Francesco "Checco" Moriero (; born 31 March 1969) is an Italian football former player and current manager, who played as a midfielder, usually as a winger on the right flank. He is the current head coach of the Maldives national football team.

Throughout his career, he played for several Italian clubs: Lecce, Cagliari, Roma, Inter Milan, and Napoli, winning an UEFA Cup title with Inter in 1998. A former Italy international, he took part at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Club career
Francesco Moriero played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, including Lecce (1986–1992), Cagliari (1992–94), Roma (1994–97), Inter Milan (1997–2000), and Napoli (2000–2002).

Originally from Lecce, he began his career with the local club's youth side, making his professional debut with the senior Lecce side during the 1986–87 Serie B season. The following season, he made 35 appearances, scoring 3 goals, helping the team to gain promotion to Serie A. He played two seasons in Serie A with Lecce, making 86 appearances and scoring 4 goals, before Lecce were relegated to Serie B once again. During the 1991–92 Serie B season, he set a personal best of 6 goals in 34 appearances, before moving to Cagliari in 1992, where he made his debut in European competitions, notably helping the team to reach the semi-final of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup.

In 1994, he moved to Roma for 8.5 billion Lit. He spent 3 seasons with the club, becoming an important figure, making 75 appearances in Serie A, and scoring 8 goals. In May 1997, he had initially made a deal to sign for Milan, but in July, he signed with Inter for 1 million Lit. in an exchange between the two Milan clubs involving André Cruz, who was initially about to sign a contract with Inter.

He made his debut with Inter on the first matchday of the 1997–98 Serie A season, on 31 August 1997, against Brescia, at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. His most notable and successful career spell came with the Milan club, and in his first season, he won the 1997–98 UEFA Cup under manager Luigi Simoni, notably scoring a goal from a bicycle kick against the Swiss team Neuchatel Xamax during the tournament. In the final he also set up Ronaldo's goal shortly after coming on as a substitute. Inter also narrowly missed out on the Serie A title to Juventus that season, as Moriero made 28 league appearances that season, scoring 3 goals. Although he made fewer appearances during the next two seasons due to injury (making 28 appearances in Serie A in total, scoring 3 goals), he also later reached the 2000 Coppa Italia final with the club, under Marcello Lippi, before moving to Napoli in 2000. During the 2000–01 Serie A season, he made 14 appearances with Napoli, scoring a goal, although he was unable to save the club from relegation. He ended his career with the club in 2002, in Serie B. In total he made 287 appearances in Serie A, scoring 21 goals.

International career
After making an appearance with the Italy national under-21 football team in a 1–0 win over Greece on 7 February 1990, under manager Cesare Maldini, Moriero also played for the senior Italy national team; in total, he scored two goals in eight matches for Italy between 1998 and 1999. He made his senior international debut on 28 January 1998, in a 3–0 home win over Slovakia, providing two assists during the match; in his next appearance, in an international friendly against Paraguay on 22 April 1998, he scored his only two goals for Italy, one from a bicycle kick, as they won the match 3–1 at home. Moriero was a participant for Italy at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, under Cesare Maldini once again, where Italy were eliminated in the quarterfinals to hosts and eventual champions France on penalties. Although he was often alternated with the more defensive-minded Angelo Di Livio on the right wing, he still appeared in all five of Italy's matches during the tournament, and he assisted Christian Vieri's first goal in Italy's 3–0 win against Cameroon in their second group stage match, also starting the play for his second goal of the match. He also combined with Filippo Inzaghi to initiate the play which led to Roberto Baggio's match winning goal against Austria in Italy's final group match, as Italy won 2–1 to top their group. He made his final appearance for Italy on 9 October the following year, in a European qualifier against Belarus, under manager Dino Zoff, which ended in a 0–0 away draw.

Coaching career
In 2006, soon after having successfully ended his studies at the Coverciano football coaching school, Moriero was appointed head coach of Ivorian club Africa Sports. On 27 July 2007, Africa Sports announced that they have sacked Moriero, appointing his assistant Salvatore Nobile as new boss.

On 7 August, Moriero signed for Serie C1's Lanciano, guiding the club under massive financial issues that successively led to bankrupt, an auction-regulated sale and point deductions throughout the season. He successively guided F.C. Crotone to win the Lega Pro Prima Divisione playoffs and achieve promotion to Serie B in the 2008–09 season.

He then served as head coach of Serie B club Frosinone from July 2009 to April 2010.

In September 2010 he was named new head coach of Grosseto in the Italian Serie B, replacing Luigi Apolloni, but was dismissed later in January 2011 due to poor results. In the season 2012–13 he was again named head coach of Grosseto, but on 1 October 2012 he was sacked.

On 30 June 2013, Moriero signed with his former club, Lecce, although he was dismissed 24 September.

On 1 July 2014, he was hired by Catanzaro, although he was later sacked once again by the club on 9 November.

