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C-3PO ( /siːˈθriːpi.oʊ/, phonetically spelled See-Threepio; 3PO or Threepio for short) is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games. Along with Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader), Obi-Wan Kenobi and R2-D2, he is one of only four characters to appear in all six Star Wars films. C-3PO (played by Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (played by Kenny Baker) are the only characters portrayed by the same actor in all six films.

C-3PO is a protocol droid designed to serve humans, and boasts that he is fluent in "over six million forms of communication". He is generally seen with his long-time counterpart, R2-D2. Threepio's main function is to assist etiquette, customs, and translation, so that meetings of different cultures run smoothly. Threepio and R2-D2 played a vital and pivotal role in the Galaxy's history^{[citation needed]}. While many protocol/interpretor droids range in color, C-3PO's own identifying colors are primarily gold with silver from the right knee down.

Film appearances[link]

Original trilogy[link]

In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope C-3PO is introduced to the audience in the opening scenes of the film, wherein C-3PO and R2-D2 are aboard the consular ship Tantive IV when it is attacked by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer Devastator. When R2-D2 leaves the ship to deliver a secret message to Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO follows R2-D2, eventually to the planet Tatooine. There, C-3PO and R2-D2 are captured by Jawas and taken to be sold. In the process of being sold to Owen Lars, C-3PO convinces Owen to buy R2-D2 as well.^[1]

Throughout the film C-3PO is a foil to R2-D2's jokes,^[2] even when C-3PO translates R2-D2's machine speech for the audience. C-3PO was the property of the captain on the Tantive IV, but seems to follow R2-D2 in a relationship akin to those between human children;^{[HerzheldFP 1]} C-3PO often following R2-D2 around, and R2-D2 needing C-3PO to translate for him.^{[HerzheldFP 2]} When R2 is damaged in the Battle of Yavin, C-3PO offers to donate any mechanical parts helpful in his repair; but this transference is never confirmed.^[3]

C-3PO also displays the ability to lie (essentially favouring one human group over another), giving him a more autonomous capability of thought than characters subject to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.^[4]

In The Empire Strikes Back, C-3PO is responsible for identifying the Empire's probe droid, alerting the Rebels to the Empire's awareness of their location on the 6th planet of the Hoth System . C-3PO escapes with Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia in the Millennium Falcon, while R2-D2 joins Luke in his search for Yoda.^[5] During this time C-3PO and Solo are often shown as foils; C-3PO quoting odds and Han defying them. After a chase through the Hoth asteroid field, the Falcon escapes to Cloud City on Bespin.^[5]

While exploring a room in Cloud City, C-3PO is blasted by a stormtrooper. In search of Threepio, Chewbacca heads to the Ugnaught recycling facility where he finds the dismembered droid. When Darth Vader reveals his presence to the group, Chewbacca is sent into a holding cell, but is permitted to rebuild the droid, which he does poorly. Thereafter Chewbacca carries the partially rebuilt C-3PO on his back during Han Solo's encasement in carbonite.^[5]

With the help of the city's administrator, Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO escape the city. Having C-3PO on Chewbacca's back is beneficial, in that when Boba Fett escapes the city with Han Solo, C-3PO notifies them of pursuing stormtroopers. After successfully escaping Vader's flagship Executor, C-3PO is fully repaired by R2-D2.^[5]

In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Luke commands C-3PO and R2-D2 to deliver a message to Jabba the Hutt, whereby C-3PO is used as Jabba's translator while R2-D2 serves on his flying 'sail barge'. C-3PO's first translation for the crime lord is of the bounty hunter Boushh — Leia in disguise — claiming the bounty for Chewbacca.^[6] Later, Luke Skywalker infiltrates the palace and kills Jabba's rancor in a duel; whereupon Jabba transfers his court to the sail barge with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca as food for the Sarlacc, while Leia serves as Jabba's slave. When Luke Skywalker attempts escape, R2-D2 tosses him his lightsaber, with which he attacks Jabba's guards. In the midst of the battle, C-3PO is attacked by Salacious Crumb, who pulls out his right photoreceptor before being driven off by R2-D2. Thereafter the two escape the sail barge and are retrieved by the protagonists.^[6] C-3PO accompanies the strike force to the Forest Moon of Endor to disable the shield generator protecting the second Death Star. When he, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 are captured by the Ewoks, C-3PO is perceived to be a god by the latter. When the human prisoners are threatened by the Ewoks, Luke levitates the droid above the crowd as demonstration of the supposed god's ability, so as to prompt release ^[6]. Later that night, C-3PO narrates the history and intentions of the Rebels to the tribe, convincing them to help the Rebels at the Battle of Endor.^[6]

