Cristiano Bani

He started out as a midfielder, and for a spell as a left winger, before settling at left-back — terzino mancino — some way into his career, despite being right-footed. At 187 cm he is unusually tall for the role.

The move that gave him a season worth talking about came in July 2023, when he signed for Mantova on a free transfer. He was a key player through 2023–24 as the club won Serie C Group A and went up to Serie B.

Before that the route was piecemeal. He came through the youth ranks at Empoli, then joined Pro Vercelli, where he played for the Primavera side and made his senior debut in Serie C. A loan to ASD Calcio Chieri 1955 in 2018–19 took him into Serie D. He went back to Pro Vercelli for 2019–20 and left as a free agent.

Robur Siena signed him on a free in 2020 and got two seasons out of him — 54 appearances, three goals, across Serie D and Serie C. Then came a run of short stops: Catania in January 2023, on a free, in Serie D; and later the same month Imolese, again on a free, in Serie C.

He left Mantova in February 2026 for Ravenna, a permanent free transfer with a contract to 30 June 2028, and wears number 14. He has no senior caps for Italy and no recorded appearances at youth international level, and has won no individual awards.