Atalanta Bergamo
Which team did Giuseppe Meazza play for from 1945 to 1946?
Giuseppe Meazza Giuseppe Peppino Meazza ( ; 23 August 1910 – 21 August 1979 ) , also known as il Balilla , was an Italian football manager and player . Throughout his career , he played mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s , scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club , and winning three Serie A titles , as well as the Coppa Italia ; he later also played for local rivals Milan , as well as Turin rivals Juventus , in addition to his spells with Varese and Atalanta . At international level , he led Italy to win two consecutive World Cups : in 1934 on home soil , and in 1938 as captain ; he was named to the All-star Team and won the Golden Ball Award at the 1934 World Cup , as the tournaments best player . Along with Giovanni Ferrari and Eraldo Monzeglio , he is one of only three Italian players to have won two World Cups . Following his retirement , he served as a coach for the Italy national team , and with several Italian clubs , including his former club sides Inter and Atalanta , as well as Pro Patria , and Turkish club Beşiktaş ; he was Italys head coach at the 1952 Summer Olympics . Meazza is widely considered one of the best players of his generation , and among the greatest of all time , as well as being regarded by many in the sport as Italys greatest ever player . Giuseppe Prisco and Gianni Brera considered him to be the greatest footballer of all time . Due to his technical skill , prolific goalscoring , and creative ability , he was often given the nickname il genio ( the genius ) by the Italian press during his career . He has been ranked fourth-best player in the history of the World Cup . A prolific forward , Meazza won the Serie A top-scorer award on three occasions in his career ; with 216 goals in Serie A , he is the fourth all-time highest goal scorer in Serie A , alongside José Altafini , and with 33 goals , he is also the second highest goalscorer for the Italian national team . With 338 goals , he is the third-highest Italian goalscorer in all competitions . He is also the youngest player ever to score 100 goals in Serie A , a feat which he achieved at the age of 23 years and 32 days . San Siro , the principal stadium in his native city of Milan , which is today shared by two of his former clubs , Internazionale and crosstown rivals A.C . Milan , was named Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the players honour on 3 March 1980 . In 2011 , he was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame . Early life . Meazza was born in Porta Vittoria , Milan . Having lost his father in 1917 during the fighting of World War I at the age of seven , Peppe grew up in Milan with his mother , Ersilia who came from Mediglia , helping her sell fruit at the market . He began playing football at six years old , and started out playing barefoot with a ball made of rags on the streets for a team named the Maestri Campionesi . At the age of twelve , his mother gave him permission to pursue a footballing career , and he began playing for Gloria F.C. . It was during this time that a fan gave Meazza his first pair of football boots . At the age of 14 , Meazza admired Milan , but was rejected by the team for his small physique . However , he was instead accepted by Milans cross-city rivals Internazionale . Meazzas nickname , il Balilla ( The Little Boy ) , was given to him in 1927 by his older teammate Leopoldo Conti , who thought Peppìn , in Milanese dialect , who was only 17 when he joined the senior team , was too young to be associated to the senior team . He was surprised after Inter coach Árpád Weisz decided to give Meazza his debut for Inter in his place , famously commenting : Now we even let the Balilla kids play ! The Opera Nazionale Balilla , the Fascist youth organisation which collected all children aged eight to 14 years , was established in 1926 , hence why Conti felt it to be a suitable nickname for the young rookie . However , Meazza later scored two goals on his official debut , leaving Conti speechless . Club career . Meazza scored two goals on his professional debut , which came in a 6–2 win against Milanese Unione Sportiva in the Coppa Volta di Como , on 12 September 1927 . The following day , the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport praised his game as intelligent , fresh , quick . Meazza still holds the record for the most goals scored in a debut season in Serie A , with 31 goals in his first season ( 1929–30 ) . The next season , he scored 5 goals in a single game , twice in one season : 6 January 1929 Inter against Pistoiese 9–1 and 17 March 1929 Inter v Verona 9–0 . That same season ( 1928–29 ) on 12 May 1929 , he scored six goals as Inter beat Venezia 10–2 . 27 April 1930 was the first time Inter ever played A.S . Roma in Milan . Inter won 6–0 and Meazza scored four goals , scoring his first three within three minutes of the game . With Meazza in the squad , Inter won three national championships in 1930 , 1938 and 1940 , and helped win the teams first Coppa Italia in 1939 . In the 1930 deciding game , he scored a second half hat-trick to tie the game against Genoa after Inter had been down 3–0 . He was top-scorer of Serie A 3 times ( 1930 , 1936 , 1938 ) , top-scorer in the pre-Serie A year of 1929 and top scorer of the Mitropa Cup three times : 1930 ( 7 ) , 1933 ( 5 ) and 1936 ( 10 ) ; he finished with a runners-up medal in the competition in 1933 . When Ambrosiana beat Bari in the 1937–38 championship , he scored five goals in a 9–2 victory . The next week he scored a hat-trick against Lucchese . Along with fellow Inter players Ferraris II , Ferrari , and Locatelli , Meazza was involved in the Azzurri set-up that wins the 1938 World Cup in Paris . The same year , Inter won their fourth Scudetto , while the clubs first Coppa Italia success came in 1939 . An injury put