Nobody expected that a simple game would become the passion of a people, few believed that a ball kicked into the net would unleash the enthusiasm of generations, all the purple hearts now beat for the myths, legends and heroes of Fiorentina.

From historical football to the birth of Fiorentina

From historical footbal to the birth of Fiorentina

«But what about the English... football was invented here». This phrase from singer-songwriter Lorenzo Baglioni may be enough to summarize the spirit with which the game of football is experienced in the shadow of Palazzo Vecchio. Nothing more serious and more passionate, since its origins. Of course, historical football, or Florentine football, with late medieval origins and developments up to the present day is something else, but the DNA of the game of football has in its double helix many components created on the banks of the Arno."

Codified in the second half of the 19th century then in England with clear rules and the establishment of the first sports leagues and then imported into Italy. 

In 1898 the Florence Football Club was born, which immediately attributed the ancient and noble origin of this sport to Florence and, between the end of 1912 and the beginning of 1913, the football sections of the two most glorious and ancient sports clubs in the city were formed : the Florence Sports Club, founded in 1870 as an association dedicated to cycling, and the Fiorentina Libertas Gymnastics Gymnasium, founded in 1877 and dedicated to the arts of gymnastics. 

After the Great War, which interrupted football activities, the two teams gave rise to a heated dualism which was extinguished on 29 August 1926 when the Marquis Luigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano, president of the Florence Sports Club, persuaded the members of the two clubs to merge the respective football sections into the Florentine Football Association. That day Fiorentina was born.

The first championships, the first shirt and the color purple

The 'first' Fiorentina in 1926/1927 played at the stadium in via Bellini, the coach was Hungarian Károly Csapkay, the Hungarian defender Árpád Posteiner was Fiorentina's first foreigner. 

The absolute protagonist of that first official season was Rodolfo Volk who scored 11 goals including Fiorentina's first official goal in the Via Bellini stadium on 3 October 1926 against Pisa, a match which ended with a 3-1 for the Gigliati. 

On 22 September 1929, Fiorentina inaugurated the new purple uniform (no wrong wash, contrary to what legend has it, but the president's desire to wear a uniform similar to that of Ujpest), on the occasion of a friendly match against Rome. 

In 1930 came first place on equal terms with Bari and the prestigious promotion to Serie A.

Inno Viola, the new stadium and the Artillero

In 1931-32 Fiorentina came to national prominence thanks to its beautiful game, the splendid stadium and that group of players who were becoming champions. Among these we remember the Uruguayan Pedro Petrone known as "Artillero" who, with 25 goals in 27 games played, contributed to bringing Fiorentina to fourth place in the standings. 

On 13 September 1931, the friendly match against Admira Vienna (won 1-0) officially inaugurated the Giovanni Berta stadium (which later became the Stadio Comunale and therefore Artemio Franchi), created by the engineer Nervi: for the occasion the ball was launched from the sky by the famous Florentine aviator Vasco Magrini, who specifically hovered in the air with his "Ciabatta" biplane. 

On 22 November 1931, before the home match against Roma, the notes of what from that day would be the Fiorentina anthem resounded for the first time: “Canzone Viola”, composed by Marcello Manni and Marco Vinicio and made timeless by Narciso Paris.

The first italian cup 

In 1939 Fiorentina returned to the top division under the direction of the Austrian coach Rudolf Soutschek and in 1940, with a well-reinforced team under the guidance of the coach Giuseppe Galluzzi, they won their first trophy. 

In the Italian Cup they beat Milan 5-0 and Lazio 4-1, then in the semi-final they beat Juventus with a brace from Celoria and a goal from Baldini and reached the final against Genoa 1893. 

On 16 June 1940, at the Giovanni Berta stadium in Florence, Celoria's goal in the 26th minute put an end to the initial skirmishes, while goalkeeper Griffanti saved the result just under ten minutes from time. 

After fifth place in the 1945-46 mixed central-south championship, in the first real post-war championship (1946-47) Fiorentina paid the price for the difficulties of a bad defense and the change of three coaches. A difficult year but one that will be the basis for constant and safe growth. 

The start of the recovery was the arrival of Luigi Ferrero as technical director, who, in 1947-48 with Ferruccio Valcareggi and the striker Galassi, achieved seventh place in the rankings. In the following season, marred in May 1949 by the immense tragedy of Grande Torino, Fiorentina finished the championship in eighth place.

