Simon Laner made a total of 22 appearances in Serie A.

Before Kofler: These South Tyroleans played in Serie A

Raphael Kofler transferred from FC Südtirol to Cagliari Calcio on Friday. The player from Rabland could become the 20th South Tyrolean to play in Serie A. Here's a brief overview.

July 31, 2026

From: dl

Gastone Lenzi, Giancarlo Sartin, Bruno Benetti, Angelo Bertuolo, Antonio Pasinato, Bruno Capra, Josef Bacher, Ivan Bertuolo, Renzo Rossi, Romeo Benetti, Klaus Bachlechner, Albano Canazza, Hubert Pircher, Andrea Guerra, Stefan Schwoch, Gianluca Lamacchi, Paolo Orlandoni, Simon Laner and Manuel De Luca were the ones so far 19 South Tyroleans, who have made it onto the field in Serie A. Now Kofler is the next one ready to go.

The player with the most appearances was Bolzano midfielder Romeo Benetti, who racked up a total of 331 matches for Juventus, Sampdoria, Milan, and Roma between 1969 and 1981. Around the same time (1972 to 1982), Klaus Bachlechner from Bruneck played as a striker for Verona, Bologna, and Inter. The now 72-year-old is the father of former FC Südtirol striker Thomas Bachlechner.

The first South Tyrolean to play in Serie A was Gastone Lenzi. The goalkeeper from Bolzano made seven appearances for Torino back in 1951. Between 1999 and 2009, Paolo Orlandoni also earned his living as a goalkeeper in Serie A. The Bolzano native also played for Inter Milan, but primarily for Reggina and Piacenza.

After Orlandoni, only two more South Tyroleans joined the team: Simon Laner and Manuel De Luca. Laner made a total of 22 appearances for Cagliari and Hellas Verona between 2010 and 2013. De Luca made his Serie A debut for Sampdoria almost four years ago. The now 28-year-old from Pfatten has made a total of four appearances in Italy's top flight. De Luca even scored a penalty for his current club, Cremonese (now in Serie B).