Hellas Verona F.C., or simply known as Verona, is a Serie A Italian football team based in Verona, Veneto.
Founded in 1903, Hellas Verona have been playing at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi since 1963. The club has had a rocky history, winning the Serie A Championship in 1984-85 but eventually folding due to financial difficulties.
While they have been in the top division since their promotion in 2018/19, they’re still having to prove their worth with the odds stacked against them.
Here is the ultimate guide to Italy’s Hellas Verona football club!
Basic Facts
- Club was founded in 1903
- Verona won the Serie A Championship in 1984-85
- The club’s stadium is Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, shared with rivals Chievo Verona
- Hellas Verona often go by the nickname “gialloblu”, meaning “yellow-blue” in Italian, because of their distinctive team colors
- The team folded in 1991 due to financial problems, where they then recovered and rebranded by the name “Verona”, before returning to “Hellas Verona” in 1995.
Home Grounds
Hellas Verona have played at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi since 1963, shared with their rivals, Chievo Verona. As the team name suggests, Hellas Verona is based in Verona in Veneto, Italy.
Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi is also the host of a variety of other sports, including rugby, athletics, youth team games, the Women’s Championship League matches of Bardolino Verona, and even the occasional musical concert.
This stadium has a capacity of 31,045 approved seats, with 39,211 seats all together, making it the eighth-largest stadium in Italy. Its unique name was chosen to honor Marcantonio Bentegodi, one of the biggest historic benefactors of sports in Verona.
If you think you recognize the name of the stadium, it’s probably because it was the home of some of the 1990 FIFA World Cup matches.
Main Trophies
The main trophy that Hellas Verona have won since the foundation of the club was Serie A Championship in 1984-85.
It was one of those championships that nobody expected Hellas Verona to win, but despite their skill, the team has been largely unsuccessful since this win. In fact, this trophy is the team’s sole main trophy.
Hellas Verona were also the champions of the following Serie B seasons: 1956-57, 1981-82, and 1998-99.
Club History
The history of Hellas Verona is an interesting one. The team (then known as Hellas) was founded in 1903 by some high school students, firstly as an entertaining club due to Verona’s indifference to sports at this time.
The name “Hellas” was requested by the student’s classical studies professor.
During this time, professional sports were only taken seriously in the cities of northwestern Italy. The attitude towards sports changed across the country in 1906 when two city teams played at Verona’s Roman Amphitheater.
The “beautiful game” became true to its title with the stunning background of the amphitheater, which is why the media increased its enthusiasm.
Hellas spent the first few years fighting city rivals to become the city’s premier football team. Between the years of 1898-1923, Italy’s football was split into regional groups, making Hellas one of the founding teams of their league.
As a result of this, the city of Verona helped Hellas to find a proper venue in 1911, which then led to the team playing in its first regional tournament.
When World War 1 hit Europe, Italy suspended football for four years. In 1919, Hellas merged with the team Verona (one of the city rivals) to create Hellas Verona.
The team took part in Campionato Nazionale, which then turned into a professional league in 1929 when Serie A began.
As Campionato Nazionale was (and still is) a league for youth teams, Hellas Verona was still amateur, so they merged with Bentegodi and Scaligera (two other city rivals) to create AC Verona.
AC Verona didn’t do too well in Serie A or Serie B. So, in 1959, the team was again merged with another city rival called Hellas, which then created Hellas Verona AC.
It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s when Hellas Verona gained success. The team came back to Serie A in 1968 until 1990, when the team shocked the world by winning the 1984-85 Serie A Championship.
Prior to this, in 1982-83, Hellas Verona got as far as fourth place in Serie A.
The accomplishment of a mid-size city winning the Serie A Championship eventually caught up with the managers of Hellas Verona, where financial difficulties caused the team to fold.
In 1991, the team came back as Verona, which flitted between Serie A and Serie B. It wasn’t until 1995 when the team returned to the name of Hellas Verona.
The luck of their previous accomplishment disappeared when the three-year stay in Serie A ended in 2002, as the team finished fourth-to-last place.
