Soccer Memories-Part 68, New Italian Serie ‘A’ Foreign Players 1984/85.

 

 

Series looking at the new Foreign player signings in the Serie A in the 1980s and their impact.

 

Just like in 1983, the summer of 1984, the Italian Serie A was the most attractive destination of the World’s best as the memories of the 1982 World Cup still lingered on.

Naturally, the greatest arrival was that of the greatest and most hyped player in the world, the Argentine superstar Diego Maradona at then unfancied Napoli. Though, it must be remembered that Maradona was not at his best after two lukewarm seasons at Barcelona. Therefore, the jury was still out on him, and it was in some ways an attempt to re-establish his reputation.

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Diego Maradona)

AC Milan dispensed with the suspended Belgian defender Eric Gerets and sent English striker Luther Blissett back to his club Watford. In their place they brought in the English duo of Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley. Former Manchester United midfielder Wilkins was an experienced international, while Hateley, a striker (playing in the English Second Division Portsmouth) had caught their eye after scoring against Brazil in the Maracana for the English national Team in June 1984.

Verona signed the experienced West German international Hans-Peter Briegel from Kaiserslautern, and Danish striker Preben Elkjaer from Belgian side Lokeren.

Elkjaer’s performances in the 1984 Euros earned him a move to the Serie A.

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Mark Hateley and Ray Wilkins)

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Hans-Peter Briegel and Preben Elkjer)

West German captain and double Ballon d’Or winner (1980, 1981) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge arrived at Inter after so many years at the top with Bayern Munich.

The Milanese side offloaded Belgian midfielder Ludo Coeck to Ascoli (on loan) and West German midfielder Hansi Muller (also on loan to Como).

Inter also welcomed Irish midfielder Liam Brady, arriving from Sampdoria.

Scotland captain Grame Souness arrived after so many years of success at Liverpool having just won the League title and the Champions Cup against Roma.

He joined Englishman Trevor Francis already at the Genoese club.

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Karl-Heinz Rummenigge)

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Graeme Souness)

Brazil’s performance in the 1982 World Cup was still in everyone’s memory. Fiorentina offloaded Daniel Bertoni to join his compatriot Maradona at Napoli. In his place, the Florence side signed Brazil and Corinthians Captain Socrates, to join fellow South American, the Argentine captain Daniel Passarella.

Torino offloaded the Argentine Patricio Hernandez to Ascoli and welcome another one of Brazil’s 1982 standouts, Junior from Flamengo.

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Socrates)

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Junior)

Swedish striker Dan Corneliusson was signed by newly promoted Como after winning the German Bundesliga title with VfB Stuttgart.

Newly Promoted Atalanta signed the Swedish duo of Glenn Strömberg (from Benfica) and Lars Larsson from Malmö FF.

Also to note that during the season, Polish defender Władysław Żmuda joined newly promoted Cremonese (arriving from New York Cosmos, after leaving Verona in the summer). He remained at the club until 1987 and retired, then in the Serie B.

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Dan Corneluisson)

Photo From: 1984-85 Calciatori Panini

(Glenn Strömberg and Lars Larsson)

 

Diego Maradona would become the greatest player in the World during his spell at Napoli, though this first season was modest by his standards.

In his seven years at Napoli, he would win two Scudetti (1987, 1990) and was the greatest star in World Football. He won the World Cup in 1986 with his nation, Argentina, while a Napoli player.

He left in 1991, amidst much controversy following a drugs ban.

 

(Note: the following information regarding the Brazilin contingent, was mostly copied from my blog article regarding the 1982 Generation of Brazilian players in the Serie A: https://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-soccernostalgia-interview-part-65.html)

Socrates’ solitary season is often referenced as one of Serie A’s worst transfers ever. It was a mystery how such a gifted player failed to adapt to the Serie A.

It was reported that he claimed that his teammates had deliberately refused to pass to him.

He returned home after one unhappy season to join Flamengo. He passed away on December 4, 2011, aged only 57.

Junior would have a more successful time in Italy. In his first season, Torino finished runners-up to Verona and qualified for the UEFA Cup. He left Torino after three seasons and joined the newly promoted side Pescara in 1987.

He spent two seasons there, getting relegated at the end of the second season (1988/89). The 35-year-old Junior returned home to Flamengo and even managed a few appearances for the National Team as a 37-year-old in 1992, before retiring in 1993.

 

Mark Hately and Ray Wilins had a relatively successful spell and remained with Milan until 1987. They helped AC Milan qualify for the UEFA Cup in 1985 and 1987.

They would both depart in 1987 (Wilkins to PSG and Hately to Monaco) as new President Silvio Berluscioni had signed the Dutch duo Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten.

Hateley would later have a successful spell at Rangers Glasgow (1990-95) before spells with Queens Park Rangers, Hull City and finally at Ross County in 1999.

Wilkins’ stay at PSG was short and he joined Graeme Souness’s revolution at rangers Glasgow.

This was followed by spells at Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers, Hibernian, Millwall and Leyton Orient until 1997.

He passed away on April 4, 2018, aged 61.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had a successful time at Inter despite not winning the Scudetto. Inter regularly qualified for Europe and reached two UEFA Cup semifinals in 1985 and 1986.

After three seasons, he left in 1987 and saw out his career with two final seasons in Switzerland with Servette Geneva until 1989.

 

Graeme Souness also had a relatively successful spell at Sampdoria, winning the Coppa Italia in his first season in 1985.

He left in 1986, becoming the player-manager of Rangers Glasgow in a successful era, leading to the revival of the club.

Swedish striker Dan Corneliusson spent five years at Como and left after relegation in 1989.

Afterwards he had spells at Wettingen, Malmö FF, Qviding FIF and Karlstad BK, retiring in 1995.

Glenn Strömberg would have a long spell at Atalanta, one of the best foreign player successes at Serie A. He played for Atalanta even in Serie B and reached the Cup Winners Cup semifinals in 1988 and UEFA Cup quarterfinals in 1991 with the Bergamo side.

He retired after his eighth and final season with Atalanta in 1992.

Lars Larsson’s lone season at Atalanta was disappointing and he played only in a handful of matches. He left and returned to Malmö FF, before a final spell at Trelleborgs FF before retiring after the 1992/93 season.

He passed away on March 8^th, 2025, aged just 52.

 

In this 1984/85 season, the two most successful stranieri turned out to be the Verona duo of Briegel and Elkjaer. The two were significant additions as Verona won the Scudetto in 1985.

Elkjaer would remain at Veron until 1988 before returning home to Vejle and retiring in 1990.

He also helped Verona to qualify for Europe in 1987.

Briegel left Verona after two seasons in 1986 and joined Sampdoria. He would have two further relatively successful seasons and win the Coppa Italia in 1988 with the club and retired at the end of that season.

 

From this group, apart from Briegel and Elkjaer, Junior, Rummenigge and Strömberg were the successful additions.

Of course, Maradona is in a class on his own.