When the Rebels are captured, C-3PO begins the Ewoks' assault on the Empire by luring stormtroopers to a false surrender. Chaos ensues as Ewoks attack the Imperial Stormtroopers, allowing Han Solo and Leia Organa to reach the controls. When R2-D2 is needed in infiltration, C-3PO follows, evading enemy fire. The battle ends with the Death Star's destruction and the death of the Emperor. C-3PO is present at the celebration afterward.^[6]

Prequel trilogy[link]

In the Star Wars series' narrative chronology, C-3PO first appears in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the creation of Anakin Skywalker, who builds him out of spare parts. (The non-canon story "Thank the Maker!" in Star Wars Tales explains that Anakin found the parts in a junk heap, and guessed they were very old).

In The Phantom Menace, C-3PO meets his future partner, R2-D2, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo, and Jar Jar Binks; C-3PO and R2-D2 co-operate to perfect Anakin's podracer for the race "Boonta Eve Classic".^[7]

Shortly afterwards, C-3PO becomes part of Anakin's pit crew during the race, where he sees Anakin defeat Sebulba. C-3PO and Anakin part ways when Qui-Gon frees the boy after winning a bet with Anakin's master, Watto. Before parting from C-3PO, Anakin assures the droid that (Anakin's mother) Shmi does not sell him.^[7]

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set 10 years later, Shmi is kidnapped by a group of Tusken Raiders. Sensing that his mother is in danger, Anakin travels with Padmé to Tatooine, where they reunite with Threepio. C-3PO recognizes Anakin and Padmé instantly and presents them to Beru Whitesun, Owen, and Cliegg Lars. When Anakin returns with his mother's lifeless body, C-3PO attends her funeral.^[8]

After Anakin and Padmé's visit to Tatooine, C-3PO accompanies them to the planet Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi. Shortly afterward, he follows R2-D2 into a droid-construction site, where his head is temporarily attached to the torso of a battle droid, while the head of the droid is placed onto Threepio's torso. Influenced by the battle droid's programming, Threepio reluctantly participates in the film's climactic battle scene, where he is stopped by Kit Fisto. Having been restored by R2-D2, he leaves Geonosis with the other protagonists. At the end of the film, he is a witness to Padmé and Anakin's marriage on Naboo.^[8]

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, C-3PO is aware of Padmé's pregnancy and the meetings held with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. After Anakin and R2-D2 return from Anakin's massacre of the Jedi, C-3PO and R2-D2 conclude that the latter was the result of emotional pressure on Anakin. ^[9] C-3PO becomes a witness to his maker's turn to the dark side of the Force when he accompanies Padmé to Mustafar, and Anakin, now the Sith Lord Darth Vader, uses the Force to render her unconscious; whereupon C-3PO and R2-D2 take her to safety. When Obi-Wan returns to their spaceship, C-3PO pilots it to Polis Massa and witnesses Padmé give birth to the Skywalker twins, Luke and Leia, and die shortly afterward. C-3PO and R2-D2 fall into the custody of Bail Organa, who orders that C-3PO's memories be erased to protect the twins from Palpatine and Vader.^[9]

Expanded Universe[link]

It has been said^{[by whom?]} that older accounts of Threepio's creation on the planet Affa in 112 BBY have been changed by his portrayal in The Phantom Menace. The older version of Threepio's origins originated with George Lucas, and both versions were harmonized from the outset: in 1977, Lucas provided a guide for early Expanded Universe creators, in which Threepio's origin on Affa was established, and also the statement that he was "totally reassembled by a young boy working for a junk dealer" before joining the Alderaanian diplomatic corps "several years" later. Some of the early material in this guide has since been superseded.

