Andrea Fortunato

Who was Andrea Fortunato?

Andrea Fortunato was an Italian football player who played as a left-back for Juventus and, on one occasion, the Italian national team.

Born in Salerno, Fortunato was one of Italy’s most promising prospects in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. The emerging young talent enjoyed a successful yet very short spell in Italian football before tragedy struck. He started his career in 1988 as a left-back with Como at the age of just 17. The young player from Salerno played 16 times in his first season with the Lariani, who were relegated to Serie C1. It was here where he established himself, with his consistent performances throughout the season, catching the eye of the bigger clubs – most notably Genoa. It was the Ligurian side who signed Fortunato in 1991, but he was immediately loaned to Serie B side Pisa for the 1991-92 season.

After an impressive spell the full-back returned to the Grifoni to team up with Christian Panucci, who was another bright star impressing Coaches around the peninsula. In his first year in the top flight Fortunato did enough to grab the attention of Juventus boss Giovanni Trapattoni, who brought the star to La Vecchia Signora. The left-back was an instant hit in the famous No 3 black and white jersey which belonged to the great Antonio Cabrini during the 1980s.