Sandro Mazzola
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alessandro Mazzola | |||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 8 November 1942 | |||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Turin, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) |
Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
1960–1977 | Internazionale | 417 | (116) | |||||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
1963–1974 | Italy | 70 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alessandro "Sandro" Mazzola (Italian pronunciation:
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian football players of all time, and as one of the best players of his generation, due to his speed, work-rate, creativity, technical skills and eye for goal; with Italy.
He is the son of Italian footballer Valentino Mazzola, player of the Grande Torino who died in the Superga air disaster. Sandro Mazzola's younger brother, Ferruccio Mazzola, was also a footballer, who died in 2013.[1]
Early life
Sandro Mazzola was born in
Club career
Although their father Valentino had played for
Herrera's Inter side during that period also featured
In 1964, Mazzola scored twice to help Inter defeat
In 1971, following his final Serie A title and his performances in Europe, he placed second in the Ballon d'Or, behind Johan Cruyff. This was the closest he ever came to winning the award, and the first time he was shortlisted as a finalist.[2][4][7]
"I played against your father. You did him proud, and I want to give you my shirt."
—
Mazzola retired from professional football in the summer of 1977, having served as Inter's
International career
Mazzola played 70 times for Italy between 1963 and 1974, scoring 22 goals.[9] His debut for the national side was against Brazil on 12 May 1963, when he was aged only 20, and he marked the occasion by scoring a goal from a penalty. Mazzola later played for his country at the 1966 FIFA World Cup under Edmondo Fabbri, appearing in all three of Italy's group matches, and scoring in his nation's opening fixture, a 2–0 win over Chile, as Italy were eliminated in the first round; he later took part at the next two editions of the tournament with Italy. His biggest achievement with the national side came in 1968, however, when Italy won the 1968 European Championship on home soil under manager Ferruccio Valcareggi, and Mazzola was named as a member of the Team of the Tournament for his performance.[2][4][7][10]
Two years later, however, although Italy arrived at the World Cup in Mexico as defending European champions, there was much turmoil within the team, as the Italian national team's coach, Valcareggi, believed that Mazzola could not play alongside the other Italian creative star player Gianni Rivera, who played in a similar position for Mazzola's rival club Milan, as it would offset the balance within the team; Mazzola was therefore chosen to start in all three of Italy's first round matches, due to his superior athleticism and work-rate.[11][12] As the Italians had difficulty scoring during the group stage, and Mazzola had struggled to regain match fitness after coming down with a stomach flu, Valcareggi devised a controversial solution for the second round of the tournament, which he called the "staffetta" (relay), in order to play both players.[11][12]
Mazzola, who was faster, stronger, fitter, more goal-prone, and who had the superior tactical intelligence and work-rate of the two, would start in the first half, while Rivera would come in at half time, once the opposing players began to tire. This would allow the more creative playmaker Rivera more time on the ball to dictate the tempo of the team's play. With this strategy,
Four years later, Valcareggi finally used the two players together at the 1974 World Cup, but the ageing Italian side underperformed and was eliminated in the first round of the tournament.[2][4][7]
Retirement
After retiring from football, Mazzola held an executive position at Inter, between 1977 and 1984, then at
From 1995 to 1999, he returned to work at Inter as
Mazzola also worked as a commentator for
Style of play
Mazzola is widely considered to be one of the greatest Italian football players of all time and one of the best players of his generation.
Despite occupying a more withdrawn, creative playing role for much of his career, Mazzola was also known to be a prolific goalscorer as a forward, due to his eye for goal, and his powerful and accurate striking ability from both inside and outside the area, as well as his ability to time his attacking runs and get on the end of his teammates' passes, which enabled him to win the Serie A top scorer award in 1965. However, Mazzola was most highly regarded during his prime for his outstanding pace, acceleration, and stamina, as well as his dribbling ability, agility, technical skills, and balance, in particular when running at full speed while in possession of the ball; his pace, combined with his excellent ball control and technical ability enabled him to beat defenders frequently during matches, both in one-on-one situations or when undertaking individual runs.[2][4][7][17][18][20][21] In addition to his ability as a footballer, Mazzola also stood out due to his personality, strong character, mentality, determination, and leadership.[20]
Outside of football
On 3 July 1968, Mazzola founded the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC), in Milan, along with several fellow footballers, such as Giacomo Bulgarelli, Gianni Rivera, Ernesto Castano, Giancarlo De Sisti, and Giacomo Losi, as well as the recently retired Sergio Campana, also a lawyer, who was appointed president of the association.[22]
He considers himself Roman Catholic.[23]
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Inter Milan | 1960–61 | Serie A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | |
1961–62 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
1962–63 | Serie A | 23 | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 11 | |||
1963–64 | Serie A | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9[a] | 7 | — | 39 | 16 | ||
1964–65 | Serie A | 33 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 6[a] | 3 | 2[b] | 1 | 43 | 21 | |
1965–66 | Serie A | 30 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 2[b] | 2 | 37 | 22 | |
1966–67 | Serie A | 30 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 10[a] | 3 | — | 42 | 22 | ||