In all Star Wars media involving the Clone Wars, C-3PO serves as Padmé Amidala's personal protocol droid. In "The New Face of War", a story in Star Wars: Republic, Queen Jamillia appoints the droid to serve as liaison to the Jedi during that campaign following the defense of Naboo and the bio-plague of Ohma-D'un by the Separatists.^[10] He is a reluctant participant in many of Padmé's adventures, including a rather hazardous mission during the Battle of Ilum,^[11] in which his loyalty is essential in helping Jedi Master Yoda rescue fellow Jedi Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee.^[12]

In Clone Wars, C-3PO's outer plating are upgraded to a shiny bronzium coating due to his tenure as Padmé's servant.^[13] He also severely disapproves of combat droids, once demanding to "have a serious talk with their programmer".^[14]

During the Droids series, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, C-3PO and R2-D2 are traded to various masters. Highlights include an early encounter with bounty hunter Boba Fett,^[15] and a change in personality brought by remodeling.^[16]

In the Expanded Universe material set after Return of the Jedi, C-3PO assists Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and their allies in the Alliance (and later, the New Republic) on many missions. Due to his function as a protocol droid, he most often stays with Leia Organa-Solo on Coruscant, assisting her political duties, while R2-D2 often stays with Luke Skywalker at the Jedi Academy.

In The Truce at Bakura, he translates Ssi-ruuvi, the language of the Ssi-ruuk, to aid the Alliance.^[17] In The Glove of Darth Vader, C-3PO and R2-D2 are members of the Senate Planetary Intelligence Network (SPIN), and undergo transformation by the Droid Modification Team to be disguised as Kessel droids so that they could infiltrate a gathering of Imperials to find out who is planning to take control of the Empire.^[18]

In The Courtship of Princess Leia, C-3PO is led to believe that Han Solo is ancestrally the King of Corellia during Solo's competition with Prince Isolder for Leia's hand in marriage. Threepio agrees to assist Solo as a counselor droid; but is shocked when Solo kidnaps the princess and takes her to Dathomir. Despite this, Threepio continues to present Han in the best possible light and writes a song for him entitled "The Virtues of King Han Solo", which he backs with the sound of a full symphony orchestra. He later discoveres that Solo's ancestor was merely "a pretender to the throne", but is present at Han and Leia's wedding.^[19]

In Tatooine Ghost, C-3PO returns to Tatooine, where he helps Han and Leia in their search for an Alderaanian moss painting storing a valuable code. Here, Threepio reunites with Kitster Banai and Wald, childhood friends of Anakin Skywalker. With their help C-3PO and the others discover Shmi's diary, whereof Leia remarks that the droid described reminds her of Threepio. The code is eventually found and destroyed.^[20]

In Dark Force Rising, Threepio goes to Honoghr with Leia during the Thrawn Crisis during her quest with Khabarakh to discover what had caused the plight of the Noghri. Threepio is forced to hide with Leia and Chewbacca when Imperial forces arrive overhead,^[21] but later return with Leia to Coruscant, where she gives birth to Jaina and Jacen Solo. Threepio serves as caretaker to the twins, and later Anakin Solo as well. In Heir to the Empire, Lando reprograms Threepio to sound like Leia in order to hide from Imperials on Nkllon; but the Empire, led by Grand Admiral Thrawn, sees through the deception. Threepio also accompanies Han, Lando, Artoo, Luke, Chewbacca, and Mara Jade to Wayland on a mission to destroy the Mount Tantiss storehouse. Thanks to Threepio and some Noghri, the party recruits aid from the local population and destroys the storehouse.^[22]

In Dark Apprentice, the Solo twins escape from Chewbacca's and Threepio's watch during a trip to a zoo on Coruscant and arrive in the planet's sub-levels. Threepio frantically searches for them, but they had been found by King Onibald Daykim and are reunited with their parents.^[23]