In May 2017 he was appointed coach of Sambenedettese. He was fired in November, but was later called back in April 2018. He left the club again on 30 June 2018.

In June 2019 he joined Cavese, but was fired in September after 4 Serie C matches without wins. 

On 30 December 2020, he was announced as the new head coach of Albanian club Dinamo Tirana, with Fabrizio Miccoli as his assistant. On 2 March 2021, both Moriero and Miccoli resigned from their coaching roles at the club, after having been in charge of only two league games for the Albanian club.

On 21 October 2021, Moriero was unveiled as the new head coach of the Maldives national football team on a two-year deal; his appointment made Moriero the first ever coach from a World Cup winning country to coach the Maldives in the history.

Style of play
Moriero was a right-footed, quick, diminutive, energetic, and highly technical midfielder, who was predominantly used as right winger; although he was primarily an offensive minded player, with a penchant for making attacking runs, and who was even used as an outside forward on occasion, he was also known for his work-rate, tactical intelligence, and defensive contribution off the ball, as well as his ability to track back, which enabled him to cover the flank effectively. Moriero's main attributes were his acceleration, pace, dribbling skills, agility, flair, and creativity; these characteristics enabled him to beat opponents in one on one situations, get up the wing, and provide width to his team by overloading the flanks, giving his team a numerical advantage when attacking. He was also known for his ability to create chances and provide assists for strikers with his crossing ability and long balls from the right flank. He also had good vision and distribution, as well as a penchant for scoring with spectacular strikes from distance, or acrobatic goals from volleys and bicycle kicks. Regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation, during his prime, his world class performances, characteristics, playing style, and position on the pitch earned him comparisons with esteemed former Italian wingers Franco Causio, Bruno Conti, and Roberto Donadoni, as well as Portuguese winger Luís Figo. However, despite his talent, Moriero also garnered a reputation for being inconsistent at times. In addition to his skills and playing ability, Moriero was also known for his trademark celebration, which involved him pretending to polish his team-mates' football boots whenever they scored a goal.

Honours

Player
Inter
 UEFA Cup: 1997–98

References

1969 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Lecce
Footballers from the Province of Lecce
Men's association football wingers
Italian men's footballers
Italian football managers
Italy men's international footballers
Italy men's under-21 international footballers
Serie A players
Serie B players
US Lecce players
Cagliari Calcio players
AS Roma players
Inter Milan players
SSC Napoli players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
Africa Sports d'Abidjan managers
FC Crotone managers
Frosinone Calcio managers
US Grosseto 1912 managers
FC Lugano managers
US Lecce managers
US Catanzaro 1929 managers
FC Dinamo City managers
Maldives national football team managers
Italian expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in Ivory Coast
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Ivory Coast
Expatriate football managers in Albania
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Albania
Expatriate football managers in the Maldives
Italian expatriate sportspeople in the Maldives
UEFA Cup winning players
{{축구 선수 정보
|이름= 프란체스코 모리에로
|그림= Francesco Moriero 1992-1993.jpg
|설명=
|전체 이름= Francesco Moriero
|출생일=
|출생지= 레체
|사망일=
|사망지=
|키= 173cm
|포지션= 은퇴 (과거 오른쪽 윙어)
|현 소속팀= 몰디브 축구 국가대표팀 (감독)
|등번호=
|청소년 클럽 연도= 
|청소년 클럽= 
|클럽 연도= 1986–1992  1992–1994  1994–1997  1997–2000  2000–2002   합계
|클럽=US 레체  칼리아리 칼초  AS 로마  인테르 밀란  SSC 나폴리
|출장수(골)= 156 (13)54 (4) 76 (8) 56 (6) 24 (1) 366 (32)
|국가대표팀 연도= 1998–1999
|국가대표팀= 이탈리아
|국가대표팀 출장수(골)= 8 (2)
|클럽팀 최신 업데이트 날짜=
|국가대표팀 최신 업데이트 날짜=
|감독 연도= 2006–2007  2007–2008  2008–2009  2009–2010  2010–2011  2011–2012  2012  2013  2013  2014  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020-2021  2021-
|감독 클럽= 아프리카 스포르  란차노 칼초  FC 크로토네  프로시노네 칼초  US 그로세토  FC 루냐노  US 그로세토  US 그로세토  US 레체  US 카탄차로  칼초 카타니아  삼베네데테세 칼초  삼베네데테세 칼초  카베세 1919  디나모 티라나 몰디브
}}프란체스코 "체코" 모리에로(, 1969년 3월 31일 ~ )는 이탈리아의 전 축구 선수이자 현 축구 지도자로 현재 몰디브 축구 국가대표팀 감독을 맡고 있으며 과거 포지션은 미드필더였다.

