Franco Brienza

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Franco Brienza
Atalanta
in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-03-19) 19 March 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth Cantù, Italy
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)
attacking midfielder
Youth career
1985–1994 Campagnano
1994–1995 Isolotto
1995–1996 Imolese
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Imolese 2 (0)
1997–2000 Foggia 59 (8)
2000–2008
Palermo
 137 (15)
2002–2003 →
Ascoli
(loan)		 30 (7)
2004 →
Perugia
(loan)		 12 (2)
2008–2010
Reggina
 81 (23)
2010–2012
Siena
 65 (11)
2012–2013
Palermo
 17 (1)
2013–2014
Atalanta
 24 (1)
2014–2015
Cesena
 30 (8)
2015–2016
Bologna
 29 (3)
2016–2019
Bari
 78 (11)
2022–2023 Ischia 6 (0)
International career
2005 Italy 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Franco Brienza (Italian pronunciation:

Palermo. At international level, he briefly represented Italy
at senior level, making two appearances for his country in 2005.

Club career

Early career

Born in Cantù but growing up in Ischia, Brienza began his footballing career with local club Campagnano, before moving to Florence at the age of 15 to play for Isolotto. In 1997–98 he joined Serie B club Foggia and stayed when the team was relegated to Serie C1 in 1998 and to Serie C2 in 1999.

Palermo

Under Sensi

In 2000, he was signed by

Palermo, which Roma president Franco Sensi
had acquired in March 2000. Brienza helped his club to win the league and achieve promotion to Serie B in 2001.

On 30 June 2002, he permanently joined Palermo in a co-ownership deal for €5.5 million, as part of the deal to sign Davide Bombardini, priced €11 million.[2][3]

Under Zamparini

After Sensi sold the club to

Ascoli on loan, re-joining teammate Vincenzo Montalbano, where Brienza scored 7 goals playing as second striker
.

In 2003, he returned to Palermo, playing for the Rosanero for the first half of the season before being loaned out to

A.C. Milan
.

He again returned to Palermo as the club won promotion to Serie A. In the 2004–05 Serie A campaign, Brienza scored an impressive 10 goals in 33 games playing just behind Luca Toni, earning a call-up to the national team.

In 2005–06, new Palermo boss Luigi Delneri, who always showed a preference to play a 4–4–2 formation, ruled out a 'free role' for Brienza, who had little space during the first half of the season. After Del Neri's dismissal, Brienza later found more space in the starting lineup with new coach Giuseppe Papadopulo. He scored only one goal in 27 matches, being also featured 13 times in the UEFA Cup, scoring three goals in the continental competition.

Following

Siena, Guidolin declared his choice to use Brienza mostly as a reserve as one of his main mistakes in a troubled season which ended in a fifth place.[5] Brienza, who originally declared his intention to leave Palermo to find more space in the lineup, remained for the 2007–08 season, later stating to have changed his mind following a meeting with new boss Stefano Colantuono.[6]

Reggina

On 17 January 2008, it was announced that Brienza had joined

Reggina on loan for €300,000.[7]
Before leaving Palermo, Brienza was the only player still contracted to Palermo who played with the rosanero in both Serie A, B and C1 divisions.

On 2 July 2008, Brienza joined Reggina permanently. The club paid around €2.2 million to buy out his

Palermo contract.[8]

Siena

Brienza joined

Siena following their relegation from the Serie A in the 2010–11 season for about €700,000, signing a three-year contract.[9] He helped the club to win an immediate return to the top flight and established himself as a first choice in the 2011–12 season under the guidance of new head coach Giuseppe Sannino
, who regularly featured him as attacking midfielder.

Third stint at Palermo

On 6 June 2012, Palermo confirmed to have signed Brienza from Siena for €1.4 million

Supercoppa Serie C
.

Atalanta

On 31 January 2013 he moved to

Atalanta from Palermo for €950,000.[12][13]

Cesena

On 13 August 2014 Brienza joined Serie A newcomers

Cesena.[14]

Bologna

On 24 July 2015 Brienza joined newly promoted Serie A side

Bologna as a free agent after leaving relegated Cesena.[15] On 6 July 2016, he signed a new one-year contract.[16]

Bari

On 30 August 2016 Brienza was sold to

Bari from Bologna.[17]

After the club's exclusion from professional football and its refoundation under the ownership of Aurelio De Laurentiis, Brienza re-signed for Bari in August 2018, agreeing to remain at the club also in the Serie D league.

After helping the team with promotion to Serie C in the 2018–19 season, he left the club at the end of the campaign when his contract expired.[18]

Ischia

In November 2022, 43-year-old Brienza went out of retirement to join hometown club

Ischia in the Eccellenza fifth-tier amateur league, with the aim to help them win promotion to Serie D.[19]
He left the club by the end of the season after being part of Ischia's squad that won promotion to Serie D.