In Empire's End, Threepio and Artoo are nearly destroyed after they spot an Imperial installing a homing beacon on the Millennium Falcon; but are saved by Han Solo and Chewbacca. The resurrected Palpatine and his fleet discover the Alliance's existence, leading C-3PO and the others to flee to Iziz, a city on the planet of Onderon. Palpatine eventually finds them, but is wounded by Solo and destroyed when Empatojayos Brand sacrifices himself to save the latter's son Anakin.^[24]

In Planet of Twilight, Threepio and Artoo accompany Leia on a diplomatic mission to Nam Chorios but are unable to prevent her kidnapping and fail to stop the Death Seed plague unleashed on the crew by Seti Ashgad and Dzym. Eventually rescued by Han and Lando, the two droids convey their message for help.^[25]

In The Crystal Star, C-3PO accompanies Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to Crseih Station to investigate the possible existence of Jedi trainees; but instead find Waru, a creature from another dimension, from whom they learn of Waru's alliance with Lord Hethrir and of the kidnapping of the Solo children. Hethrir is destroyed following a confrontation with Leia, Han, and Luke while Waru returns to his dimension.^[26]

In The Black Fleet Crisis, Threepio accompanies Lando Calrissian, R2-D2, and Lando's associate Lobot to investigate the runaway alien ship Teljkon Vagabond; eventually to discover that the ship contains the last vestiges of the Quella civilization.^[27]

In The New Rebellion, Threepio, along with Artoo and a young mechanic named Cole Fardreamer, is instrumental in stopping Kueller from regaining power by disabling the explosive devices he had placed in a large number of droids.^[28]

In Ambush at Corellia, during the outbreak of the First Corellian Insurrection, Threepio and Chewbacca retrieve Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin from the burning Corona House.^[29] In Showdown at Centerpoint, Threepio accompanies Luke, Gaeriel Captison, Belindi Kalenda, and Lando Calrissian to Centerpoint Station, and alerts them to the fact that the temperature inside Hollowtown is increasing to dangerously high levels.^[30] In Vision of the Future, C-3PO participates in Talon Karrde's expedition to the Kathol Sector to find Jorj Car'das, serving as a translator.^[31]

In the comic book Storyteller, C-3PO is found partially destroyed and abandoned on a planet enslaved by the Vindar by Otalp and Remoh, two boys indigenous to the planet, whom he tells stories of Luke Skywalker's adventures. As he is finishing his tale, a Vindar slavedriver appears, blasts Threepio's head off, and kills Otalp. After the Vindar leave the cave, Remoh finds a lightsaber in the remains of C-3PO's body and plots to use it against the Vindar. C-3PO is later rediscovered by Luke Skywalker and R2-D2.

Behind the scenes[link]

C-3PO was played by Anthony Daniels in all six Star Wars films. In Episode I, a skeletal C-3PO model was puppeteered, with Anthony Daniels providing the voice, and the puppeteer was removed in post-production. For Episode II, Daniels requested to take over the puppeteering duties; but the scenes thereof were later deleted. In Episodes III to VI, Daniels both wore the costume and provided the voice in most scenes.

Daniels also played C-3PO in the live-action segments of The Star Wars Holiday Special, while only voicing the character in the animated portion. He also vocally played 3PO in the three Star Wars animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: Droids, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well as in the radio drama adaptations of the original trilogy.

Daniels reprised his role of C-3PO for the Disneyland ride Star Tours, co-created by George Lucas in 1987. He was videotaped while recording the dialogue, with the tape serving as a reference for the Imagineers to program an audio-animatronic C-3PO in the queue area. Both it and the audio-animatronic R2-D2 are the original props used in filming. Daniels also donned the costume for certain video segments played before and after the simulator ride itself, also portraying an electronically disguised Ewok announcer. Daniels also appeared in the C-3PO costume for various promotional materials for Star Tours, including the electronic press kit, a Disney special on Star Tours hosted by Gil Gerard, and various opening day skits. When Star Tours opened a bilingual version at Disneyland Paris, Daniels re-recorded C-3PO's dialogue in French. C-3PO appears as the pilot for the Starspeeder 1000, in the attraction's successor, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and a central character in the animated special Star Wars: The Padawan Menace. In these appearances, he is also played by Anthony Daniels.