After moving down to Serie B, Hellas Verona continued to slip further away from success.
To fall to Serie C1 was not an option for the team, although it was becoming more and more likely. It was the strength of support from the fans that spurred the team on to climb to third place in 2004-05.
Unfortunately, the next few years were disappointing for the team, when Verona was forced to go to Serie C1 after 64 years of playing Serie A and Serie B. The majority of this season was spent in last place, which led to a complicated change of managers for several years.
Following multiple managerial changes (including a change of chairmen due to an unfortunate death), Hellas Verona went through countless revamps in the hopes of cementing a spot back in Serie B, if not Serie A.
The team was eventually promoted back to Serie B in 2011, and then to Serie A in 2013. The team was close to the final UEFA Europa League Spot, tied with Internazionale, but finished the year in tenth place.
Their spot in Serie A was short-lived when Verona failed to win a match in the 2015-16 season. They then bounced back and forth between Serie A and Serie B between 2016 and 2019.
Verona surprisingly qualified for the Europa League qualification, but due to the halt in the season due to the coronavirus outbreak, the team fell short of the qualification. As of 2021, the team has finished in the top half of the Serie A league table.
Club Timeline
- 1903: Club was founded by high school students as Hellas
- 1907-8: Hellas played against regional teams including Vicenza, where a rivalry still exists to this day
- 1919: Team merged with the city team Verona, creating Hellas Verona
- 1929: Newly branded AC Verona debuted in Serie B after merging with city rivals Scaligera and Bentegodi
- 1959: Team merged once again with Hellas (another city rival) to form Hellas Verona AC
- 1972-73: After returning to Serie A in 1968, Hellas Verona AC famously beat Milan 5-3
- 1983-84: First European appearance was made in the UEFA Cup, but the team was knocked out in the second round
- 1984-85: Hellas Verona AC famously won this Serie A season
- 1988: Hellas Verona AC accomplished their best international result in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals, achieving four victories and three draws
- 1991: Team folded and was reborn due to financial difficulties following their Serie A win in 1984-85, renaming simply to Verona
- 1995: Team name officially returned to Hellas Verona
- 2002: Team was relegated to Serie B
- 2006: Hellas Verona fell to Serie C1 after 64 years in Serie B and Serie A
- 2007-8: Team narrowly avoided falling to Serie C2 thanks to a change of management to Pellegrini
- 2011: Team was eventually promoted back to Serie B
- 2013: Team finished second in Serie B, promoting them to Serie A for the first time in 11 years
- 2015-16: Team failed to win a single match, and subsequently were demoted to Serie B
- 2016-17: Hellas Verona finished second place in Serie B, and were therefore automatically promoted back to Serie A
- 2017-18: Team finished second-to-last, and was then demoted back to Serie B
- 2018-19: Team finished in fifth place, allowing for promotion back to Serie A
- 2019-20: Team was doing well until the season halted due to the coronavirus outbreak. They have since remained tentatively in Serie A.
Club Net Worth
It is estimated that Hellas Verona’s net worth is $7 million, with a transfer budget of ~$3 million and a wage budget of ~$415K a week.
Stadium
Hellas Verona’s home ground is Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi with a capacity of 31,045 (39,211 total seats). This is the eighth-largest stadium in Italy and the team shares it with one of their rivals, Chievo Verona.
Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi opened in 1963 and was renovated prior to the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where an extra tier and roof was introduced.
Owners
The current owner of Hellas Verona is Maurice Setti, a sports executive and Italian entrepreneur. Setti is also the majority shareholder of Serie C club Mantua.
Best Players
The best players in Hellas Verona are Koray Gunter, Kevin Lasagna, Mattia Zaccagni, and Darko Lazovic.
Koray Gunter originally joined Hellas Verona on loan with an option to buy in July 2019, and has since been playing as center back for the team. He has since won 135 tackles in Serie A and 119 duels, making him #76 in the Serie A rankings.
