134036/http://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/2006/08/11/LM2PO_LM205.html |date=2014-09-08 }} - Il Tirreno, 11 agosto 2006[http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/massa/sport/2009/08/05/news/il-calcio-sotto-l-ombrellone-aspetta-l-ex-ct-azzurro-sacchi-1.1729752 Il "Calcio sotto l'ombrellone" aspetta l'ex CT azzurro Sacchi] - Il Tirreno, 5 agosto 2009

[http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/news/sport/39358/Memorial-Vitali--ricordare-un-amico.html Memorial Vitali: ricordare un amico parlando di calcio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031449/http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/news/sport/39358/Memorial-Vitali--ricordare-un-amico.html |data=5 marzo 2016 }} - Gazzetta di Parma, 13 agosto 2010

In 2020 the Stadio degli Oliveti in Massa was named after him.[https://www.quinewsmassacarrara.it/massa-lo-stadio-intitolato-a-giampiero-vitali.htm Lo stadio intitolato a Giampiero Vitali] quinewsmassacarrara.it