 선수 시절 
 클럽 
1986년 고향팀인 US 레체에 입단 후 1992년까지 레체의 주축 미드필더로 활약한 이후 칼리아리 칼초(1992 ~ 1994), AS 로마(1994 ~ 1997), 인테르 밀란(1997 ~ 2000), SSC 나폴리(2000 ~ 2001) 등에서 활동하며 레체의 1987-88 세리에 B 준우승 및 차기 시즌 세리에 A 승격, 칼리아리의 1993-94년 UEFA컵 4강, 인테르의 1997-98 세리에 A 준우승, 1997-98년 UEFA컵 우승 등에 공헌한 뒤 15년간의 현역 생활을 마감했다.

 국가대표팀 
1998년 1월 28일 슬로바키아와의 친선 경기에서 이탈리아 A대표팀 소속으로 국제 A매치 데뷔전을 치렀고 같은 해 4월 22일 열린 파라과이와의 경기에서 A매치 데뷔골을 신고했다.

이후 같은 해에 열린 1998년 FIFA 월드컵 본선에서 B조 조별리그 1차전을 제외한 나머지 4경기를 모두 선발로 출전했고 특히 카메룬과의 조별리그 2차전에서 크리스티안 비에리의 선제골을 어시스트하는 등 맹활약을 펼치며 팀의 8강 진출에 일조했다.

그 뒤 1999년 10월 9일 벨라루스와의 UEFA 유로 2000 예선 1조 최종전에 출전하며 0-0 무승부로 팀 통산 5번째 유로 대회 본선 진출을 조력한 뒤 벨라루스전을 마지막으로 국가대표팀 유니폼을 반납했다.

 지도자 경력 
2006년 콘베르차노에서 성공적으로 수업을 마친 뒤 코트디부아르 1부 리그 소속팀인 아프리카 스포르의 감독으로 본격적인 지도자 커리어를 시작했다.

그 후 란차노 칼초를 거쳐2008-09 시즌에는 FC 크로토네의 감독을 맡아 레가 프로 프리마 디비시오네 B조 3위로 승격 플레이오프에 진출시켰고 B조 승격 플레이오프에서도 각각 SS 아레초와 베네벤토 칼초 등을 차례대로 꺾으면서 팀을 세리에 B 승격으로 이끌었다.

이후 2009년부터 2021년까지 프로시노네 칼초, FC 루냐노, US 레체, US 카탄차로, 칼초 카타니아, 삼베네데테세 칼초, 카베세 1919, 알바니아 2부 리그의 디나모 티라나의 감독을 역임했으며 대부분 이렇다할 성과를 거두지 못한 채 경질되는 일이 다반사였으나 그나마 디나모 티라나의 감독으로 2020-21 시즌 알바니아 2부 리그 준우승 및 차기 시즌 1부 리그 승격의 성과를 남겼다.

디나모 티라나를 1부 리그로 승격시킨 뒤 2021년 10월 21일 알리 수자인 전 감독의 뒤를 이어 몰디브 축구 국가대표팀의 새 사령탑으로 선임되며 지도자 커리어를 시작한지 15년만에 처음으로 국가대표팀 감독을 맡게 되었다.

그리고 2022년 3월 24일 방글라데시와의 친선 경기(2-0 승)에서 몰디브 대표팀 사령탑 데뷔전을 치른 데 이어 태국과의 2023년 AFC 아시안컵 3차 예선 C조 1차전에서 몰디브 대표팀 사령탑으로서의 첫 국제 대회 데뷔전을 치렀으며 같은 남아시아 국가인 스리랑카와의 최종전 경기에서 몰디브의 2회 연속 아시안컵 예선 승리(1-0 승)를 이끌었다.

그 뒤 2023년 남아시아 축구 선수권 대회에도 출전하여 조별리그 첫 경기에서 부탄을 2-0으로 이겼지만 이후 방글라데시와 초청팀인 레바논에 연이어 패하면서 조별리그 탈락의 고배를 마셨다.

 수상 
 클럽 (선수) 
 US 레체
 세리에 B : 준우승 (1987-88)

 칼리아리 칼초
 UEFA 유로파리그 : 4강 (1993-94)

 인테르 밀란
 세리에 A : 준우승 (1997-98)
 UEFA 유로파리그 : 우승''' (1997-98)

클럽 (지도자) 
  디나모 티라나
 알바니아 2부 리그 : 준우승 (2020-21)

각주 

1969년 출생
살아있는 사람
이탈리아의 남자 축구 선수
이탈리아 남자 축구 국가대표팀 선수
1998년 FIFA 월드컵 참가 선수
US 레체의 축구 선수
칼리아리 칼초의 축구 선수
AS 로마의 축구 선수
FC 인테르나치오날레 밀라노의 축구 선수
SSC 나폴리의 축구 선수
이탈리아의 축구 감독
FC 크로토네의 축구 감독
프로시노네 칼초의 축구 감독
US 그로세토 1912의 축구 감독
FC 루냐노의 축구 감독
US 레체의 축구 감독
세리에 A의 축구 선수
세리에 B의 축구 선수
이탈리아 남자 U-21 축구 국가대표팀 선수
몰디브에 거주한 이탈리아인
몰디브 축구 국가대표팀 감독