Kevin Lasagna plays as a striker for Hellas Verona, on loan from Udinese and the Italy national team.
Lasagna stands out for his ball control, physical strength, pace, striking ability while running, and offensive movement. He currently ranks at #12 for tackles in the opponent’s half.
Mattia Zaccagni is a midfielder for Hellas Verona, ranking at #187 in the Serie A rankings. He is currently the second top scorer in the team.
Darko Lazovic is a Serbian footballer playing for the Serbian national football team and winger in Hellas Verona. In 2011, he was recognized as the best young player at the age of 21 in the Serbian Superliga. Lazovic currently ranks at #138 in the Serie A rankings.
All Time Top Scorer
Hellas Verona’s top scorer is Antonin Barak with 7 goals and a score accuracy of 56%. He has played 34 games and has reached a total of 32 shots. Barak plays as a midfielder for Hellas Verona and the Czech Republic national team.
Mattia Zaccagni is the second top scorer for Hellas Verona, scoring a total of 5 goals with an accuracy of 82%. Federico Dimarco is the joint second top scorer next to Zaccagni, but with a score accuracy of 41%.
Captain
The current captain of Hellas Verona is Miguel Veloso, a Portuguese footballer who plays mostly as a defensive midfielder (and occasionally an attacking left back) for the team.
His leadership first began in 2003 for Portugal at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, subsequently giving him the title of the tournament’s Golden Player. He has been playing for Hellas Verona since 2019.
The vice-captain of Hellas Verona is Davide Faraoni.
Goalkeepers
As of 14th August 2021, the current goalkeepers for the first team squad are:
- Ivor Pandur (1)
- Nationality: Croatian
- Nicola Borghetto (12)
- Nationality: Italian
- Alessandro Berardi (22)
- Nationality: Italian
- Lorenzo Montipo (96), who is on loan from Benevento.
- Nationality: Italian
On loan goalkeepers:
- Mattia Chiesa
- Nationality: Italian
Defenders
As of 14th August 2021, the current defenders for the first team squad are:
- Bruno Amione (3)
- Nationality: Argentinian
- Position: Center-back
- Davide Faraoni (5)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Right midfield
- Mert Cetin (15) who is on loan from Roma
- Nationality: Turkish
- Position: Center-back
- Nicolo Casale (16)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Center-back
- Federico Ceccherini (17)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Center-back
- Matteo Cancellieri (18) who is on loan from Roma
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Right winger
- Koray Gunter (21)
- Nationality: German
- Position: Center-back
- Giangiacomo Magnani (23)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Center-back
- Pawel Dawidowicz (27)
- Nationality: Polish
- Position: Center-back
- Gianluca Frabotta (28) who is on loan from Juventus
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Left-back
- Alan Empereur (33)
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Position: Center-back
- Bogdan Jocic (77)
- Nationality: Serbian
- Position: Attacking midfield
On loan defenders:
- Marash Kumbulla
- Nationality: Albanian
- Destiny Udogie
- Nationality: Italian
Midfielders
As of August 14th 2021, the current midfielders for the first team squad are:
- Miguel Veloso (Captain) (4)
- Nationality: Portuguese
- Position: Defensive midfield
- Antonin Barak (7)
- Nationality: Czechoslovakian
- Position: Attacking midfield
- Darko Lazovic (8)
- Nationality: Serbian
- Position: Left midfield
- Mattia Zaccagni (10)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Attacking midfield
- Ivan Ilic (14)
- Nationality: Serbian
- Position: Central midfield
- Kevin Ruegg (20)
- Nationality: Swiss
- Position: Right-back
- Daniel Bessa (24)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Central midfield
- Adrien Tameze (61)
- Nationality: Cameroonian
- Position: Defensive midfield
- Martin Hongla (78) who is one loan from Royal Antwerp
- Nationality: Cameroonian
- Position: Defensive midfield
Strikers
As of 14th August 2021, the current strikers for the first team squad are:
- Nikola Kalinic (9)
- Nationality: Croatian
- Position: Center-forward
- Kevin Lasagna (11)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Center-forward
- Adama Sane (19)
- Nationality: Senegalese
- Position: Center-forward
- Antonino Ragusa (32)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Left winger
- Philip Yeboah (45)
- Nationality: Ghanaian
- L’ubomir Tupta (98)
- Nationality: Slovakian
- Samuel Di Carmine (99)
- Nationality: Italian
- Position: Center-forward
On Loan Strikers:
- Lorenzo Bertini
- Nationality: Italian
- Mariusz Stepinski
- Nationality: Polish
Manager
It’s no secret that Hellas Verona has had an ever-changing management since the foundation of the club. As of 2021, the current manager is Eusebio Di Francesco, who used to play as a midfielder before his retirement.
