Italian soccer mourns the death of Luciano Tessari, Nils Liedholm’s longtime assistant coach
Luciano Tessari, the legendary coach and assistant to Nils Liedholm—a key figure in the history of Roma and Italian soccer—has died. Tessari, born in San Martino Buon Albergo (Verona) on September 29, 1928, passed away in Rome at the age of 98. A goalkeeper during his playing career, he left a lasting mark above all as a coach and assistant, contributing to some of the most important chapters in Liedholm’s Roma era.
Tessari began his soccer career at San Martino Buon Albergo, the club in his hometown, where he made his first-team debut during the 1946–1947 season. At the end of that season, he transferred to Verona, starting in the youth academy before joining the first-team roster, which was then competing in Serie B. He played two seasons with Verona before joining Roma.
He made his Serie A debut with the Giallorossi during the 1950–1951 season, a year that coincided with the club’s only relegation to Serie B. After the Giallorossi’s return to the top flight, Tessari moved to Fiorentina in 1951, only to return to Roma the following year. In 1953–1954, he played for Palermo, which was relegated to Serie B after finishing second-to-last in the standings and losing in the relegation playoffs. He then returned once again to Roma, where he remained until 1958, the year he retired from playing.
After ending his playing career shortly after turning thirty, Tessari embarked on a long coaching career. In 1963, Milan hired him to coach the youth teams at the new Milanello facility: with the Rossoneri, he won the 1964–1965 Primavera Championship, the first trophy of his coaching career and the first title won by the Rossoneri’s youth system. From 1965 to 1967, he also served as goalkeeper coach for the first team, working alongside Nils Liedholm.
AS Roma mourns the passing of Luciano Tessari, a legendary Giallorossi goalkeeper, coach of the first team and youth academy, and assistant to Nils Liedholm during the 1982–83 Scudetto-winning season.
A piece of our history, a man who left his mark on the Roma family.
The Club extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) November 10, 2026
After returning to Rome as a youth team coach, in April 1971 he took over the Giallorossi’s first team until the end of the season, replacing Helenio Herrera after his dismissal. His debut on the Roma bench was memorable: a 5-0 victory over Catania. However, he was not retained, as Herrera was recalled to lead the team.
In the following years, Tessari coached Latina in Serie C during the 1973–1974 season, though he was unable to prevent relegation, and later worked with the Almas youth teams and the Lazio regional team. In the late 1970s, however, came the decisive turning point in his career: Nils Liedholm wanted him as his assistant at Roma. Together, the two wrote one of the most glorious chapters in Giallorossi history.
With Liedholm on the bench and Tessari by his side, Roma won the second Scudetto in its history during the 1982–1983 season, as well as three Coppa Italia titles in the 1979–1980, 1980–1981, and 1983–1984. In the same season they won their third Coppa Italia, the Giallorossi also reached the European Cup final, which they lost on penalty kicks to Liverpool. This era remains one of the most beloved and celebrated in Roma’s history. It is no coincidence that in 2015 he was awarded the “Premio Sette Colli,” dedicated to Giallorossi legends.
In the summer of 1984, then-Milan president Giussy Farina brought Liedholm back to the Rossoneri bench and also recalled Tessari, who remained as assistant coach until 1987, when the head coaching position was entrusted to Fabio Capello, who had come up through the youth system. It was, in fact, his last stint on the field before his well-deserved retirement.
