Pierino Prati

Pierino Prati

Prati amongst Hamburger SV defenders during the 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup Final in Rotterdam
Personal information
Date of birth	(1946-12-13) 13 December 1946 (age 70)
Place of birth	Cinisello Balsamo, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1965–1966	Salernitana	19	(10)
1966–1973	Milan	143	(72)
1966–1967	→ Savona (loan)	29	(15)
1973–1977	Roma	82	(28)
1977–1978	Fiorentina	8	(0)
1978–1979	Savona	25	(10)
1979	Rochester Lancers	6	(3)
1979–1981	Savona	54	(24)
National team
1968–1974	Italy	14	(7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 May 2015.

Pierino Prati (born 13 December 1946 in Cinisello Balsamo) is a retired Italian footballer who played mainly as a forward. Prati was capable of playing anywhere along the front-line, as a striker, supporting forward, and as a winger. At Milan, he was often deployed on the left wing due to his pace, technique, distribution, and his powerful and accurate shot. He began his career playing in Serie C1 with Salernitana, winning the title and promotion to Serie B during the 1965–66 season. His son, Cristiano, is also a footballer, who plays in the lower Italian divisions.

Also known as "Pierino the pest", Prati is mostly remembered for his highly successful and prolific stint with Italian club A.C. Milan under manager Nereo Rocco in the 60s and 70s, during which he achieved great international and domestic success, winning a Serie A title, a European Cup, two Cup Winners' Cups, an Intercontinental Cup, and two Coppa Italia titles, forming an excellent partnership with Gianni Rivera. He made his Serie A debut with the club during the end of the 1965–66 season, on 18 September 1966, in a 2–1 win over Venezia, but was briefly loaned to Serie B club Savona during the 1966–67 season. He later helped Milan to win the 1967–68 Serie A title, finishing the season as the top goalscorer in the Italian league, with 15 goals. He was also notably part of their European Cup victory in 1969, scoring a hat-trick in the 4–1 defeat of Ajax in the final, and six goals in total throughout the competition. He is the last man to have scored a hat-trick in the Champions League/European Cup Final. Ferenc Puskás (twice) and Alfredo Di Stefano (both of Real Madrid) are the only other players to have achieved this. Overall, he played for 12 seasons (233 games, 100 goals) in the Italian Serie A with A.C. Milan, A.S. Roma and ACF Fiorentina. He also played for Savona one again in Serie C2 in his later career, as well as the Rochester Lancers in the NASL.