He was appointed the role of manager for Hellas Verona on 7th June 2021 under a two-year contract.
Previous Managers Include:
- Gian Marco Remondina
- Giovanni Vavassori
- Giuseppe Giannini
- Andrea Mandorlini
- Fabbio Pecchia
- Fabio Grosso
- Ivan Juric
Coach
People often mix up the terms “coach” with “manager” in the football world. Technically speaking, a coach is responsible for improving the team’s techniques and helping them to win games, while a manager does the same thing and runs the club’s affairs.
Some football teams will have a separate coach to manager, but in the case of Hellas Verona, the role is shared by the same person – meaning Eusebio Di Francesco is both the manager and coach. Di Francesco succeeded Ivan Juric as the previous coach.
Assistant Coach
The assistant coach of Hellas Verona is Matteo Paro, a former Italian midfielder.
Home Kit
Hellas Verona’s home kit is distinctive for its yellow and blue colors, giving the team its famous nickname “gialloblu”, which translates to literally “yellow-blue” in Italian.
These colors were chosen to represent both the city of Verona and Verona’s emblem – a blue shield featuring a yellow cross. This emblem appears on the majority of the team’s uniforms.
In most cases, the home kits are blue (sometimes navy) with yellow details. Sometimes, the team will wear a blue and yellow striped version.
Away Kit
Hellas Verona’s away kit for the 2021-22 season is a white shirt and shorts, with yellow and blue paint brushes swept across the front of the shirt.
Not only does this represent the colors of the team, but the paint brushes are meant to honor the 700th anniversary of the death of Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri (who was said to be Italy’s Shakespeare).
The back of the jersey features the dates 1321-2021, which commemorates Dante’s death.
Logo
Hellas Verona’s logo stands out for its distinctive yellow and blue coloring, with the classic striped background representing the team’s home kit. Underneath the font that reads the team name is the emblem for Verona – a blue shield with a yellow cross.
Club Academy
As yet, Hellas Verona does not have a club academy for youth players.
League Titles
- 1 time Serie A Champion: 1984-85
- 3 time Serie B Champion: 1956/57, 1981/82, 1998/99
- Play-off winners Serie B: 2018/19
Other Titles
- Runners-up Coppa Italia: 1975/76, 1982/83, 1983/84
Fun Facts
- Hellas Verona takes part in intercity fixtures called the “Derby della Scala” against their rival, Chievo Verona. Verona became the fifth city in Italy to host an intercity fixture in Serie A.
- Not quite a fun fact, but Pietro Arvedi D’Emilei (the club chairman) got into a car crash and ended up in a coma in 2008 after a league match. He later died in 2009, only two months after the club was purchased by another chairman.
- Hellas Verona have had 9 players over the last 40 decades who have been selected to play for their country during the FIFA World Cup, while still playing for Hellas Verona. These include:
- Roberto Tricella (1986) – Italy
- Antonio Di Gennaro (1986) – Italy
- Giuseppe Galderisi (1986) – Italy
- Preben Elkjær (1986) – Denmark
- Hans-Peter Briegel (1986) – Germany
- Nelson Gutierrez (1990) – Uruguay
- Ruslan Nigmatullin (2002) – Russia
- Anthony Seric (2002) – Croatia
- Lee Seung-woo (2018) – South Korea