Pietro Vierchowod is one of Italy’s most illustrious defenders, up their with Maldini and Zanetti on the list of Serie A greats. Stephen Kasiewicz explores his unlikely beginnings as a striker and charts an epic career that culminated in historic Scudetto wins with both Roma and Sampdoria.
It’s hard to envision Pietro Vierchowod as anything other than a formidable defensive giant.
Yet it was only an early positional switch that meant he spent an illustrious career trying to prevent goals rather than score them.
Vierchowod, who celebrates his 65th birthday today (Saturday 6 April 2024), started out as a centre forward in the youth ranks at Romanese and Como. After an injury to a defensive team-mate he was asked to fill in at the back for I Lariani and would never feature as a striker again. Despite his reputation as one of the most feared and respected defenders in the history of Italian football, his attacking instincts were deeply hardwired.
In a career which spanned 24 years, from the fourth tier to the top flight, Vierchowod scored 58 goals in 873 appearances. Not bad for a player who relished, and usually won, physical duels with some of the most formidable attacking talent the footballing world has ever seen, from Diego Maradona and Marco Van Basten to Gabriel Batistuta and Ronaldo.
A natural athlete
Born in the town of Calcinate near Bergamo on 6 April 1959, Vierchowod always stood out, and not just for his unusual surname. His diligence on the field stemmed from a hard-working background. Vierchowod, whose Ukrainian father settled in Italy after being captured as a Red Army soldier during the Second World War, was a labourer and plumber’s assistant in his teens. It didn’t take him long, however, to make calcio his profession. A natural athlete, by his own estimation capable of running the 100 metres in less than 11 seconds, he was rejected by Milan after trials at the age of 16.
In 1976, long before he was christened ‘Lo Zar’ (the Tsar), he debuted in Serie D for Romanese. But the big role change that defined his career occurred at Como. He spent five fruitful seasons at the Lombardy club as they achieved back to back promotions all the way from Serie C1 to Serie A between 1978 to 1980.
Initially deployed as a left-back, the strong running youngster also impressed as a fixture in the centre of defence. Wanted by several clubs, Sampdoria president Paolo Mantovani convinced him to sign for the Blucerchiati in 1980, yet it would be another three years before he actually played for them.
Mantovani agreed to let Vierchowod remain on loan at Como as they moved up to top flight, while Samp were still languishing in the second tier. The 20-year-old marked his first Serie A campaign with a debut goal to remember as I Lariani kept their place in Italy’s top division. In what would become something of a trademark forward charge, he galloped from his own half on the left channel, navigated beyond two crude tackles, before calmly slipping the ball beyond Cagliari goalkeeper Roberto Corti, as Como claimed a 3-1 home victory in December 1980. It was an early indication of the speed, tenacity and composure of a player who never backed down from a challenge.
Loaned out for a further two years, Vierchowod narrowly missed out on a first Scudetto with Fiorentina as the Tuscan side were denied by Juventus in controversial circumstances on the last day of the 1981-1982 campaign.
Champion with Roma
It was merely a temporary setback, as Vierchowod became a Serie A champion with Roma a season later. The Giallorossi claimed a historic second title as Swedish tactician Nils Liedholm relied on the rapid pace and recovery powers of Vierchowod in the middle of his defence. He took the role of stopper seriously and used any means necessary to keep Roma at the top in a formidable lineup which also included Carlo Ancelotti, Bruno Conti and Paulo Roberto Falcão.
When the steely defender finally made it back to Sampdoria, the Mantovani-inspired revolution was well underway. Rather than keep his distance, the oil magnate developed close relationships with the Blucerchiati players as they embarked on a remarkable period of achievement. Success emanated from a unified group of players undaunted by facing the best in the world at a time when Italian football was head and shoulders above the rest of Europe’s top leagues.
Goal twins Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini provided the dynamism, flair and ambition in attack, with Vierchowod the defensive anchor as Samp finished fourth and won the Coppa Italia in the 1984-1985 season. Another cup triumph followed three years later as the combative central defender established himself as one of the Serie A’s toughest competitors.
Attacking threat
Notwithstanding his defensive prowess, there were still glimpses of the player whose teenage kicks occurred in front of goal. Looking like a more physically imposing version of Roberto Baggio, in one memorable outburst he bounded from the half-way line and slammed in the bottom corner as Samp won by three goals at Roma in April 1985.
