Giancarlo Cella has died: he won a scudetto with Inter and coached the Inzaghi brothers in Piacenza

Giancarlo Cella, a historic soccer player active from the late 1950s to the early 1970s and coach of, among others, brothers Filippo and Simone Inzaghi in the Piacenza youth sector, has died at the age of 85 in Bobbio (Piacenza), his hometown. Cella, who won a championship in his career with the Inter jersey in 1970-1971, came from a family of footballers: his father Uberto played for Piacenza in the 1930s, and his brother Albino played one game in Serie A with the Mantova jersey.

A ductile footballer, capable of covering as a libero but also in a more advanced position, Cella developed footballingly between Bobbiese and Piacenza, where he made his first-team debut in 1957. The following year he switched to Torino, with which he made his Serie A debut at just 18, becoming a constant presence for the granata in the early 1960s, except for a spell at Novara. In 1962 he came close to being called up for the World Cup in Chile, which faded due to an injury at the end of the season.

After six years at Torino he moved to Catania and then to Atalanta, a club in which he played two seasons as a protagonist, attracting the attention of Inter, which signed him in 1968 to take up the legacy of Armando Picchi: two years as a starter, then a final season as a reserve in the championship that ended with the 1970-1971 Scudetto. He closed his career in Piacenza, contributing to salvation in Serie C. In total, he collected 235 appearances and 7 goals in Serie A, as well as a curious record: he is one of the few movement players to have saved a penalty, as a substitute for an ejected goalkeeper (Lido Vieri), in the top league (Bari-Torino 1-0 on March 5, 1961).

At the national team level, Cella participated with the Olympic representative team in the 1960 Rome Games, which ended in fourth place. Previously, he had played the 1959 European Junior and Mediterranean Games, in which Italy won the gold medal, totaling 8 appearances and 2 goals with the Azzurri youth selections.

The Italian national team was a member of the Italian national team.

As a coach, he began first as a technician-player for Piacenza, which he led until 1974, then moved on to the benches of Suzzara, Carpi and Spal, eventually working in the youth sector of Inter and as a deputy in the first team. He closed his technical career between Piacenza Primavera (where he coached the Inzaghi brothers) and Bobbiese, remaining a leading figure in local soccer.