SS Lazio (
Societa' Sportiva Lazio) is one of the two soccer team in
Rome,
Italy (The other one being
AS Roma). It's official colors are White and Blue.
It was founded in January 9, 1900 by 9 people lead by Luigi Bigiarelli, as "Societa' Podistica Lazio" for racing. Two year later, in 1902, Bruto Seghettini, associate of Racing Club Paris, introduced soccer to the team's (Lazio) 9 associates. They started to disseminate soccer in Rome, and become unbeatable. They even participated to national tournaments.
In the 30's, the club was at it's apex: It has the best italian forward ever, Silvio Piola, whose record is still unbeaten: 143 goals.
However, the first trophy arrived only in 1958 with coach Bernardini and captain Lovati: Coppa Italia (Italian Cup), thanks to a goal by Prini in the final against Fiorentina.
The second trophy is 16 years later, in 1974, the Scudetto (Italian Championship), thanks to an incredible season, two years after the team's return in Serie A. The team's players were: Pulici, Petrelli, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi and D’Amico.
Today, after more than a century of it's foundation, thanks to president Sergio Cragotti's investments of tens of billions (lire), SS Lazio is part of the 'elite' of Italian and European soccer.
In the 1997/98 season, with the new coach Sven Goran Eriksson, and champions like Almeyda, Mancini and Jugovic, the club finally wins another trophy, Coppa Italia, against AC Milan, on April 29, 1998.
Eriksson's team goes also very close to another trophy, UEFA Cup, that is lost in the final against Inter (better known as Inter Milan in countries other than Italy), on May 6, 1998.
The next season, 1998/99, starts August 29, 1998, with the arrival of other great champions: Salas, Vieri, De La Pena, Mihajlovic and Stankovic, and another trophy: la SuperCoppa di Lega.
Three days later, in Milan, Italy, the club wins the Coppa Italia against Inter.
Lazio also won the last edition of UEFA's Coppa Delle Coppe (Cup Winners' Cup).
In the season of 1999/2000, the one of the centenary, the team is full of new champions, even after Vieri left: Veron, Sensini, Simeone and Simone Inzaghi. Later, in December, Fabrizio Ravanelli, will also come directly from Olympique de Marseille.
The club triumphs again in Europe and wins UEFA's Supercoppa Europea against Manchester United.
After an intense and difficult season, the team manages to win two of the three events in which it participated: the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia.
The next season (2000/2001) officialy begins September 9, 2000, with the victory of The Supercoppa della Lega, beating Inter 4 to 3.
After 3 and a half years of success, the club changes coach. The new coach is Dino Zoff, and manages to get the team in the third position in Serie A.