Daniels made several appearances as C-3PO on numerous TV shows and commercials, notably on a Star Wars-themed episode of The Donny and Marie Show in 1977 and a Star Wars-themed episode of The Muppet Show in 1980. He also has a role as the character on Sesame Street episodes 1364 and 1396 (along with R2-D2).

Daniels initially did not agree to be cast as C-3PO; but changed his mind after reading C-3PO's part in the script and seeing a concept painting by Ralph McQuarrie.^[32]

References[link]

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

• Herzfeld, Noreen L. (2002). In our image: artificial intelligence and the human spirit. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-3476-6. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D_9bpU_3rWEC&pg=PA62&dq=c-3po+r2-d2+relationship&hl=en&ei=8xVMTdKIIIOohAfC8q3tDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=c-3po%20r2-d2%20relationship&f=false. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 

External links[link]

• C-3PO in the Star Wars Databank
• C-3PO on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki

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Sampdoria

200px
Full name	Unione Calcio Sampdoria, SpA
Nickname(s)	i Blucerchiati (The Blue-ringed) la Samp il Doria
Founded	August 1, 1946; 65 years ago  (1946-08-01)
Ground	Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy (Capacity: 36,536)
President	Riccardo Garrone
Head Coach	Giuseppe Iachini
League	Serie B
2010–11	Serie A, 18th (relegated)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria. Both the team name and jersey do reflect this, the first being a combination of the former names, the second incorporating the former teams' colours (blue-white and red-black) in a single design.

Sampdoria currently compete in the Italian Serie B. The team's colours are blue with white, red and black hoops , hence the nickname blucerchiati. Sampdoria play at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, capacity 36,536,^[1] which it shares with Genoa's other club, Genoa Cricket and Football Club. The derby between the two teams is commonly known as the Derby della Lanterna.

Sampdoria have won the scudetto only once in their history, in the 1991 season. The club has also won the Coppa Italia four times (1985, 1988, 1989, and 1994) and one Italian Super Cup. Their biggest European success came when they won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. They also reached the European Cup final in 1992 only to lose against the Spanish side FC Barcelona with an 1–0 score after extra time.

History[link]

The Ginnastica Sampierdarenese was founded in 1891, opening its football section in 1899. Also around this time, a club named Society Andrea Doria was founded in 1895, and began to increase their focus on dedicating itself to football.

Andrea Doria: early league participation[link]

Andrea Doria did not participate in the first Italian Football Championship which was organized by the Italian Federation of Football (F.I.F.) since instead they had enrolled themselves into a football tournament which was organized by the Italian Federation of Ginnastica. The club eventually joined the competition for the Italian Football Championship 1903, but did not win a game in the tournament until 1907 when they beat local rivals Genoa 3–1.

It was not until 1910–11 that the club began to show promise; during that season's tournament they finished above Juventus, Internazionale and Genoa in the Piedmont-Lombardy-Liguria section.

Post-World War I[link]

After World War I, Sampierdarenese finally began to compete in the Italian Championship, after they bought a pre-war club of Genoa province: Pro Liguria of Bolzaneto. So, Samp and Doria met in the championship for the first time; Doria won in first-leg game (4–1 and 1–1), and they also arrived at second place after Genoa in Ligurian Championship, qualifying for the National Round.

With the 1921–22 season, the Italian top league was split into two competitions; both of the clubs in Sampdoria's history were in separate competitions that year too. Sampierdarenese played in the F.I.G.C. run competition, whereas Andrea Doria played in the C.C.I. variation.

Sampierdarenese won the Ligura section and then went onto the semi-finals, finishing top out of three clubs; this lead them to the final against Novese. Both legs of the final ended in 0–0 draws, thus a repetition match was played in Cremona on 21 May 1922. Still intensely difficult to separate, the match went into extra time with Novese eventually winning the tie (and the Championship) 2–1.

After the league system in Italy was brought back into one item, Sampierdarenese remained stronger than Andrea Doria by qualifying for the league. By 1924–25 the clubs were competing against each other in the Northern League; Doria who finished one place above their rivals won one game 2–1, while Sampierdarenese were victorious 2–0 in the other. At the end of the 1926–27 season, the clubs merged by fascist authorities under the name La Dominante.

