Parmalat's money arrives: how Calisto Tanzi built Parma

Ernesto Ceresini did not see it. Parma's president died on 4 February 1990, a few months before the club did something it had never done. On 27 May, at the Tardini, Parma beat their neighbours Reggiana 2–0 on the last day of the Serie B season, with a goal from Marco Osio and one from Alessandro Melli, and were promoted to Serie A for the first time.

The coach was Nevio Scala, who had arrived in 1989. Arrigo Sacchi had coached Parma from 1985 to 1987 before leaving for AC Milan, and had left behind his 4-4-2. Scala changed it to a 5-3-2.

The name on the shirts belonged to Parmalat, the dairy company Calisto Tanzi had founded in 1961. It had sponsored the club since the late 1980s. Now it took over the shares.

The company's club

Accounts differ on exactly when the transfer of ownership was completed, but the Tanzi era is generally dated from the summer of promotion. With Parmalat in charge, Giorgio Pedraneschi became president. In July 1996 Tanzi's son Stefano replaced him. By January 2004, Parmalat owned 98.7 per cent of Parma.

Time magazine later wrote that Tanzi "poured cash into the local soccer team, making it one of Europe's best". Stefano Tanzi described the club's method himself: "resolve problems and realise objectives by always spending a little bit more money. And by doing so, the wage bill increased fivefold in just five years."

The first signings were Tomas Brolin from IFK Norrköping, the Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel from Internacional and Georges Grün from Anderlecht. In the second game of their first Serie A season, Parma beat Maradona's Napoli, and they finished it in the UEFA Cup places.

Scala's team

In 1992 Parma signed Faustino Asprilla from Atlético Nacional in Colombia. On 21 March 1993 he scored the only goal at San Siro, from a free kick, to end Milan's run of 58 Serie A matches unbeaten.

In 1993 Gianfranco Zola came from Napoli, where he had once worn Maradona's No. 10 shirt with Maradona on the bench. Massimo Crippa and Néstor Sensini arrived the same summer. Later Dino Baggio came from Juventus and Fernando Couto from Porto. In 1994–95 Zola scored 19 Serie A goals.

By the players' own accounts, some of the club's habits stayed small. In the early and mid-1990s they changed at the Tardini and then went to train on the public pitches in a park. "It was a team that was born right there, that grew up in the middle of a public park," said the defender Luigi Apolloni. "The whole city was involved together."

Gianluigi Buffon, who came through the club's youth teams, remembered the same thing: "When you think that you had all these people around the pitch, standing up against the fence, or some just sitting on benches playing cards and eating bread and salame, it makes you understand that Parma was an unrepeatable reality."

The trophies came quickly, and the next part of this series tells that story. The league title never did. "We neither had the mental stamina nor resilience to win the Scudetto," Scala said, "but in a one-off game, I can honestly say we were as good as anyone."

In the summer of 1995 came bigger names. Fabio Cannavaro came from Napoli. Hristo Stoichkov, the previous year's Ballon d'Or winner, came from Barcelona. Stoichkov scored seven goals in 23 appearances and went back to Barcelona after one season. Asprilla left for Newcastle United in February 1996.

That season, on 19 November 1995, Buffon made his Serie A debut. He was 17.

Parma went without a trophy in 1995–96, and in June 1996 Scala left after seven seasons.

Ancelotti

His replacement was Carlo Ancelotti, who came from Reggiana and switched to a 4-4-2. Lilian Thuram came from Monaco, Enrico Chiesa from Sampdoria, Mario Stanić from Club Brugge and, from River Plate, fresh from winning an Olympic silver medal, Hernán Crespo.

There was no place in the system for Zola. Ancelotti played him on the left of midfield, and in November 1996 he was sold to Chelsea for £4.5 million.

Without him, Parma came within two points of the title. Buffon and the new men Thuram, Chiesa and Crespo drove the challenge in 1996–97, and Parma finished second to Juventus.

Stefano Tanzi, now president, wanted more than results. "At Parma, we can't pretend that just winning the Scudetto is enough," he said. "We also need to play beautiful football."

In January 1998 Asprilla came back from Newcastle. That season did not go as well as the one before, and when it ended Ancelotti was dismissed.

Malesani

On 30 June 1998 Parma appointed Alberto Malesani, after a good season in charge of Batistuta's Fiorentina. He went back to Scala's 5-3-2.

The club spent again that summer. Juan Sebastián Verón and Alain Boghossian came from Sampdoria, Diego Fuser from Lazio and Paolo Vanoli from Verona.

The side that became known as Il Grande Parma lined up with Buffon in goal; Thuram, Sensini and Cannavaro across the back; Fuser and Vanoli on the flanks; Boghossian and Dino Baggio in midfield; Verón in front of them; and Crespo and Chiesa up front.

The 1998–99 season would be the most successful in the club's history.