The campionship team is formed, UFOs appear in the sky

The beginning of the 1950s, after the dark period of the Second World War, was the beginning of a long process for Fiorentina to build a team that would win the first historic scudetto.

The team is joined by Giuseppe Chiappella, taken from Pisa, who immediately becomes one of the cornerstones of the team, the expert Rosetta and the young Cervato and Magnini. In 1952-53, with the arrival on the bench of Fulvio Bernardini and the inclusion of Armando Segato and Maurilio Prini, a structure took shape that would prove successful thanks to the additions of center forward Giuseppe Virgili and goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti in the following season. Among the harbingers of the future scudetto and of a winning team, in the autumn of 1954, during a friendly match against Pistoiese at the Comunale stadium, the athletes present witnessed one of the most famous UFO sightings in the sky of Florence. The players of the two teams are also there with their mouths open looking towards the sky while globular lights and strange filaments fall from the sky. Collective hallucination or inexplicable event? The Martians will certainly soon become those eleven violas of the first historic tricolor.

1956 - The first championship

After the narrow success against Padova, the first away victory arrived with a 4-0 in Turin against Juventus, a match which saw Julinho and Virgili refine their understanding and a goal from Ardico Magnini to be remembered, after a solitary run of seventy meters to beat with power. The draw in Vicenza gives Fiorentina the top of the table, albeit jointly with Inter. A week later the 2-0 inflicted on Torino puts the Viola alone in command. They won't stop anymore. 

The success at San Siro against Milan was memorable, with goals from Montuori and Virgili within a minute, where Fiorentina demonstrated that they were clearly superior to the Rossoneri. 

On New Year's Eve, Fiorentina beat Napoli 4-2 on neutral ground at the Olympic stadium in Rome, with the first live television broadcast of a football match. 

There were no missteps until 6 May 1956 when, with Julinho's goal, his sixth and last of the season, Fiorentina equalized in Trieste and mathematically won their first, well-deserved championship with five days to spare. 

This is the historic Viola team that, built by president Enrico Befani and led by coach Fulvio Bernardini, gave Florence its first tricolor: Sarti, Magnini, Cervato, Chiappella, Rosetta, Segato, Julinho, Gratton, Virgili, Montuori, Prini. And then Toros, Bartoli, Carpanesi, Mazza, Orzan, Scaramucci and Bizzarri are available.

1957 - The Champions Cup Final

The conquest of the first Italian champion title allows Fiorentina to register for the second edition of the Champions Cup. The tournament, at its debut, was so successful that even the famous founders of football, the English, who were absent from the first edition, decided to participate with the Manchester United team. After eliminating in sequence the Swedish Norrköping, the Swiss champions Grasshopper Club Zürich and the Yugoslavian Crvena Zvezda (Red Star of Belgrade), Fiorentina is the first Italian team to play in a European Cup final. 

On 30 May 1957 Fiorentina played at the Santiago Bernabeu in front of 125,000 spectators against Real Madrid of the very strong Di Stefano. The Viola played a great match and ended the first half 0-0. In the 69th minute, however, Mateos flies into the Viola's midfield, literally splitting the opposing defense in two and heading one-on-one towards Sarti. Magnini chases him and trips him out of the area, but the referee has no doubts and blows the whistle for a free kick. rigor; Viola's protests were useless, Di Stefano went to the spot and scored the goal to make it 1-0. The Viola desperately rush forward in search of an equalizer, but Real can defend themselves and start on the counterattack, which they do in the 76th minute with Gento, who arrives undisturbed in front of Sarti and beats him for the 2-0 goal that closes the match: the merengues won their second European Cup. The following day the local press will be full of flattering comments on the performance of the Italian champions, who proved themselves equal to the great event.

1957-1961 - Two Cups – Fiorentina makes history in Europe
 

The following year the team confirmed its potential and fought head-to-head with Juventus who went on to win the championship. After a few too many draws he will still be in second place. 

In 1958 Fulvio Bernardini was replaced by the Hungarian Lajos Czeizler, theorist of offensive football, who created one of the most spectacular teams in the history of Italian football, with the record of 95 goals scored by the various Hamrin, Lojacono, Montuori and Petris . The Viola, with six matches to go, are tied at the top with the Rossoneri, but suffer an unexpected home defeat against Spal, and Milan are back in the lead, leaving the Viola only in second place. 

