Genoa's Signorini passes away

The former Genoa 1893 captain Gianluca Signorini died of Lou Gehrig's disease last night aged 42.

Classy libero
Signorini, whose funeral will take place near his hometown of Pisa on Thursday, was a classy libero with great positional sense, who featured in Genoa's strongest post-war side.

Started with Pisa
Born in 1960, Signorini started out with Pisa Calcio in Serie C1. He made his Serie A debut in 1987 with AS Roma and the following year signed for Genoa where he was to become captain.

UEFA Cup run
In 1992 Signorini led Genoa to the UEFA Cup semi-final after beating Liverpool FC both in Genoa and at Anfield in the quarter-final. The European adventure ended against AFC Ajax as the Dutch side won 4-3 on aggregate.

Distinguished career
Signorini retired in 1995 after playing 210 matches in Serie A and scoring six goals. Last year more than 25,000 spectators gathered at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa for a charity match to raise money for research into Lou Gehrig's disease and study funds for Signorini's four children.