La Dominante Genova split: 1930s[link]

Wearing green and black striped shirts, La Dominante Genova were admitted to the first ever season of Serie B, where they finished 3rd just missing out on promotion. The next season, under the name Liguria they had a disastrous year, finishing bottom of the table and were relegated.

Because of this, both Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria reverted to their previous names as separate clubs. Sampierdarenese were back in Serie B for the 1932–33 season and finished in the upper part; the following year they were crowned champions and were promoted into Serie A for the first time. Andrea Doria on the other hand, battled out the 1930s down in Serie C.

The 15 July 1937 saw Sampierdarenese, melting itself with Corniglianese and Rivarolese with the club using the name Associazione Liguria Calcio; this saw them reach 5th place in Serie A during 1939. In the early 1940s, the club was relegated, but bounced straight back up as Serie B champions in 1941.

Merger[link]

After World War II, both clubs were competing in Serie A; in a reverse of pre-war situations, Andrea Doria were now the top club out of the two. However on 12 August 1946 a merger took place that would stick for the two teams, together they formed Unione Calcio Sampdoria. The first president of this new club was Piero Sanguineti, but the ambitious entrepreneur Amedeo Rissotto soon replaced him, while the first team coach during this period was a man from Florence named Giuseppe Galluzzi. In the same month of the merger, the new club demanded that they should share the Stadio Luigi Ferraris ground with Genoa; the agreement was carried off without problems. Consequently, the stadium was prepared to accommodate the games of both clubs.

As if to further show that the merger really was equal parts of both previous clubs, a new football kit was designed for the club; it implemented the blue shirts of Andrea Doria with the white, red and black mid-section of Sampierdarenese.

European and domestic successes[link]

In 1979 the club, then playing Serie B, was acquired by oil businessman Paolo Mantovani, who invested in the team in order to bring Sampdoria to the top flights. In 1982 Sampdoria made their Serie A return, and they won their first Coppa Italia three years later. In 1986 Vujadin Boskov was appointed as new head coach; the club won their second Coppa Italia in 1988, being admitted to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1988-89, where they reached the final, being defeated 2–0 by Barcelona.^[2][3] A second consecutive triumph in the Coppa Italia gave Sampdoria a spot in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1989-90, which they finally won defeating Anderlecht after extra time in the final. This was followed only one year later by their first (and, as of 2010, only) scudetto, being crowned as Serie A champions with a five points advantage to second-placed Inter Milan. The winning team featured several notable players, such as Gianluca Pagliuca, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Toninho Cerezo, Pietro Vierchowod and Attilio Lombardo, with Vujadin Boskov as head coach. In the following season, Sampdoria reached the European Cup final, and was defeated again by Barcelona at the Wembley Stadium.

Since this period Sampdoria have made a limited number of appearances in European cup competitions. During the 1994/1995 campaign they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup before being eliminated on penalties in a memorable tie against Arsenal. The club also participated in the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup but were eliminated by Atletico Bilbao of Spain in the First Round. The 2005/2006 season also proved to be a significant one, with Sampdoria returning to European competition for the first time since their promotion back to Serie A, with the club narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification and entering the UEFA cup. During this campaign, the team was minutes away from qualification to the last 32 when Lens of France eliminated them by beating them 2–1. The club recently also took part in the 2007/2008 UEFA Cup, entering via the Intertoto cup. However it was to be a short and disappointing campaign, with Sampdoria being eliminated on away goals by AaB of Denmark in the First Round. Participation in recent seasons of Europa League was marked by constant defeats by Metalist Kharkiv and lack of consistent play.

Decline and resurgence[link]

On 14 October 1993 Paolo Mantovani suddenly died; he was replaced by his son Enrico. During Enrico Mantovani's first season (1993/94) Sampdoria won one more Italian Cup and placed 3rd in the national championship. During the following four seasons many players from his father's team left the club but many important acquisitions were made which kept Sampdoria in the top tier of the Italian Serie A. The likes of Enrico Chiesa, Argentine internationals Juan Sebastian Veron and Ariel Ortega, loan signing Vincenzo Montella and international midfielders Clarence Seedorf and Christian Karembeu.