An occasional free-kick taker and adept in the air despite standing less than six foot tall, Vierchowod scored from a wide variety of positions. In both the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons he netted seven times, both career highs. A thumping volley inside the box stood out as Doria defeated Avellino in March 1988, while an absolute stunner in a five goal opening day victory at Torino in August 1988 suggested he could comfortably switch to attack again. Vierchowod collected the ball mid-way in the Toro half and from 25 yards belted it into the top corner.
While best known for shadowing and shackling Michel Platini, Maradona and Van Basten, Samp’s underrated goal threat struck five times as the underdogs won a third Coppa Italia in 1989. As Vialli and Mancini rightly took the plaudits, Vierchowod maintained a ferocious presence along with goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca and right-back Moreno Mannini in a resolute rearguard triumvirate.
In 1989, Samp lost out to Barcelona in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, but lifted the same trophy a year later. Vierchowod scored in the first leg quarter-final victory over Grasshopper Zurich and in the second leg of a semi-final win against Monaco. Doria went on to clinch their first European trophy on a glorious night in Gothenburg, as Vialli recorded a double while the colossal Vierchowod held things together at the back.
Champion (again)
In 1991, coach Vujadin Boskov led the outsiders from Genoa to the ultimate prize as they clinched the Scudetto in one of the great upsets in the modern era of the Italian game. Vierchowod led from the back as Vialli, Mancini and Attilio Lombardo inspired the outsiders to claim an unforgettable title. Samp held off favourites Inter, winning both home and away in epic head-to-head encounters. The rugged stopper spent most of the December 1990 match at the Marassi absorbed in the task of thwarting Nerazzurri star striker Jurgen Klinsmann.
But it was in a trademark attacking foray in which he made a timely interception and provided an assist for Mancini as 10-man Samp sealed a crucial 3-1 victory. A winner at Roma (and incredulous celebration) and further strikes in a 3-2 triumph over Bari, and a final day stalemate at Lazio (with the title already secured) also demonstrated his inclination to surge forward.
The milestone 1990-1991 success was followed by disappointment, when Samp made it all the way to the final of the European Cup the following year. The Italian champions missed big chances as old foes Barcelona barely prevailed to claim the continent’s most prestigious trophy at Wembley. Retrospective reports on the game wrongly depict it as a one-sided affair. In truth, Doria more than held their own as ‘The Tsar’ kept out Johan Cruyff’s much hyped side until extra-time in a tense summer night in 1992.
Nearing the end
Before the end of a phenomenal 12 years at the Blucerchiati, Vierchowod claimed another Coppa Italia victory in 1994 before an unexpected move to Juventus followed a year later. Now 37, the veteran stopper wasn’t always a regular for the Old Lady, but he featured in almost every game as Juve reached the 1996 Champions League final. A youthful Ajax pushed Juve all the way yet the experience of the old man at the back proved vital as the Bianconeri won on penalties in Rome.
Milan didn’t think he was good enough as a teenager but after an injury to legendary defender Franco Baresi the Rossoneri signed him as cover, bringing an end to his short spell in Turin. Even in his late 30s, Vierchowod was supremely fit and rather than retire after leaving Milan he spent three seasons at Piacenza. His relentless approach was epitomized in a May 1998 duel with Inter’s Ronaldo. Despite a 17 year age gap, the defensive grandmaster used every trick in the book to prevent the 22-year-old Fenomeno from scoring in a goalless draw at the San Siro.
“The Hulk”
Vierchowod finally hung up his boots at the age of 41, with a trophy cabinet full of medals and very few regrets. He made 562 appearances – eighth on the all-time list of Serie A players – and scored 32 goals in the Italian top tier.
Although his international career was not quite as fulfilling (45 caps, two goals), he was part of the 1982 World Cup winning squad – although an ankle injury kept him on the sidelines – and featured in the 1986 and 1990 editions of the tournament for the Azzurri.
There is no definite measure for greatness. Present day judgements are usually clouded in a fog of subjectivity. Yet Vierchowod’s peers and opponents ranked him highly. Diego Maradona called him ‘The Hulk’ while Van Basten, Batistua and Ronaldo all lauded his strength and unflagging resilience. High praise for a boy that started life as a striker yet became one of Italy’s greatest ever defenders.