Stefano Borgonovo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 March 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Giussano, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 27 June 2013 (aged 49) | ||
| Place of death | Florence, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Como | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1986 | Como | 63 | (13) |
| 1984–1985 | → Sambenedettese (loan) | 33 | (13) |
| 1986–1990 | Milan | 13 | (2) |
| 1986–1988 | → Como (loan) | 33 | (3) |
| 1988–1989 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 30 | (14) |
| 1990–1992 | Fiorentina | 37 | (4) |
| 1992–1993 | Pescara | 35 | (11) |
| 1993–1996 | Udinese | 14 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | → Brescia (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| Total | 272 | (62) | |
| National team | |||
| 1985–1986 | Italy U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 1989 | Italy | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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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 playing alongside Roberto Baggio with Fiorentina during the 1988–89 season, on loan from Milan. His prolific performances with Fiorentina earned him a permanent move to Milan, where he contributed to the club's European Cup victory in 1990, despite struggling with injuries.
Following his retirement, Borgonovo served as a youth coach with Como; after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he started the Fondazione Stefano Borgonovo to raise funds and awareness of the disease. Until his death as a result of the illness in June 2013, he was also extremely active off the pitch in the fight against doping in football.
Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debut at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio, and reaching the semi-final of the 1985–86 Coppa Italia with the club. After a loan spell at S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio he established himself as a key player, and in 1986 moved to A.C. Milan, who immediately loaned him back to Como.
After two years Borgonovo was sent on loan again, this time to ACF Fiorentina, where he had the most successful season of his career, scoring 14 league goals while playing alongside attacking partner Roberto Baggio under coach Sergio Santarini. The two forwards would form an important friendship, and their prolific goalscoring exploits that season (together they scored 29 of Fiorentina's 44 Serie A goals that season) would earn the attacking pair the nickname "B2", as both their surnames began with the letter B; together, they helped Fiorentina to qualify for the UEFA Cup. One of his most memorable performances with Fiorentina came in a 4–3 win over Giovanni Trapattoni's Inter Milan side on 12 February 1989, in the last match of the first round; Inter were in first place, and were unbeaten in the league at the time. With Fiorentina trailing 3–2, Borgonovo first scored a goal to tie the match, and subsequently also netted the match-winner in the 85th minute, after hiding behind Inter defender Riccardo Ferri, and suddenly running to intercept Giuseppe Bergomi's back-pass, who later admitted that he was not aware of Borgonovo's position; Borgonovo subsequently anticipated Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga's run and took it past him before putting the ball into the empty net to win the match. Inter went on to win the next eight matches and eventually won the Serie A title that season, setting a new records for most points in a Serie A season; the team went on a second unbeaten streak, which was interrupted by a defeat to Torino in the penultimate match of the season.
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