Despite this, in May 1999 Sampdoria were relegated from Serie A, and did not return to the top flight until 2002. Around this time Sampdoria was acquired by Riccardo Garrone, an Italian oil businessman. Two of Garrone's most important initial moves were to inject new cash into the club and to appoint Walter Novellino as new head coach. Sampdoria returned to Serie A in 2003 lead by talisman Francesco Flachi, and ended their first season in eighth place. In the Serie A 2004-05 they lost a spot in the UEFA Champions League to Udinese in the final matchdays of the season, ending in fifth place. This was followed by a poor season; despite this, Novellino was confirmed for one more season and Sampdoria ended the 2006–07 Serie A campaign in ninth place. As the 8th placed team in Serie A were not granted a UEFA licence, Sampdoria was able to enter the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2007 as a result. Novellino announced his farewell to Sampdoria soon after, with Walter Mazzarri unveiled shortly after as his replacement.

The 2007–08 campaign started very early for Sampdoria due to qualifying rounds. They defeated Cherno More Varna in the Intertoto Cup and Hajduk Split in the second qualifying round of UEFA Cup, before being eliminated in the First Round proper by AaB on away goals. The club took actively part in the transfer market, persuading Vincenzo Montella to make a comeback at Samp and signing Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid on a loan basis. Having had such a successful loan period, Sampdoria have made the move permanent from the 2008-09 season. During the winter transfer window, Giampaolo Pazzini was signed and formed one of Serie A's most effective partnerships. Sampdoria ended the season in sixth place of the Italian Serie A and qualified for the UEFA Cup 2008-09. The following season, they qualified for the Champions League play-offs.

With the departure of Director of Sport Giuseppe Marotta, coach Luigi Delneri, both of whom were credited with Samp's recent successes and club top scorers Cassano and Pazzini and the squad being stretched by Champions League football, Sampdoria embarked on a miserable run of results and were relegated to Serie B after loss 2-1 at home to Palermo in May 2011.

Players[link]

Current squad[link]

As of 26 January 2012^[4][5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Júnior da Costa 3 DF Andrea Costa (on loan from Reggina) 4 MF Marco Padalino 5 MF Renan (on loan from Cluj) 6 DF Massimo Volta 7 MF Paolo Castellini (on loan from Parma) 8 DF Shkodran Mustafi 9 FW Nicola Pozzi 10 MF Pasquale Foggia (on loan from Lazio) 11 MF Gianni Munari 13 DF Gaetano Berardi 14 MF Pedro Obiang 16 MF Savvas Gentsoglou 18 MF Zsolt Laczkó 19 FW Bruno Fornaroli

No. Position Player 20 GK Sergio Romero 21 MF Roberto Soriano 22 FW Cristian Bertani 23 FW Éder (on loan from Cesena) 25 MF Nenad Krstičić 28 DF Daniele Gastaldello (vice-captain) 29 FW Juan Antonio 33 DF Andrea Rispoli (on loan from Parma) 35 DF Jonathan Rossini 44 GK Vincenzo Fiorillo 77 MF Franco Semioli 90 FW Graziano Pellè (on loan from Parma) 92 GK Andrea Tozzo 99 FW Mauro Icardi

Youth players[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Deljan Bregasi GK Andrea Tozzo 51 GK Davide Negretti 54 DF Daniele Messina DF Edoardo Blondett DF Nicolò Rolando DF Alberto Masi DF Fabio Lamorte DF Bruno Martella DF Tommaso Cancellotti

No. Position Player MF Davide Leto MF Nicola Muratore MF Alessandro Martinelli MF Nicolò Baudo MF Gianluca Sampietro MF Fabio Oliviero FW Davide Rossi (footballer) FW Stefano D'Agostino FW Francesco Galuppini