International career

In 2005, Brienza was called up to the Italy national team by Marcello Lippi and was subsequently capped during a friendly North-American tour with the Azzurri, marking his debut in a 1–1 draw with Serbia and Montenegro at Rogers Centre, Toronto on 8 June 2005, replacing Giorgio Chiellini in the 64th minute. In the match against Ecuador three days later, Brienza featured in the starting lineup partnering Luca Toni and David Di Michele. Brienza and Toni were replaced by Cristiano Lucarelli and Antonio Langella at half-time in the 1–1 draw at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey state.

Style of play

A diminutive and creative

Trequartista position in Italy,[20] although he was also capable of playing as a second striker, in deep-lying creative role as a central midfielder (known as the regista position in Italy), or as a right winger, a position which allowed him to cut into the middle onto his stronger foot.[21]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Palermo
 2001–02 Serie B 29 2 0 0 — — 29 2
2002–03 0 0 2 0 — — 2 0
2003–04 18 1 2 0 — — 20 1
2004–05 Serie A 33 10 4 1 — — 37 11
2005–06 27 1 3 1 9 3 — 39 4
2006–07 22 0 2 1 4 1 — 28 2
2007–08 8 1 0 0 1 0 — 9 1
Total 137 15 13 2 14 4 0 0 164 21
Ascoli
(loan) 		2002–03 Serie B 30 7 1 0 — — 31 7
Perugia
(loan) 		2003–04 Serie A 12 2 0 0 — 2 0 14 2
Reggina
 2007–08 Serie A 20 7 0 0 — — 20 7
2008–09 32 5 1 2 — — 33 7
2009–10 Serie B 29 11 2 2 — — 31 13
Total 81 23 3 4 0 0 0 0 84 27
Siena
 2010–11 Serie B 29 7 1 0 — — 30 7
2011–12 Serie A 36 4 3 0 — — 39 4
Total 65 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 69 11
Palermo 2012–13 Serie A 17 1 2 0 — — 19 1
Atalanta
 2012–13 Serie A 6 0 0 0 — — 6 0
2013–14 18 1 0 0 — — 18 1
Total 24 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 1
Cesena
 2014–15 Serie A 30 8 1 0 — — 31 8
Bologna
 2015–16 Serie A 29 3 1 0 — — 30 3
2016–17 0 0 1 0 — — 1 0
Total 29 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 31 3
Bari
 2016–17 Serie B 27 5 1 0 — — 28 5
2017–18 30 4 3 0 — — 33 4
2018–19[22] Serie D 21 2 — — 21 2
Total 78 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 82 11
Career total 503 82 30 7 14 4 2 0 549 93

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2005 2 0
Total 2 0

References

  1. ^ "RELAZIIONE SEMESTRALE AL 31 DIICEMBRE 2000" (PDF). AS Roma (in Italian). Borsa Italiana Archive. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  2. ^ AS Roma SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2002 (in Italian)
  3. ^ Vittorio Malagutti (7 November 2002). "La Roma ha un buco nel bilancio? Per coprirlo basta vendere 26 sconosciuti". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  4. ^ a b "COMUNICATO UFFICIALE N. 91/CDN (2009–10 season)" (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 27 May 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  5. ^ "TMW A CALDO – Palermo, Guidolin: "Soddisfatto della Uefa, ma ammetto i miei errori…"" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
  6. ^ "Brienza: "A Palermo mi trovo molto bene"" (in Italian). Stadionews. 9 September 2007. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  7. ^ US Città di Palermo Report and Accounts on 30 June 2008 (in Italian)
  8. ^ "DICHIARAZIONE DI ZAMPARINI". ilpalermocalcio.it (in Italian). 2 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  9. ^ AC Siena SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2011 (in Italian)
  10. ^ US Città di Palermo SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2012 (in Italian)
  11. ^ "BRIENZA TORNA A "CASA"" [BRIENZA COMES BACK "HOME"] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  12. ^ "BRIENZA SI TRASFERISCE ALL'ATALANTA, LORES E SOSA CEDUTI IN PRESTITO" [BRIENZA MOVED TO ATALANTA, LORES E SOSA ON LOAN] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  13. ^ US Città di Palermo SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 (in Italian)
  14. ^ "Franco Brienza è bianconero" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Bologna sign former Palermo forward Franco Brienza". ESPNFC. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Brienza in rossoblù: l'avventura continua" (in Italian). Bologna F.C. 1909. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Mercato: Brienza è biancorosso" (in Italian). F.C. Bari 1908. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  18. ^ Brienza rompe con il Bari. De Laurentiis: “Deve riflettere sul suo futuro”, stadionews.it, 13 July 2019
  19. ^ "Franco Brienza torna in campo a 43 anni: giocherà con l'Ischia" (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport - Stadio. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Un 2015 da favola per Masina". UEFA. 29 December 2015. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  21. ^ Luca Aquino (3 November 2015). "Bologna, Donadoni studia la mossa. Brienza può essere il nuovo regista" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Franco Brienza - Carriera - stagioni, presenze, goal". tuttocalciatori.net (in Italian). Retrieved 18 March 2025.
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