Valentino Mazzola
Torino | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | [1] | 26 January 1919||
Place of birth | Cassano d'Adda, Italy | ||
Date of death | 4 May 1949 | (aged 30)||
Place of death | Superga, Italy | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) |
Attacking midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
1934–193? | Tresoldi | ||
193? | Fara d'Adda | ||
193?–1936 | Tresoldi | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1936–1938 | Tresoldi | ||
1938–1939 | Alfa Romeo | (18) | |
1939–1940 |
Venezia Reserves | ||
1939–1942 |
Venezia | 61 | (12) |
1942–1949 |
Torino | 195 | (118) |
International career | |||
1942–1949 | Italy | 12 | (4) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Valentino Mazzola (Italian pronunciation:
Considered one of the great number 10s in the history of football[2][3] and, according to some, the best Italian footballer of all time,[3][4][5] Mazzola was the captain and symbol of the "Grande Torino", the team recognised as one of the strongest in the world during the second half of the 1940s,[6] with whom Mazzola won five Serie A championships. He was also captain of the Italy national team for two years.[7]
He became known during his spell at
Early life
He was born in Cassano d'Adda, Ricetto, a neighbourhood of abandoned homes to a very modest family. His father, Alessandro, was a labourer for Azienda Torinese Mobilità and died in August 1940, hit by a truck. His mother's name was Leonina Ratti and his four brothers were Piero, Silvio, Carlo and Stefano. He had an unsettled childhood; in 1929 his father was fired from his job because of the Great Depression. To help his family, Valentino sought work the following year, just as he finished the first year of grade school. He found employment as a baker's boy, then, at age 14, the linen mill at Cassano d'Adda.[2][10]
In the summer of 1929, at age 10, he threw himself into the river
In 1939 he was called up to join military service in the Royal Navy, in the port of Venice; he spent a few months on the ship, aboard the destroyer Confienza, and was later moved to the Compagnia del Porto. In Venice, he obtained his elementary school diploma, attending night school.[7]
Valentino was a private person of few words. On 15 March 1942, he married Emilia Rinaldi, with whom he had two sons, both players:
Mazzola, who considered himself a solitary person led a secluded life, prioritising football above all. His entertainment consisted of a few games of bowls near his house. He used to write down everything, both in regard to his personal and professional life. He was very strict and meticulous and demanded the same treatment from others; this was the main reason for his separation from his first wife, who was no longer willing to live with his firm discipline. He separated from his wife in the autumn of 1946 and remarried on 20 April 1949 to 19-year-old Giuseppina Cutrone. On 4 May 1949, just days after his second marriage, he died in the Superga air disaster, unfortunately, as he thought he would die because of war or misfortune.[7]
Club career
Early career
Although he started working at a young age, Mazzola continued to cultivate his passion for football; he was the leader of Tresoldi, the team of
In 1938, the same period when
At Alfa Romeo he played one season as a
Venezia
In 1939, while he was performing his military service in the Navy, he took part in several matches in the team of the Navy, played on the field of basins, putting on a good display, despite weighing 90 kg. He was noted by some observers of
It was during this time at Venezia that Mazzola first met Ezio Loik, who had moved to the club from Milan. They debuted together in the 1942 game Italy played against Croatia and won 4–0. Both were very different, although they came from very humble backgrounds: Fiume-born Loik was quiet and somewhat defensive, while Lombard Mazzola was much more impulsive and friendly. Loik did not like Valentino at first instance, taking his reserve for arrogance, but both soon found a way of understanding each other. The partnership of both attacking midfielders (mezzala in Italian) was based on Loik's stubborn generosity and the Mazzola's rare talent. Soon, they became Italy's most coveted uprising young players.[7]
Mazzola's career with Venezia started modestly, with a tenth-placed finish in 1940 and a twelfth-place finish the next season. In 1941, however, the team won the Coppa Italia final against
Torino
In early July 1942, he transferred to
He officially debuted for Torino on 20 September 1942, in the
In April 1943, he scored three goals in the last four matches of the season; with Torino and
In the middle of the Second World War, without prospects of a new season, Torino, whose name changed to Torino FIAT, only played friendly and small unofficial competitions. Mazzola, unlike many of his fellow players, who had returned to play with their home teams, stayed in Turin and, together with his other teammates, and began to train and participate in some games. In the unofficial 1944 Campionato Alta Italia, Torino FIAT finished second to La Spezia.[7]
After the championship ended in July 1944, Mazzola and his teammates played several matches for charity. The league resumed in 1945, and was characterised by the
In the 1946–47 season, Mazzola was promoted to captain and finished the season as the league's top scorer with 29 goals. On 20 April 1946, he scored the fastest hat-trick in the history of Italian football, with three goals in three minutes against
Mazzola would continue his form in the 1947–48 season, and after the first seven rounds, he was top scorer with eight goals. On 5 October 1947, at the Stadio Nazionale in Rome, Torino closed the first half with a score of 1–0 for the Giallorossi; returning from the locker room, Torino scored seven goals in 25 minutes, three of which were scored by Mazzola, who was forced to leave the field prematurely, amid the applause of the entire stadium due to a thigh strain. His physical problems continued in the months of November and December, yet Mazzola continued to play, offering repeated discontinuous performances. On 23 May 1948, the match against