In 1959-60 it was the turn of the Argentine coach Luis Carniglia coming from Real Madrid. The team loses a cornerstone, Sergio Cervato, who goes to Juventus. And it is precisely the Old Lady who placed first, ahead of Fiorentina who, for the fourth time in a row, came in second place, the Bianconeri also beat the Viola in the Italian Cup final.

 On 5 June 1960, the Mitropa Organizing Committee, in coordination with the National Federations, made official the calendar of the first edition of the Cup Winners' Cup, a tournament reserved for the winning teams of the respective national cups. The participating teams are the ten representatives of the main European football nations: Austria, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, East Germany, England, Italy, Yugoslavia, Scotland, Switzerland and Hungary. Fiorentina, an Italian participant as a finalist in the Italian Cup won by Juventus (entered in the Champions Cup), reaches the double final against the Scottish Rangers of Glasgow. Despite the siege by the hosts, the match at Ibrox Park on 17 May 1961 ended in a 0-2 thanks to a brace from Luigi Milan. In the return final in Florence on 27 May 1961, Fiorentina won 2-1 thanks to goals from Milan and Hamrin and thus won the first edition of the Cup Winners' Cup. Two weeks later, on 11 June, the Italian Cup final is scheduled for Florence: this time Fiorentina beats Lazio 2-0, thanks to goals from Petris and Milan. Fiorentina thus closed the 1960-61 season with two prestigious trophies on their board, demonstrating a high technical level and a wisely offensive leadership, that of the Hungarian Nándor Hidegkuti.

1961-1968: Hamrin, the second Cup Winners'Cup final, the Italian Cup again

 1961-62 is the year of the failed double in the Cup Winners' Cup in the repeated final against Atletico Madrid. The team, still led by Hidegkuti, led a top championship and placed third behind the two Milanese teams. The Viola center forward Aurelio Milani wins the top scorers ranking on equal merit with the AC Milan player Altafini. 

Giuseppe Chiappella, protagonist of the '56 scudetto as a player, took on the role of Viola coach in 1963, founding a new cycle starting with the young Brizi and Ferrante, while Hamrin established an extraordinary record by scoring five goals in the away match in Bergamo. 1965-66 is one to remember. 

De Sisti and Rogora arrive and Merlo and Chiarugi establish themselves and above all the Viola put two more trophies on the board: the Italian Cup and the Mitropa Cup. In the Italian Cup Chiappella's team easily beats Genoa, Palermo and Catania and then also eliminates Milan at San Siro. The last obstacle towards the final is Helenio Herrera's International. In the ninetieth minute, with the result 1-1, when extra time seems inevitable, on a throw from Castelletti, Hamrin manages to deposit it into the net. Fiorentina can play its fifth Italian Cup final. The opponent is Catanzaro. The Fiorentina team that won their third success in this competition at the Olimpico in Rome is as follows: Albertosi, Pirovano, Rogora, Bertini, Ferrante, Brizi, Hamrin, Merlo, Brugnera, De Sisti, Chiarugi. However, the season was not over, because on 19 June 1966 Fiorentina also won the prestigious Mitropa Cup by beating the Czechoslovakian team Jednota Trenčín at the Comunale.

1969 - The second scudetto, Fiorentina Yè-Yè
 The Italian season of 1968-69 did not see the Viola start among the favourites. With the lights off, Fiorentina began with a victory at the Olimpico against Helenio Herrera's Roma. After the only defeat of the season against Bologna, the success at San Siro against Inter begins the gallop towards the second scudetto. Fiorentina's victories follow one another and they are all obtained by narrow margins, testifying to the pragmaticity and tactical discipline of the team coached by Bruno Pesaola, an Argentinian who inspires his boys with the songs of Peppino Gagliardi. We soon realize that the yé-yé team, wanted by president Nello Baglini, has grown and is mature to be a serious contender for the title. Before the Christmas holidays, the year ends with another success, against Palermo, which is very appropriate after the 3-0 defeat in Lisbon against Vitória Setúbal in the Fairs Cup.