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player FW Federico Piovaccari (at Brescia) DF Andrea Grieco (at Aprilia) GK Daniele Padelli (at Udinese) DF Gianluigi Bianco (at Grosseto) DF Fabrizio Cacciatore (at Varese) DF Matteo Lanzoni (at Foggia) DF Vasco Regini (at Empoli) DF Vedran Celjak (at Pergocrema) MF Andrea Poli (at Inter)

No. Position Player DF Simone Patacchiola (at Alessandria) MF Paolo Sammarco (at Chievo) FW Jonathan Biabiany (at Parma) FW Simone Zaza (at Viareggio) FW Alessandro Romeo (at Ascoli) FW Stefano Scappini (at Sorrento) FW Emanuele Testardi (at Siracusa) FW Massimo Maccarone (at Empoli)

Capped players[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Sampdoria.

Managerial history[link]

Name Nationality Years Giuseppe Galluzzi 1946–47 Adolfo Baloncieri 1947–50 Giuseppe Galluzzi 1950 Matteo Poggi Alfredo Foni 1950–51 Alfredo Foni 1951–52 Matteo Poggi 1952 Ivo Fiorentini 1952–53 Paolo Tabanelli 1953–55 Lajos Czeizler 1955–56 Pietro Rava 1956–57 Ugo Amoretti 1957 William Dodgin 1957–58 Adolfo Baloncieri 1958 Eraldo Monzeglio 1958–61 Roberto Lerici 1961–63 Ernst Ocwirk 1963–65 Giuseppe Baldini 1965–66 Fulvio Bernardini 1966–71 Heriberto Herrera 1971–73 Guido Vincenzi 1973–74 Giulio Corsini 1974–75 Eugenio Bersellini 1975–77 Giorgio Canali 1977–78

Name Nationality Years Lamberto Giorgis 1978–79 Lauro Toneatto 1979–80 Enzo Riccomini 1980–81 Renzo Ulivieri 1981–84 Eugenio Bersellini 1984–86 Vujadin Boškov 1986–92 Sven-Göran Eriksson 1992–97 César Luis Menotti 1997 Vujadin Boškov 1997–98 Luciano Spalletti 1998 David Platt Giorgio Veneri 1998–99 Luciano Spalletti 1999 Giampiero Ventura 1999–00 Luigi Cagni 2000–01 Gianfranco Bellotto 2001–02 Walter Novellino 2002–07 Walter Mazzarri 2007–09 Luigi Delneri 2009–10 Domenico Di Carlo 2010–11 Alberto Cavasin 2011 Gianluca Atzori 2011 Giuseppe Iachini 2011–

Colours, badge and nicknames[link]

This section requires expansion.

The club crest features a sailor in profile known by the old Genoese name of Baciccia, which translates to Giovanni Battista in Italian or John-Baptist in English. The image of a sailor is appropriate due to Sampdoria being based in the port city of Genoa.

The white, blue, red and black colours within the crest represent the clubs origins of a merger between two teams, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria, who wore respectively red/black and white/blue jerseys.^[6]

Supporters and Rivalries[link]

U.C Sampdoria supporters come mainly from the city of Genova. The biggest group is Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni, named after an Argentinian left winger who played for Sampdoria. The group was founded in 1969, making it one of the oldest ultra groups in Italy. Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni are apolitical, although there are smaller groups like Rude Boys Sampdoria, who are left wing. The main support with flags and flares comes from the southern Curva, Gradinata Sud.

U.C Sampdoria biggest rivals is Genoa C.F.C.^[7]

Honours[link]

Serie A: 1

• Winners: 1990–91
• Runners-up (1): 1921–22 (F.I.G.C. as Sampierdarenese)

Serie B: 2

• Winners: 1933–34, 1966–67
• Runners-up (2): 1981–82, 2002–03

Coppa Italia: 4

• Winners: 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94
• Runners-up (3): 1985–86, 1990–91, 2008–09

Supercoppa Italiana: 1

• Winners: 1991
• Runners-up (3): 1988, 1989, 1994

European Cup/Champions League

• Runners-up (1): 1991–92

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1

• Winners: 1989–90
• Runners-up (1): 1988–89

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sampdoria's official website
• Unofficial Sampdoria Website
• Sampdoria statistics
• The story told through UC Sampdoria collectables

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