Fiorentina is a club that has a long history in the world of Italian football. Although in the last two decades this club couldn't win a league title, but the name of La Viola is still highly respected by its opponents. Like many other great Italian clubs, Fiorentina has also produced hundreds of world-class players.
Who is the greatest player of Fiorentina? To answer this question, I will give you a list of 15 best players of La Viola from time to time, who contributed essential roles in the club's glory.
15. Angelo Di Livio
Di Livio is a hardworking former defensive midfielder who used to have primary duty to stop the opposing team's playmakers. This player was a formidable figure who could make big names such as Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio, or Juan Sebastian Veron found many troubles in developing the offense. The loyalty of this player who was transferred from Juventus is also worthy of praise, as Di Livio is the only player who did not move to other club when Fiorentina was relegated to Serie C2 as a punishment of its involvement in Calciopoli conspiracy.
14. Giuseppe Chiappella
Playing for a period of six years from 1949 to 1955, Giuseppe Chiappella is the third player with the highest number of appearances for Fiorentina. In total, this central midfielder played 305 times for Viola and scored 21 goals. Unfortunately, his great dedication and loyalty to this club were not enough to help him winning any award. After retiring as a professional player, Chiappella coached Fiorentina for several seasons.
13. Adrian Mutu
This Romanian striker played for Fiorentina from 2006 to 2011. He was transferred from Juventus for a fee of 8 million euros. At that time, Mutu's performance as a football player was in doubt because he failed to shine with his two previous clubs, Chelsea and Juventus. At Fiorentina, his duet with Luca Toni was greatly feared by the opponents' defenders. Mutu scored 54 goals in 112 appearances for La Viola before being transferred to Cesena in 2011.
12. Miguel Montuori
Miguel Montuori is an Argentine retired midfielder who played a major role in helping Fiorentina win their first Scudetto in the 1955-1956 season. This player capped 162 times and contributed 72 goals, a record that is quite productive for a midfielder. Although he was born in Argentina, Montuori preferred to represent Italia national football team, where he managed to play 12 times and scored two goals.
11. Tomas Ujfalusi
Fiorentina doesn't have many great defenders. Ujfalusi was one of the few names. Playing for La Viola for 123 times and scored two goals in the period of 2004-2008, the Czech Republic defender used to be regarded as one of the strongest defensive walls in Serie A. Ujfalusi's existence in Fiorentina's defensive line also helped this team achieved considerably good position in the league.
10. Riccardo Montolivo
Montolivo is a versatile midfielder who was raised by Fiorentina. He played for La Viola for seven years, from 2005 to 2012. Having transferred from Atalanta, Montolivo gradually started to show his capacity as one of the leading players in Fiorentina. He was even trusted to be the team captain during the period 2009 to 2012. At the end of the 2012 season, Montolivo stated that he wanted to play for a bigger team. AC Milan saw this opportunity, then offered transfer bid that was immediately accepted by Montolivo.
9. Moreno Torricelli
Just like Di Livio, Torricelli is a player who was transferred from Juventus. He was usually positioned as a wing-back or a central defender. The player who was known for his long hair had become one of the main pillars of Fiorentina during 1998 to 2002. The only title which he managed to achieve with La Viola is the Coppa Italia in 2001. After retiring as a football player, Torricelli coached several small clubs in lower division of Italian league.
8. Dunga
Carlos Dunga is a former defensive midfielder who captained Brazil in the 1998 World Cup. This player was a part of Fiorentina squad in the period of 1988 to 1992 before being transferred to Pescara. In Fiorentina, Dunga played a total of 147 matches and scored eight goals. At present, Dunga works as a head coach of Internacional football club.
7. Manuel Rui Costa
Rui Costa is a retired Portuguese midfielder who played alongside Gabriel Batistuta and Francesco Toldo in the period of the mid to late 1990s. Rui Costa is a world-class playmaker who trusted to take penalty kicks in most of Fiorentina's matches. If Batistuta was the main goal-scorer for Fiorentina, then Rui Costa was its greatest playmaker. He moved to AC Milan by breaking the club's highest transfer record, with a value of about 30 million euros.
6. Luca Toni
After the departure of Batistuta, Fiorentina continuously plagued by many problems. Those problems ranging from the league position that continues to drop to the involvement in Calciopoli scandal that made them thrown into Serie C2. A hope began to emerge when Luca Toni was transferred from Palermo in 2005. In his first season, Toni scored 31 goals, making him the top scorer of Serie A and led Fiorentina secured a place in the Champions League zone. Unfortunately, after his brilliant debut, his performance declined due to prolonged injury that plagued him.
5. Francesco Toldo
Toldo is the best goalkeeper ever played for Fiorentina. The player was the central figure who helped Italy to be the European Cup runner-up in 2000. During his eight-year career at La Viola, Toldo played 266 times. He also won the title as the best goalkeeper in Serie A in the year 2000. Wanting to win prestigious titles, Toldo finally decided to move to Inter Milan, a club where he ended his career as a professional player in 2010.
4. Sergio Cervato
Sergio Cervato played for Fiorentina for 11 years. This tough wingback was a central figure who played important role in helping La Viola win the Scudetto in the 1955-56 season. Cervato capped 316 times and scored 31 goals. He was bought by Juventus in 1961, where he won two Serie A titles before his retirement.
3. Kurt Hamrin
Kurt Hamrin is a retired Swedish striker who was a part of La Viola from 1958 to 1967. With his 150 goals he scored, Kurt Hamrin became the second top scorer in the history of Fiorentina. At this club, Kurt Hamrin won two Coppa Italia titles and one Winners Cup before he was eventually transferred to AC Milan. After his retirement, Hamrin decided to stay in the city of Florence, the city where the stadium of Fiorentina is located.
2. Giancarlo Antognoni
Speaking about loyalty, Antognoni is probably the number one in the history of Fiorentina. He played for 15 years for this club, in a total of 341 games and contributed 61 goals. Antognoni was also an important part of the Italian national team that won the World Cup 1982 . It is unfortunate that during his 15 years playing with Fiorentina, Antognoni only won a single trophy, a Coppa Italia in 1975.
1. Gabriel Batistuta
There is no other Fiorentina player who can be as great as Gabriel Batistuta. The player who familiarly called by his nickname "Batigol" is La Viola's top scorer of all time, with a record of 168 goals. Batistuta decided to stay with Fiorentina after the club was relegated to Serie B in the 1992-1993 season. After a successful return to Serie A, Batistuta directly performed brilliantly by scoring 26 goals, making him the top scorer of Serie A of that season. During nine years playing for La Viola, Batistuta won one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italia. He finally moved to AS Roma in 2000-2001 season and managed to win his first scudetto. One of the most remarkable moments during his career as an AS Roma player was when he didn't celebrate after scoring a goal in a match against Fiorentina.