Fiorentina continues the championship fighting at the top with Cagliari and Milan. On the twenty-first day the Viola overwhelm Vicenza and definitively conquer the top of the table. After the home victory against Pisa, Fiorentina arrives with two days to go with a two-point advantage over Milan and three over Cagliari. On the penultimate matchday the Viola are engaged in Turin on the Juventus pitch, where they are followed by more than ten thousand fans. After a balanced first half in which Superchi stood out with a couple of excellent saves, in the second half the boys from Pesaola launched the decisive attack with goals from Chiarugi and Maraschi. Thanks to Milan's simultaneous draw, Fiorentina, thirteen years after their first scudetto, are mathematically champions of Italy for the second time in their history. 

Florence joyfully welcomes its heroes: Superchi, Rogora, Mancin, Esposito, Ferrante, Brizi, Chiarugi, Merlo, Maraschi, De Sisti, Amarildo, Bandoni, Cencetti, Danova, Mariani, Pirovano, Rizzo and Stanzial. The last home match against Varese is just the pretext for an endless celebration, in a riot of purple flags, inside the stadium as well as around the whole city.

1969-1980 – Fourth Coppa Italia 

With the scudetto sewn on their shirts, Fiorentina 1969-70, involved on four fronts, experienced a discontinuous season which ended with fourth place in the championship and qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The Viola honor the European Cup, from which, after a memorable victory in Kiev (which was in Russia at the time) in front of one hundred thousand spectators (first victory for an Italian team in the USSR), they were eliminated by Celtic in the quarter-finals . 

In 1971 the new president Ugolini called the Swedish coach Nils Liedholm to the bench, who brought back some Italian champions from '69 and brought in new signings (such as the Brazilian center forward Clerici), closing the 1971-72 championship in fifth place on equal merit with Inter and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. The 1972-73 season, which ended with a fourth place finish, still tied with Inter and with another qualification for the UEFA Cup, was the season of Caso, Roggi and Antognoni's debut in Serie A. 

The following year Gigi Radice took over from Liedholm with an aggressive and spectacular football but, after a fantastic first round, inexperience and physical decline due to too expensive a game led to a collapse in results and a sixth place finish. In 1974-75 with Mario Mazzoni on the bench, Nereo Rocco took over the task of leading the team in the final phase of the Italian Cup, a trophy which was won on 28 June 1975 at the Olympic stadium in Rome by winning the final against Milan, thanks to goals from Casarsa, Guerini and Rosi. The team that takes the field is made up of Superchi, Beatrice (Lelj and then Rosi), Roggi, Guerini, Pellegrini, Della Martira, Caso, Merlo, Casarsa, Antognoni, Desolati.

1980-1990 From the failed Scudetto to the Uefa Final

The summer of 1980 marked the arrival of the Pontello family at the helm of the club and the reopening of the borders for foreign footballers. After a defeat in Ascoli, coach Carosi was taken over by Giancarlo "Picchio" De Sisti, who came close to qualifying for the UEFA Cup. 

In 1981-82 the viola was strengthened with Graziani, Pecci, Massaro, Monelli, Cuccureddu and Vierchowod. The championship makes the fans dream, but the illusion of the third scudetto vanishes on the last day when the Viola draw in Cagliari and the simultaneous victory of Juventus in Catanzaro take away Fiorentina's possibility of playing for the tricolor in a play-off. 

We start again with Daniel Passarella (captain of the Argentine national team at the 82nd World Cup and record holder of goals in purple for a defender with 11 goals in a single season) and a Fiorentina that remained in the top zone of the table for three seasons, Claudio Gentile and the Brazilian star Sócrates.

At the beginning of the 1985-86 season Roberto Baggio arrived from Lanerossi Vicenza (never used due to injury) and Nicola Berti from Parma. Other excellent youngsters from the academy gain the trust of the new coach Aldo Agroppi who, also thanks to exciting victories against Milan, Inter and Juventus and the success in Pisa on the final day, leads the team to qualification for the UEFA Cup. The 1986-87 championship marked the debut of one of the greatest talents in Italian football. The great tradition of number 10s in the purple jersey continues thanks to Roberto Baggio, born in 1967, who, despite an unfortunate start due to constant knee problems, will mark the history of Florence. After his debut against Sampdoria on the second matchday, he will return to the field only in the last championship games, scoring his first goal in Serie A at the San Paolo stadium in celebration of Maradona's Napoli's first championship. In 1987 there was another technical change at the helm of the team. President Baretti is focusing on Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson who, on the Roma bench, had shown spectacular football. The arrival of Dunga and the new Baggio-Borgonovo duo surprised everyone and, thanks to an excellent understanding, he collected 29 goals. Curiously, it will be the old striker Pruzzo, who arrived in Florence from Roma at the end of his career, who will take Fiorentina to the UEFA Cup, scoring the decisive goal in the play-off in Perugia, against his former team.
 
 The 1989-90 season is yet another watershed in the Viola's sporting eras. Troubled championship, many matches played outside Florence in Perugia due to works on the stadium for the World Cup and an exciting journey in the UEFA Cup, with Fiorentina eliminating Atletico Madrid, Sochaux, Dinamo Kiev, Auxerre and Werder Bremen. In the final against Juventus, the episodes decided the first leg, which the Bianconeri won 3-1. In the second leg it was 0-0 with Baggio's last goal before moving on to Juventus.

1990-1997 - Batistuta's fifth Italian Cup and Super Cup

The beginning of the adventure of the Cecchi Gori ownership is not easy, the Viola are also relegated to Serie B, but Fiorentina resumes the path towards an immediate return to Serie A thanks to the Roman coach Claudio Ranieri. Toldo, Flachi and Robbiati together with Batistuta became the protagonists, in particular in 1994-95 with the arrival of Manuel Rui Costa, a period of growth that lasted a couple of years was consolidated. The defense is strengthened with the Amoruso-Padalino duo, the midfield finds solidity with the Swede Schwarz and in attack Batistuta and Baiano (with Robbiati ready to take over) integrate perfectly. The championship is very positive, the trophy arrives with the Italian Cup where Fiorentina is unbeatable: it beats Ascoli, Lecce, Palermo and Inter in sequence, before triumphing on Saturday 18 May 1996 in Bergamo against Atalanta. The fifth Italian Cup in Fiorentina's history will be celebrated for a long time, both in Bergamo and, incredibly, until late at night at the Franchi, where the spectators, who watched the match on a giant screen, waited for hours for the team to return. The tournament ends with a record that is difficult to match: eight victories out of eight matches (of which five away) with 17 goals scored and only 3 conceded.
 
 At the beginning of the following season, San Siro hosted the match that awarded the Italian Super Cup between Italian champions Milan and Fiorentina, holders of the Italian Cup, on Sunday 25 August 1996. In all eight previous editions of the trophy, the Italian champion team has always prevailed. In Milan, Fiorentina dispels this taboo: after twelve minutes Batistuta beats Franco Baresi in the spurt and throws it into the net from a few steps away. After Savićević's equalizer for the Rossoneri, in the second half Batistuta dealt the lethal blow to his opponent with a perfect free kick from the edge of the area. The Italian Super Cup belongs to Fiorentina.

1997-2002 - The Champions League nights and the sixth Italian Cup

The "icing" of the transfer comes from Brazil and is called Edmundo, Repka and Torricelli also arrive for the defense, Amor and Heinrich for the midfield and in attack there are Batistuta and Oliveira, with Rui Costa as an attacking midfielder. Giovanni Trapattoni managed Fiorentina in 1998-99 and led the team to the top until February, when Batistuta was injured and Edmundo's carnival saudade heavily completed the picture of absences in a crucial phase of the season. Fiorentina will finish third, earning the right to play the Champions League preliminaries. In the Italian Cup the Viola were defeated in the double final against Parma coached by the former Malesani, who would lift the trophy right in front of the Florence crowd. 

In the following season Chiesa, Mijatović and Balbo arrived up front, as well as the reinforcement of Adani and Pierini in defence. Things aren't going right in the championship. Returning to the top continental competition after thirty years, Fiorentina passed the preliminaries by beating the Polish side Widzew Łódź and also passed the first group stage thanks to the epic victory at Wembley against Arsenal. The Viola only gave up in the second phase, despite the seven points obtained in the first three matches of the group. The championship gives a UEFA placing and above all Batistuta's record of goals in a purple shirt in Serie A. After nine years, Batigol bid farewell to Florence with a hat-trick against Venezia in the last championship match, reaching 152 goals. Trapattoni also ends his experience in Viola.

For the 2000-01 Fiorentina bench, the club's choice fell on the Turkish Fatih Terim, fresh winner of the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray, whose unscrupulous play appealed to the fans. Prestigious victories and qualification for the Italian Cup final arrive in the championship, but elimination from UEFA weighs on the fate of the coach not loved by the presidency. Roberto Mancini arrives in Terim's place and gets a comfortable position in the standings and wins the sixth Italian Cup in Viola's history. In front of the home crowd, Fiorentina drew against Parma thanks to a beautiful goal from Nuno Gomes and won the trophy thanks to the victory obtained in the first leg. 

However, the company's economic difficulties lead to economic collapse and bankruptcy in the following season.

2002 – 2010 From failure to rebirth

After 76 years of life, the Fiorentina Football Association ends its glorious existence (it will be declared bankrupt on 27 September 2002). All contracts with the players are no longer valid and they are therefore free to seek new accommodation and settle elsewhere. At the same time, on Thursday 1 August 2002, the mayor of Florence Leonardo Domenici founded a new company with the name of Fiorentina Viola, taken over by Diego Della Valle, a well-known entrepreneur from the Marche region in the textile and footwear sector together with his brother Andrea, thus guaranteeing the continuity of football in Florence . We start again without a team, without shirts, without balls, without sponsors and without a venue, but with enthusiasm and a lot of passion. The right ingredients for an immediate recovery.

Florentia Viola, with Gino Salica as president, is forced to start again from the C2 series with a new shirt and a team rebuilt from scratch. Only Captain Angelo Di Livio remains. The beginning is difficult, but thanks also to the almost 20,000 season ticket holders who push the Cavasin boys, the climb begins. The bomber is Christian Riganò. To complete the return to Serie A, Emiliano Mondonico was called in to replace Cavasin, who with an extraordinary comeback led the team to the play-off against Perugia (who finished fourth from last in Serie A). In 180 minutes the Viola play out the sacrifices of the recent past and the hopes of a better future, which now seems very close but which still needs to be conquered on the pitch. It will be Enrico Fantini, one of the new signings of January, who will score the goals that allow Fiorentina to conquer Perugia and draw the return match at home. In record time, less than 23 months after bankruptcy, Fiorentina is back in Serie A. 

The 2005-06 season marks the beginning of a five-year period full of satisfactions, characterized by the presence of a new technical-managerial couple: the coach Cesare Prandelli and the sporting director Pantaleo Corvino. The team is made up of talents such as Frey, Fiore, Luca Toni and young people of quality and character such as Manuel Pasqual. Toni proves decisive and contributes with 31 goals to the conquest of fourth place which means Champions League, but the Calciopoli earthquake hits Italian football causing the upheaval of the rankings. The Viola are penalized by 30 points and lose the right to compete in the top European competition.

Another heavy burden was also inherited in the following season, which saw the Viola as protagonists of a true sporting miracle. Thanks to Toni's stay and the arrival of Adrian Mutu, Prandelli's boys, who started with a penalty of 19 points (later reduced to 15), did not limit themselves to achieving a quiet safety but took away the satisfaction of achieving a useful placing to return to Europe. 

Having kept the squad substantially unchanged by extending Pazzini's playing time, Fiorentina 2007-08 continues to make fans dream in all the events in which they are involved. Luca Toni leaves Florence for Munich and is replaced by Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Christian Vieri. The Italian Cup fades into the quarter-finals but in the UEFA Cup the Viola come one step away from the final, defeated on penalties in the semi-final by the Scottish Rangers. On the other hand, two weeks later at the Olimpico stadium in Turin, thanks to a splendid overhead kick by Osvaldo a few minutes from the end, they won the three points needed to finally play in the Champions League preliminary round.

For the 2008-09 season, the Peruvian Vargas arrives for the defense, the Brazilian Felipe Melo for the midfield and the world champion Alberto Gilardino for the attack. The young Montenegrin talent Stevan Jovetić was also purchased from Belgrade's Partizan. The preliminary match against Slavia Prague was easily overcome, but in the group stage Bayern München and Olympique Lyonnais proved stronger. The Viola had only third place in the group and the right to continue their journey in the UEFA Cup, from which they were then eliminated by Ajax. In the championship, Fiorentina is a guarantee and qualifies for the Champions League for the second time in a row. In the end, fourth place in the standings was shared with Gasperini's Genoa, against whom the Viola were however ahead thanks also to the incredible draw at Marassi in mid-February, where a hat-trick from Mutu had put the match back in balance in which they down by three goals. 

The 2009-10 championship does not reserve the same satisfactions.  Ljajić arrives in January but two greats like Dainelli and Jørgensen leave. At the start of the second half of the season, five defeats in the first eight games irremediably jeopardize the standings, while in the Italian Cup Mourinho's Inter interrupted the Viola's progress in the semi-finals.

The best things come from the Champions League. Having overcome the Portuguese Sporting in the preliminary round, Fiorentina won their group by losing the first match in Lyon and taking the three points in all the other matches, including the double victory against the Reds, at home in the first match of the group and in the last match Liverpool in the legendary Anfield stadium, under the inevitable rain and in front of three thousand Viola fans who went crazy with joy for Gilardino's goal in full injury time. Unfortunately, in the round of 16 against Bayern München, an incredible refereeing error by the trio led by Ovrebo in Munich and a feat by Robben in Florence put an end to the European dream and the cycle of Mr. Prandelli.

2010-2015 The 4-2 against Juventus and the Semi-final of the Italian Cup and Europa League
 
 In the summer of 2012 the arrivals of the new sporting director Pradè, the new technical director Macia, and the new coach Vincenzo Montella marked a sharp and positive reversal of trend after the two-year period 2010-2012 had not produced significant results, actually forcing the Viola to a daring salvation in the 2011-2012 championship. On the pitch, the aim is to entertain and bring the fans closer to the team. In this regard, the summer market takes on the contours of a real revolution. New players arrive who are functional to the new playing philosophy focused on technique and possession of the ball. Gonzalo Rodríguez, Roncaglia, Savić and Tomović immediately become pillars of the defense, while the midfield, whose keys are entrusted to the expert direction of David Pizarro, is filled with players with "good feet" such as Aquilani, Borja Valero, Cuadrado and Matías Fernández. The attack was strengthened by the arrival of the Moroccan El Hamdaoui and above all by the sensational return to Florence of Luca Toni.

 The technical and fun game proposed by the team also brings immediate results. The small debt with good luck deriving from the last minute victory on the first day of the championship against Udinese (a brace from Jovetić) soon turns into a credit, since Fiorentina leaves important points on the way in an unfortunate and sometimes incredible (see Parma draw or home defeat against Pescara immediately after the Christmas break). But now the path is clear and the Viola also put on a show away from home, as evidenced by the eight away victories, among which the one at San Siro against Milan 3-1 stands out. A few minutes from the end of the championship, in a final day full of emotions and controversies, it will be the Rossoneri team that takes away third place in the standings from the Viola (the last place for participation in the Champions League), despite the excellent final result by 70 points. Fiorentina consoles itself with the return to Europe after four years and with the return to the field of Giuseppe Rossi, the strong Italian-American striker still in the rehabilitation phase, purchased as a surprise during the previous winter transfer window. 

“Pepito” Rossi and Mario Gómez, center forward of the German national team purchased from Fiorentina in the summer of 2013, are the attackers on whom the focus is for the 2013-14 season. The technical level of the team rises further with the arrival of Iličić from Palermo and Joaquín from Malaga. The fans dream and the attacking trio Cuadrado-Rossi-Gómez promises disaster, but on the third day of the championship the German center forward injures his knee, while Giuseppe Rossi's knee gives out immediately after the Christmas break. Fate will always keep out, in turn, at least one of the two, and the team only manages to repeat the fourth place of the previous championship, with the satisfaction of the memorable home victory on 20 October 2013 against Juventus 4-2 thanks to Giuseppe's hat-trick Rossi. 

The elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Juventus and the defeat in the Italian Cup final against Napoli on the sad evening in Rome contribute to increasing the regrets for what could have been and was not.

The 2014-15 season opens with yet another injury to Giuseppe Rossi's right knee during summer training. This time the boy will have to miss the entire season. The defense of the goal was entrusted to the Romanian Tătărușanu and the Croatian Badelj was purchased for the midfield. The contribution ensured by Mario Gómez and the young Babacar and Bernardeschi is sporadic (also due to injuries) and the team's results are fluctuating. In the winter transfer window the club took action and secured the loan of Diamanti and Gilardino from Chinese side Guangzhou but above all that of the Egyptian Salah from Chelsea. The latter fits into the team's mechanisms instantly and solves numerous matches with his technique and speed. The Viola will finish the championship in fourth place. 

Excellent progress in the Europa League and in the Italian Cup. In both cases, the winners of the respective competitions will eliminate the Viola one step away from the final: in Italy Juventus beat Fiorentina after a double, hard-fought semi-final (despite the victory in Turin in the first leg); in Europe a very practical Sevilla eliminated a Fiorentina who were too imprecise in front of goal, also penalized by some referee whistles in the first leg in Spain.

2015-2019 DA13 for ever

The change on the bench with the arrival of Paulo Sousa and the scoring streak of Kalinic, the new offensive signing, projected the Viola at the top of the championship until the last day of the first round, when after the defeat against Lazio, the declining phase began of the Viola who are unable to repeat the excellent start to the season also due to the guidance of the defensive department of the Astori - Gonzalez duo and the quality of Borja Valero at the helm of the key areas of the pitch. In any case, the Viola qualify for the Europa League.

The following season continues uncertainly with ups and downs. After a good first part of the championship and Europa League, in the second phase of the season came the bitter elimination from the round of 32 by Borussia Mönchengladbach (victory in Germany but a daring home defeat 4-2) and the setback in the Cup Italy against Napoli. In the end, the Viola will finish eighth in the championship. Paulo Sousa's journey at Fiorentina also comes to an end and he entrusts his bench to Stefano Pioli. For him, a return to purple as a coach, after wearing the purple shirt between 1989 and 1995.

Jordan Veretout, Nikola Milenkovic, Marco Benassi, Cristiano Biraghi, German Pezzella, Giovanni Simeone arrive in the Viola, a process of rejuvenation that will lead Pioli and the Viola team to touch Europe and advance to the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup.

But the season will be remembered for the tragedy that struck captain Davide Astori, from that March 4th nothing will be the same as before.

The 2018-2019 season sees the Viola alternating a mid-table championship with a leading Italian Cup (a record 7-1 against Roma in the quarter-finals): after the home defeat against Frosinone, coach Pioli following some company declarations he resigns and Vincenzo Montella returns to the Viola bench. Salvation comes mathematically only on the last day. The journey in the Italian Cup ends in the semi-final against Atalanta.

2019 - Rocco Commisso's age starts

On 6 June 2019 the Rocco Commisso era begins (born in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica in 1949, emigrated to the United States in 1962). Football has always been the protagonist in his life: he studied at the Mount Saint Michael Academy, winning, thanks to his qualities with the ball at his feet, a scholarship to Columbia University where he graduated in industrial engineering in 1971. From there it all begins.. ..the work in investment banks, the commitment to cable technology and the winning intuition with the birth of Mediacom, now the fifth largest telecommunications company in the USA.  But football is always in Rocco's heart, as is Italy.

Thus was born the agreement with the Della Valle family, who after 17 years considered their experience at Fiorentina concluded. An operation that takes place in a few days and with the choice of the old owners to sell the club not to the highest bidder, but to whoever can guarantee a solid and passionate future for the Viola club, also evaluating the knowledge and competence that Rocco Commisso has in the world of football.

The impact of the Commisso family's ownership on Florence, despite the difficult years of Covid, and the need to improve the purple society, is incredible. We work hand in hand on the sporting side, where we always try to raise the bar, and on corporate assets. In over ninety years of history, Fiorentina for the first time with work carried out quickly in the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli, its first sports center to welcome the first men's and women's teams and the entire youth sector. The works begin in 2021 and end in the summer of 2023: Viola Park Rocco B. Commisso is then officially inaugurated on 11 October. 

On the pitch, the team led by coach Vincenzo Italiano won three finals in two years, in 2022-2023 the Italian Cup where Inter came from behind with a 2-1 win at the Olimpico and the Conference League final, where West Ham won Prague made the end of the second half very bitter with Bowen's goal which canceled out Bonaventura's momentary equalizer following Benhrama's penalty. In 2024, after having once again come close to reaching the Italian Cup final, they won the return semi-final in the rain of Bruges and the right to return to play for the trophy. In Athens, however, Olympiakos (where the former Jovetic also plays) finds the match goal in extra time which erases the Viola's dreams for the second season in a row. Above all, it is a sad and painful season for the Viola as they mourn the sudden death of their General Director Joe 'Giuseppe' Barone who was struck by a serious illness. The Villa inside Viola Park is dedicated to him, who had incessantly spent his energies towards the club since 2019, moving from New York to the banks of the Arno to become the driving force of the new corporate structure.