1967–68 | Serie A | 28 | 6 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 8 | |||
1968–69 | Serie A | 29 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 7 | |||
1969–70 | Serie A | 28 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10[c] | 1 | — | 43 | 6 | ||
1970–71 | Serie A | 29 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1[c] | 0 | 3[d] | 1 | 36 | 10 | |
1971–72 | Serie A | 28 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 9[a] | 2 | — | 46 | 11 | ||
1972–73 | Serie A | 26 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 41 | 6 | ||
1973–74 | Serie A | 26 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 38 | 7 | ||
1974–75 | Serie A | 23 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 34 | 3 | ||
1975–76 | Serie A | 25 | 2 | 10 | 4 | — | — | 35 | 6 | |||
1976–77 | Serie A | 28 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 39 | 4 | ||
Total | 418 | 116 | 80 | 14 | 63 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 568 | 161 | ||
Career total | 418 | 116 | 80 | 14 | 63 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 568 | 161 |
- ^ a b c d e All appearance(s) in European Cup
- ^ a b All appearance(s) in Intercontinental Cup
- ^ a b All appearance(s) in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- ^ All appearance(s) in Anglo-Italian Cup
- ^ a b c d All appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Italy | 1963 | 4 | 1 |
1964 | 3 | 3 | |
1965 | 8 | 6 | |
1966 | 9 | 5 | |
1967 | 3 | 3 | |
1968 | 5 | 0 | |
1969 | 4 | 2 | |
1970 | 10 | 2 | |
1971 | 5 | 0 | |
1972 | 8 | 0 | |
1973 | 6 | 0 | |
1974 | 5 | 0 | |
Total | 70 | 22 |
Honours
Inter Milan[2]
- Serie A (4) : 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1970–71
- European Cup (2) : 1963–64, 1964–65
- Intercontinetal Cup (2): 1964, 1965
Italy[2]
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1970
- UEFA European Championship (1): 1968
Individual
- Serie A top goal scorer: 1964–65 (17 goals)[2]
- Real Madrid, with seven goals)[5]
- FUWO European Team of the Year: 1965[28]
- FIFA XI: 1967[29]
- World XI: 1965, 1967, 1968,[30] 1971, 1974[31]
- Ballon d'Or (2nd place): 1971[3]
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2014[32]
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2022[33]
References
- ^ a b c "Nella casa di Valentino Mazzola, due camere e cucina per un mito" (in Italian). La Stampa. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sandro MAZZOLA". Storie di Calcio (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ a b Pierrend, José Luis (7 April 2005). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1971". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sandro Mazzola". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ a b Marcel Haisma; Antonio Zea (9 January 2008). "European Champions' Cup and Fairs' Cup 1963–64 – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ "Celtic 2-1 Internazionale". UEFA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mazzola, Sandro" (in Italian). enciclopediadelcalcio.it. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Amlan Majumdar (29 October 2011). "'The Heir Did Arrive' – The Story of Valentino And Sandro Mazzola". The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Nazionale in cifre: Mazzola, Sandro". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ^ a b "1968 team of the tournament". UEFA. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ a b MAURIZIO CROSETTI (3 November 2005). "Esce Mazzola, entra Rivera così la staffetta ha fatto storia". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ a b "70 anni di Rivera: gli auguri di Mazzola" (in Italian). Panorama. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Gianni De Felice (19 December 2015). "1970: Quando perdemmo le… staffette". Storie di Calcio (in Italian). Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Messico 70 e quei 6 minuti che sconvolsero l'Italia". Storie di Calcio (in Italian). 17 November 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b GIANNI BRERA (30 May 1986). "VIGILIA MUNDIAL PENSANDO AL '70". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Mazzòla, Sandro" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedie on line. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Alessandro Mazzola" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ a b Gigi Garanzini (2002). "Mazzola, Alessandro (Sandro)". Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Alessandro Bocci; Fabio Monti (1 November 2012). "Sandro Mazzola, 70 anni: "Dicevano che non sarei mai stato come papà"". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Dario Pelizzari (8 November 2012). "Mazzola fa 70. Suarez: 'Sandro, sei rovinato'" (in Italian). Panorama. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b CARLO BARONI (6 November 2012). "Sandro Mazzola, quando il calcio era un dribbling alla malinconia". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ "La storia". assocalciatori.it (in Italian). Associazione Italiana Calciatori. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ Giordano, Lucio (23 September 2022). "Con Dio parlo di tutto, Gli chiedevo anche di farmi giocare bene a pallone". Dipiù (in Italian). No. 38. pp. 52–55.
- ^ "Sandro Mazzola". inter.it. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Sandro Mazzola". Football Database. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Sandro Mazzola". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Alessandro Mazzola". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "FUWO 1966" (PDF). FCC-Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info
- ^ "Eric Batty's World XI – The Sixties". Beyond The Last Man. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Eric Batty's World XI – The Seventies". Beyond The Last Man. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Hall of fame, 10 new entry: con Vialli e Mancini anche Facchetti e Ronaldo" [Hall of fame, 10 new entries: with Vialli and Mancini also Facchetti and Ronaldo]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ "Sandro Mazzola enters the Inter Hall of Fame". Inter.it. 12 February 2023.
External links
- Sandro Mazzola: from tragedy to triumph Archived 28 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine at thesefootballtimes.co
- Inter Archive Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)