At the end of the season, Torino were invited to play four friendly matches in Brazil by the Brazilian Football Confederation; Mazzola before leaving, on 29 June, announced in a radio interview his farewell to Torino, amid the dismay of the fans. A few days before the start of the new season, scheduled for 19 September 1948, six Torino players, including Mazzola, did not return due to a contract dispute. Mazzola, included in the transfer list, would miss the first round of the season against Pro Patria. However, an agreement with the club was reached on 23 September, with Mazzola returning in a 3–2 loss to Atalanta, in which he scored. Mazzola would go on to score the winning goal in the derby, and offered a very positive performance seven days later in a 3–1 win at Padova, scoring a goal and leading the team alone to victory.[7] In early 1949, he had to live with several muscular injuries which caused him to considerably reduce training and gain weight. Despite not being able to fully recover, he scored four consecutive goals between January and February. On 24 April, in the 33rd round, against Bari (1–1), he scored the final goal of his career. On 30 April, Torino drew 0–0 at the San Siro against Inter; Mazzola, due to a strong sore throat with high fever and a form of angina, did not take part in the match.[7]
On 1 May, the day after the match against the Nerazzurri, Torino flew to
Death
Despite suffering from illness, Mazzola was determined to attend the match he had organised for Torino in Lisbon in 1949. On 4 May, on the return journey from the game, the aircraft carrying Mazzola and the rest of the team crashed, killing everyone on board.[11]
International career
Mazzola made his debut for the national side on 5 April 1942, in a 4–0 friendly home win over Croatia.[12] He scored his first international goal on 19 April, in a 4–0 friendly home win over Spain.[7][13] Overall, Mazzola played 12 matches with the Italy national team between 1942 and 1949 and scored 4 goals, also serving as the side's captain between 1947 and 1949.[14][15]
Style of play
Mazzola is considered one of the best football players of all time, and perhaps the first modern all-around footballer; a well-rounded, versatile, and hardworking player, he was capable of playing in any position on the pitch, and was known for his strong character and winning mentality, as well as his ability to lead his teammates to victory with his charismatic presence and leadership (Mazzola was famous for raising his shirt's sleeves when his team was not playing well as a signal to his teammates and the fans).[3][16][17]
Mazzola was a quick, strong and energetic midfielder, with excellent technical qualities and
Although he was mainly renowned for his offensive and creative capabilities, Mazzola was also highly competent defensively, often pressing and tackling opponents in order to win back possession, and was even capable of being deployed as a
In the Milan area, players who insist on dribbling rather than passing are called "Veneziani" (Venetians). This is a reference to when Mazzola played for Venezia, as well as his penchant for undertaking individual dribbling runs.[20] José Altafini, a forward who won the 1958 World Cup with Brazil and also played for Italy, is called "Mazzola" in his home country due to his resemblance to Valentino.[21]
Honours
Torino[7]
Venezia[7]
- Coppa Italia: 1940–41
Individual
- Seria A top scorer: 1946–47[7]
- Coppa Italia top scorer: 1942–43[7]
- Italian Football Hall of Fame (Posthumously): 2012[7]
- Walk of Fame of Italian sport: 2015[22][23]
- Torino FC Hall of Fame: 2015[24]
References
- ^ a b "Mazzola, Valentino" (in Italian). Enciclopedia Del Calcio. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ a b Sappino. pp. 347, 348.
- ^ a b c d Nicolò Muggianu (26 January 2017). "Toro, Valentino Mazzola: l'eterno capitano" (in Italian). Toro News. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Foot. pp. 159, 160.[full citation needed]
- ^ Massimo Filipponi (2 January 2000). "Nessuno è stato superiore al Grande Torino" (PDF) (in Italian). L'Unità. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ Sconcerti. p. 75.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "VALENTINO MAZZOLA" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Paolo Spriano (5 May 1949). "La terribile sciagura di Superga" (PDF) (in Italian). L'Unità (ed. piemontese). p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ "The heartbeat of Il Grande Torino: Valentino Mazzola". FIFA. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ "La prima moglie di Mazzola ritrova il figlio nei pressi di Casale" (in Italian). Nuova Stampa Sera. 10 May 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Amlan Majumdar (29 October 2011). "'The Heir Did Arrive' – The Story Of Valentino And Sandro Mazzola". The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ Pozzo, Vittorio (6 April 1942). "Gli azzurri battono per 4 a 0 la squadra croata prevalendo nella ripresa sui forti e rudi avversari". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Pozzo, Vittorio (20 April 1942). "Italia batte Spagna 4-0 (0-0)". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Emozioni e delusioni sul campo del Prater di Vienna". Il Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 10 November 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Mazzola, Valentino". www.figc.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ a b Gigi Garanzini. "MAZZOLA, Valentino" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Ed Valentine (9 November 2014). "Valentino Mazzola, at the heart of the legendary Torino team". World Soccer. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ Marco Impiglia. "Mazzola, Valentino" (in Italian). Treccani: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (2016). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Mazzòla, Valentino". Treccani: Enciclopedie on line. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Alessandro Zanaboni (12 November 2004). "Il calciatore "veneziano"" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ "José Joao ALTAFINI ("Mazola")" (in Italian). magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "Inaugurata la Walk of Fame: 100 targhe per celebrare le leggende dello sport italiano" (in Italian). Coni. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ "CNA 100 Leggende CONI per data di nascita" (PDF) (in Italian). Coni. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ "Grande successo per la Hall of Fame Granata". Toro News (in Italian). 6 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
External links
- Valentino Mazzola at FIFA (archived)
- Valentino Mazzola at EU-Football.info
- Valentino Mazzola at FootballDatabase.eu
- Valentino Mazzola at National-Football-Teams.com
- Valentino Mazzola at WorldFootball.net
- Profile at FIGC (in Italian)