Manuel Cardoni

{{No significant coverage (sports)|find=football|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Manuel Cardoni

| image =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|9|22}}

| birth_place = Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

| height = 1.84 m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1990–1992

| clubs1 = US Rumelange

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1992–1996

| clubs2 = Jeunesse Esch

| caps2 = 93

| goals2 = 30

| years3 = 1996–1998

| clubs3 = Bayer Leverkusen

| caps3 = 1

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1998–2006

| clubs4 = Jeunesse Esch

| caps4 = 166

| goals4 = 30

| years5 = 2006–2008

| clubs5 = US Rumelange

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| totalcaps = 260

| totalgoals = 60

| nationalyears1 = 1993–2004

| nationalteam1 = Luxembourg

| nationalcaps1 = 69

| nationalgoals1 = 5

| manageryears1 = 2008–2010

| managerclubs1 = US Rumelange (assistant manager)

| manageryears2 = 2010–2012

| managerclubs2 = US Rumelange

| manageryears3 = 2014–

| managerclubs3 = Luxembourg U21

| manageryears4 = 2014–2021

| managerclubs4 = Luxembourg U19

}}

Manuel Cardoni (born 22 September 1972) is a Luxembourgish former professional football player. He is the Technical Director at Luxembourg national football team.

Cardoni is the son of Furio Cardoni, one of Luxembourg's finest players in the 1970s.

Club career

A tireless midfield playmaker, Cardoni started his career at US Rumelange before joining Luxembourg club Jeunesse Esch in 1992. He was then snapped up by Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, for whom he made only one substitute appearance (against Bayern Munich) in two seasons.{{cite web | url = http://www.fussballportal.de/index.php?kat=44&spieler_id=504 | publisher = Fussballportal.de | language = German | accessdate = 26 February 2011 | title = Manuel Cardoni | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070728232655/http://www.fussballportal.de/index.php?kat=44&spieler_id=504 | archive-date = 28 July 2007 | url-status = dead }} He became the third Luxembourgish player in the Bundesliga ever, after Nico Braun and Robby Langers.

He rejoined Jeunesse Esch in 1998 and became player-manager at US Rumelange in 2006.

Cardoni won the Luxembourgish Footballer of the Year award four times (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000). He now serves as an ambassador for the Special Olympics.

International career

Cardoni made his debut for Luxembourg in a May 1993 World Cup qualification match against Iceland and went on to earn 68 caps, scoring 5 goals.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/lux-recintlp.html |title=Appearances for Luxembourg National Team |accessdate=26 February 2011 |url-status=live |website=RSSSF |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429190217/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/lux-recintlp.html |archivedate=29 April 2008 }} He played in 22 World Cup qualification matches.{{FIFA player|95424}}

His final international game was an October 2004 World Cup qualification match against Liechtenstein.

Career statistics

class="wikitable" ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	22 February 1995	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	{{fb\|MLT}}	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
2.	13 March 1996	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	{{fb\|SUI}}	1–0	1–1	Friendly match
3.	23 February 2000	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	{{fb\|NIR}}	1–1	1–3	Friendly match
4.	17 April 2002	Stade Alphonse Theis, Hesperange, Luxembourg	{{fb\|LIE}}	3–3	3–3	Friendly match
5.	8 September 2004	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	{{fb\|LVA}}	3–2	3–4	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification