Mario Cantaluppi


Mario "Lupo" Cantaluppi is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a defender or midfielder.

Club career

Born in Schlieren, Switzerland, Mario Cantaluppi started his professional career with Grasshopper Club Zürich in 1990 and won the 1990–91 Nationaliga A in his debut season. In 1993, he dropped down a division to sign for FC Basel who were playing in the Nationalliga B at the time. In the Summer of 1996 he signed for Servette FC but rejoined Basel three years later. He joined German Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg in 2004 and played there for the next two seasons before returning to Switzerland to play for FC Luzern. In January 2008 he joined Belgium's K. Sint-Truidense V.V. and played there until summer 2009. In 2010, he was for about five months player-manager of SC Buochs.

International career

Cantaluppi is an experienced Swiss international, having played 24 times for his country. He played an important role in Switzerland's path to UEFA Euro 2004 but was left out of the final squad for the tournament after falling out with national coach Köbi Kuhn. Cantaluppi has never played for Switzerland since then.