Giovanni Ferrari (6 December 1907 – 2 December 1982), an Italian football (soccer) player, played as a midfielder and as an inside forward on the left. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and as one of the greatest players of all time, having won the Serie A a record 8 times, as well as two consecutive FIFA World Cup titles (in 1934 and 1938) with the Italy national football team.[1][2]
A creative, advanced midfield playmaker, Ferrari was a strong, physically fit, hardworking, versatile, and well-rounded footballer, as well as being a generous team player. Due to his technical ability, vision, tactical intelligence, and passing ability, he excelled at building attacking plays and creating chances for team-mates, although he was also capable of scoring himself due to his powerful and accurate shot.[1][2][3]
Career
Club
Ferrari was born in Alessandria, Italy, and began his footballing career with local club Alessandria Calcio in the prima divisione nazionale in 1923, making his debut in the newly established Serie A on 6 October 1929, in a 3–1 home win over Roma. He remained with the club until 1930, aside from a brief loan to Internaples during the 1925–26 season. He was given credit over the seven year period (1923–1930) with Alessandria Calcio and Internaples to playing in 122 games and for scoring 78 times. The following year Ferrari changed over to Juventus F.C and over that five year period (1930–1935) he played in 125 games and scored 35 goals, but the most crazy fact was how many assists Ferrari had. The number was not recorded, but it was said to be astonishing. The next move Ferrari would make would be to Inter in 1935, and subsequently to Bologna for the 1940–41 season, before returning to Juventus once again for the final season of his career, in which he also acted as coach, retiring from football in 1942. After his season spell as a player-manager with Juventus, Ferrari also managed Inter from 1942 to 1943. One of Italy's greatest ever players, he won 5 Championships with Juventus, 2 with Inter and 1 with Bologna; along with Giuseppe Furino, he is one of two players to have won an Italian record of eight Serie A titles (Ciro Ferrara would also have won eight if the 2004–05 title by Juventus were not taken away due to the 2006 Calciopoli Italian match-fixing scandal; Virginio Rosetta also won eight national championships, but three of them came before the formation of a professional Serie A).[1][4][2]
International
With the Italian national team, Ferrari won two consecutive World Cups (in 1934 and 1938) as a player, along with team-mate Giuseppe Meazza, as well as the Central European International Cup, which took place between 1933–1935, alongside Silvio Piola as well. In total he managed 44 appearances and 14 goals with the national side between 1930–1938. He later was the head coach of Italy from 1960 to 1961, and was part of the technical commission with Paolo Mazza leading Italy in the 1962 FIFA World Cup.[1][2][5]
Ferrari died in Milan in 1982, aged 74.[1]
Playing Honours
Club
- Juventus F.C[1]
- Internazionale[1]
- Bologna F.C.[1]
International
- Italy National Football Team[1]
Individual
References
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| | Cantonal Neuchâtel FC |
- Pinter (1941–42)
- Weisz (1942–46)
- Ferrari (1946–48)
- Jaccard (1948–52)
- Hinduljak & Oberer (1952–53)
- Lauer (1953–54)
- Frey (1954–55)
- Pinter (1955–57)
- Artimovits (1957–59)
- Wettig (1959–60)
- Grocz & Mandry (1960–61)
- Humpál (1961–65)
- Zouba (1965–66)
- Morand (1966–68)
- Milutinović (1968–69)
- Péguiron & Humpál (1969–70)
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| | FC Xamax-Sports |
- Jacot (1959–60)
- Mella (1961–62)
- Casali (1962–63)
- Rickens (1963–64)
- Jaccottet & Merlo (1964–65)
- Humpál (1965–68)
- Bertschi (1968–69)
- Garbani (1969–70)
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| | Neuchâtel Xamax | |
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