Historical cult hero: Crystal Palace – Attilio Lombardo
On paper, Crystal Palace’s 1997-98 season was one to forget, with the newly-promoted Eagles being relegated straight back down to then Division One, having finished bottom of the Premiership.
However, south Londoners will remember a sprinkling of stardust in an otherwise sorry season in the form of Attilio Lombardo.
The mercurial winger was instantly recognisable for his lack of hair – he was nicknamed The Bald Eagle by supporters – and his close control and creativity had many in the Holmesdale end purring.
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Prior to his move to England, he enjoyed a stellar career in Serie A, most notably with Sampdoria – he made more than 200 appearances over six years for the Genoa club before joining Juventus in 1995.
After an injury-hit two years in the black and white of the Old Lady, he was persuaded to swap Turin for Croydon, and the black and white became red and blue.
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Lombardo scored on his debut at Everton, and was an instant hit with supporters. However, his season was interrupted in November, with Palace sat 10th in the league, after an injury sustained on duty with the Italian national side.
When he returned to Palace’s first team in April, having taken over as caretaker player-manager, the Eagles were propping up the rest of the division after a dismal run.
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Despite an upturn in form on his return to the team, the Eagles were relegated with 33 points from 38 games.
The Italian opted to stay at Selhurst Park despite the drop – a move which further endeared him to the Palace faithful.
However, Palace started poorly under Terry Venables, and a financial crisis at the club saw Lombardo return to his native Italy in January 1999 with a move to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Lazio.
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Lombardo made 49 appearances for Palace, scoring ten times, but will always hold a special place in the club’s heart, and was voted by fans into their centenary XI.
Since his retirement, he has moved into coaching, and has managed a number of Italian teams, and had a spell on Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff at Manchester City. He is now assistant manager of Torino.
