Summer Football 2023: Luca Ceccaroli wins the Crystal Ball

With the presentation of the Crystal Ball by FSGC President Marco Tura, the 2023 edition of Calcio Estate came to a close. As usual, the most coveted award was the final act of the federation’s summer showcase, held last night in the press room of the San Marino Stadium. The award for best San Marino – or resident – footballer went to Luca Ceccaroli, who enjoyed an outstanding season with Tre Penne, leading them to the BKN301 Championship title after a thrilling battle with Cosmos. For the San Marino national team forward, this is his second Crystal Ball, following the one he won in 2019. The evening opened with another of the most prestigious prizes, the Koppe Trophy, dedicated to the best “foreign” player (Italian and non-resident footballers in San Marino). The award was claimed by Riccardo Zulli of Cosmos, who received it from FSGC General Secretary Luigi Zafferani. Cosmos’ UEFA Europa Conference League fixture on Thursday 20 July – the second leg at San Marino Stadium against Montenegro’s Sutjeska – led to the “release” of the yellow-green players from training commitments. After Zulli, it was the turn of Matteo Prandelli to come up and collect the Golden Bombardino as top scorer in the BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese: his 21 goals in the regular season plus 2 in the play-offs helped the Serravalle club secure second place and, with it, qualification for Europe. Staying on the subject of goals, the award for the best goal of the BKN301 Championship regular season went to Alessandro Giangrandi of Cailungo. From the thirty best goals, voted on each week via FSGC social channels, the winner was the thunderbolt from the red-and-green midfielder scored against Juvenes Dogana on Matchday 15. Giangrandi, absent on the night due to work commitments, sent a video message of thanks, while the award was collected by Cailungo president Mirco Conti. Remaining with the league, the next honour was the Career Oscar for Luigi Rinaldi. The Faetano official – involved for over thirty years and active also at youth level – received the award from federal councillor Jessica Guidi and, upon collecting it, he dedicated the recognition to Guido Della Valle, a historic figure of the yellow-and-blue club who passed away in 2016. Attention then turned to futsal. The Futsal Talent award – best San Marino Under-23 player – went to Jacopo Giuccioli of La Fiorita, who thanked the audience via video message (his father Luigi came up to receive the prize). A familiar name on the honours list, Danilo Busignani once again claimed the Futsal Golden Bombardino. The Fiorentino player was relentless this season too, finishing with the monstrous tally of 70 goals (the last – decisive – coming in the league final against Folgore). The red-and-blue club – fresh from a double of cup and league – naturally featured heavily among the evening’s winners, and indeed the next award, presented by FSGC councillor Valeria Canini for Futsal Best Player, went to Matteo Moretti of Fiorentino. The San Marino player was pivotal in the league final, scoring twice to defeat reigning champions Folgore. The man who masterminded Fiorentino’s long, triumphant campaign was also recognised: head coach Matteo Michelotti, already preparing his side’s trip to Cyprus in August for the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The refereeing department also took centre stage: FSGC councillor Gian Luca Angelini presented Laurentiu Ilie with the Golden Whistle as best referee in 11-a-side football; Raffaele Delvecchio received the Golden Whistle for futsal referees, while Fabrizio Morisco was awarded the Golden Flag as best assistant referee. Arguably the most moving and emotional moment came with the presentation of the Duilio Felici Trophy, dedicated to the most fair-play-minded coach in the football league. The end-of-season ranking, which takes into account both bookings and referees’ reports, rewarded Massimo “Bobo” Gori, the Pennarossa coach who tragically passed away last March. The award was collected by his son Francesco, visibly emotional, who then chose to share the recognition with Sergio Conti (a Pennarossa official) in a deeply touching moment. Gori, a well-known figure in San Marino, also coached Tre Fiori, Murata, Faetano and Cosmos during his career. As for the Academy sector, after last year’s success Giacomo Piva again took the San Marino Academy Best Coach award this season. The coach enjoyed an excellent year with his Under-15 girls, who finished among the top eight teams in Italy. From that same team came the winner of the Top Lady award for best youth player, Elisa Terenzi. The young San Marino striker received her prize from federal councillor Stefano Bevitori in front of her parents. Rounding off the Academy section, the Top Woman award for best first-team player went to Paola Giudice of the San Marino Academy women’s futsal side in Serie A2. Unable to attend at the last minute due to an unforeseen circumstance, her award was collected by Johnny Arcangeli of San Marino Academy. The programme then continued with the prize for the best San Marino Under-23 footballer: the Golden Boy trophy was awarded to Lorenzo Lazzari, player of Victor San Marino and the San Marino National Team. Wearing the colours of the Titani, Lazzari made his debut – and scored – in the friendly against Saint Lucia last November, while with Victor he celebrated promotion to Serie D. There was also room for the Communication Award, handed by councillor Filippo Bronzetti to Giacomo Santi, long-serving press officer of Folgore and currently also commentator for Titani.tv. Virtus, one of the standout teams of last season, collected no fewer than three awards. FSGC councillor Simone Grana presented two of them to Ivan Buonocunto, the team’s creative midfielder. The first was a brand-new accolade for this season, the Assist Award: Buonocunto earned it as the league’s leading assist-maker, finishing with an impressive 16 decisive passes (a statistic made possible by full coverage of matches on Titani.tv). The second was the Top Scorer award of the Coppa Titano BKN301: thanks in part to his five goals, one of which came in the final against Tre Penne, the Acquaviva club lifted San Marino’s oldest trophy for the first time in their history. The Virtus coaching staff were also recognised, with Secretary Luigi Zafferani returning to the stage to present the Golden Bench to Luigi Bizzotto. For the Neroverdi coach, this is the third such honour of his career. Finally, as mentioned, the evening – and with it the 2022-23 season – was brought to a close by the presentation of the Crystal Ball from President Marco Tura to Tre Penne’s Luca Ceccaroli at Calcio Estate.  

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