Last update 21 April, 2024 by Alberto Llopis
In the anecdote of the worst signings in the history of Levante y, in general, of the Spanish League, the name of Cristian Riganò occupies a prominent place. In the summer of 2007, Pedro Villarroel, who was the owner of Levante at that time, made a move that surpassed the absurdity of the previous season by signing this player. that season, the club brought together several questionable signings, creating a team with a series of former footballers that ended in an embarrassing relegation for the granota team, but Riganò stood out in a negative way.
Great puffs in the history of the Spanish League: Cristian Riganò
Although your numbers can be a little misleading (noted 4 goals in 13 parties, but 3 of them were in a single match against Almería), his performance on the field was not brilliant. He arrived in Valencia with a contract that exceeded one million euros per season and the title of “Lipari bomber”, although it is not clear if this nickname was due to his overweight physique and his height of 1,91 metros. The truth is that he had just done some interesting numbers a couple of years ago in the Fiorentina.
Levante fans have little appreciation for this player, who looked more like a New York Harbor docker from the 1970s. 70 than a professional footballer. In January 2008, in the middle of an embarrassing season for the Granota team, Riganò left for Italy, where he finished his career with more pain than glory and with the same indifference that he showed in the Spanish League. His only highlight was the hat-trick against Almería, but that couldn't save his image.
Unfortunately for the granotas, He was not the only player who underperformed in a year full of non-payment problems, 3 coaches and a relegation. A squad that started with players like Shota Arveladze, Savio, Storaons, David Castedo, Alvaro Maior, Laurent Robert and many others.