Pasquale Bruno

Pasquale Bruno

Pasquale Bruno playing for Juventus
Personal information
Full name	Pasquale Bruno
Date of birth	(1962-06-19) 19 June 1962 (age 54)
Place of birth	Lecce, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
	Lecce
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1983	Lecce	111	(9)
1983–1987	Como	109	(2)
1987–1990	Juventus	67	(1)
1990–1993	Torino	74	(1)
1993–1994	Fiorentina	19	(0)
1994–1995	Lecce	17	(3)
1995–1997	Heart of Midlothian	35	(1)
1997	Wigan Athletic	1	(0)
1998	Cowdenbeath	1	(0)
Total		434	(17)
National team
1981	Italy U20	2	(0)
1981	Italy B U21	1	(?)
1987–1988	Italy Olympic	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Pasquale Bruno (born 19 June 1962) is an Italian football commentator and former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is remembered for being one of the toughest players in the history of Italian football.

Throughout his career, he made a name for himself as an aggressive, physical, and hard-tackling player, with a tendency to commit fouls and pick up cards, often attracting criticism and controversy, and earning the nickname "O' animale" (Neapolitan: the animal), due to his tenacious style of play; in total, he received an Italian record of over fifty days of suspension throughout his career. Bruno played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, in particular Juventus, where he won a Coppa Italia-UEFA Cup double in 1990, and subsequently for the club's inter-city rivals Torino, where he won another Coppa Italia in 1993; he also had stints with Lecce, Como and Fiorentina. Following his time in Italy, he ended his career after spells in Scotland and England with Heart of Midlothian, Wigan Athletic, and Cowdenbeath. He currently works as a football analyst for Italian television.

Bruno started his career with his home-town side U.S. Lecce in 1979. The defender moved north to Como in 1983, and then four years later joined Juventus in 1987. Although his time with the Bianconeri was predominantly disappointing, due to the club's crisis following the retirement of legend Michel Platini, he won a UEFA Cup medal during the 1989–90 season, under manager Dino Zoff, as Juventus defeated Italian rivals Fiorentina in the 1990 UEFA Cup Final, and a Coppa Italia winners medal the same season, defeating Milan in the final. Although Bruno often declared that he had not formed friendships with footballers, partially due to his combatitive style of play and aggressive behaviour, he notably formed a close friendship with team-mate Ian Rush during his time at the club.