Brescia: One of Serie A's founding members attempting rebirth

Brescia Calcio, a historic Italian club and founder member of Serie A, has ceased to exist due to a severe financial crisis, prompting fan protests. This demise raises questions about how such a historic club fell so quickly and what its future holds.

Founded in 1911, Brescia earned promotion to Italy's top flight in 1913 and was one of the 18 founding members of Serie A in 1929. Despite this, the club spent most of the next nine decades in relative obscurity, overshadowed by nearby Milan. They became known as a mid-size provincial club bouncing between Serie A and Serie B, holding the record for the longest unbroken spell in Serie B (1947-1965) but never winning major trophies.

A significant period of prominence occurred at the turn of the century when Italian football legend Roberto Baggio chose Brescia for the final four seasons of his injury-plagued career. During this time, he was joined by iconic Spanish veteran Pep Guardiola and locally-born rising star Andrea Pirlo. Inspired by Baggio, the team achieved its best-ever Serie A finish (8th in 2001), qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

In their first continental competition, Brescia reached one of the three Intertoto Cup finals in 2001, losing to Paris St-Germain on away goals despite a Baggio penalty. Following Baggio's retirement in 2004, Brescia were relegated from Serie A in 2005, ending their brief period among the elite and returning to their previous cycle of promotions and relegations.

The article notes that Massimo Cellino purchased the club in 2017, preceding the recent financial collapse that has led to the club's dissolution.