him out of action for most of 1938–39 and 1939–40 , and after having devoted the best part of his career to Inter , Meazza transferred to A.C . Milan on 28 November 1940 . Later in his career he also played for Juventus , A.S . Varese 1910 and Atalanta Bergamo . His debut for Juventus , 18 October 1942 , took place in the derby against Torino . In 1946 he was recalled to Inter as a player-coach . He played 17 games , scoring the last two goals of his career to help an Inter team that was in danger of relegation . International career . Meazza played for Italy in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups , both of which Italy won . Apart from captaining the World Cup winning team in 1938 , Meazza , along with Giovanni Ferrari , Guido Masetti and Eraldo Monzeglio , also set a record for being the only Italian players to win two World Cups . His debut with the Italy national team was in Rome on 9 February 1930 against Switzerland . Then 19-year-old , Meazza scored twice in that game ( in the 37th and 39th minutes ) to help Italy to a 4–2 victory after they had been down by two goals in only 19 minutes . The next game Italy played was on 2 March 1930 against Germany in Frankfurt , where Meazza scored a goal in a 2–0 win . A few months later , on 11 May 1930 , he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 game as Italy beat Hungary of Larcos , Hirzer and Pál Titkos for the first time ever while playing in Budapest . Meazza helped Italy win the Central European International Cup that year ; the cup was a three-year international tournament between the strongest national teams of central and eastern Europe . On 25 January 1931 , Meazza scored another three goals in a 5–0 win against France . His first fifteen caps were at center-forward , but in 1933 , he showed his versatility during a 3–1 victory over Germany in Bologna , when he was moved to an inside-right position by the Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo , to accommodate teammate Angelo Schiavio , a switch that would help Italy win the World Cup the next year as the goals flowed in . During the tournament , Meazza once again demonstrated his adaptability when he was switched to an inside-left . In the 1934 World Cup , which was hosted by Italy , Meazza appeared in every game for the Italy . On 25 March 1934 in Milan , Italy beat Greece 4–0 in a qualifying match with two goals coming from Meazza . He then scored the final goal in their 7–1 victory over the United States in the 89th minute in their World Cup opener . In the game against Spain , Giovanni Ferrari scored a goal against Ricardo Zamora . The game ended 1–1 and had to be settled the next day . Meazza score from a corner sent in by Raimundo Orsi in the 11th minute . It was the only goal of the game . The final against Czechoslovakia in Romes Stadio Nazionale PNF . After 90 minutes , the two teams were at 1–1 . Italy , though , was in far more trouble as the game went into extra time , until Meazza became the inspirer again . His injury became a mixed blessing as the Czechs did not bother to mark him and he made them rue that decision . In the 95th minute of extra time , Schiavio , who hit a snap-shot past goalkeeper Frantisek Planicka for the winner five minutes into the extra period . Meazza was elected into the All-Star Team of the tournament and won the Golden Ball , the award presented to the best player at each FIFA World Cup finals . In 1935 he claimed the Central European International Cup again . Alongside Eraldo Monzeglio and Alfredo Pitto , Meazza is the only Italian player to win two editions of the Central European International Cup ( 1927–30 and 1933–35 ) . He holds the all-time record for appearances and goals , sixteen and eight respectively , at Central European International Cup tournaments for the Italian national side . In the 1938 World Cup hosted by France , Meazza captained Italy , again playing in every match . In the semi-final against Brazil , with the score at 1–0 Italy were awarded a penalty after Silvio Piola was fouled by Domingos da Guia . As Meazza stepped up to take the kick , with a chance to double his teams lead , his shorts fell down , as the elastic in them had ripped ; he held them up with his left hand , but he still managed to score , beating the Brazilian goalkeeper Walter from the spot by placing the ball into the corner . The goal enabled Italy to win the match 2–1 and sent them into their second consecutive World Cup final . In the final , the Italians faced Hungary . Meazza set up goals for Silvio Piola and Gino Colaussi before halftime . The first assist he gave came after a quick exchange with Colaussi , who put Italy up 1–0 . The next assist came after he faked a shot , making his defender jump past him , and dribbled past another defender , before sending in a quick pass on the ground for Piola to score . Ten minutes before halftime , after another quick exchange between Ferrari and Meazza , the latter found the unmarked Colaussi with a pass , and the winger netted his second of the game to make it 3–1 at the break . After the tournament , Piola , who scored five goals in France , paid his colleague the compliment of being responsible for his own good performance : At the FIFA World Cup , I mainly lived off Meazza and Ferrari . He played his last match for the national nine years after his debut , on 20 July 1939 at the Olympiastadion in Helsinki , when he captained Italy to a 3–2 win over Finland . In total , he played 53 times with Italy between 1930 and 1939 , losing only six matches , and scoring 33 goals ; he is currently Italys second highest goalscorer , behind Luigi Riva . Style of play . Although he was initially deployed as full-back in his youth , Meazza began his professional career as an all out striker or centre forward , but he later played for more than half of his career as a creative inside left forward . He further demonstrated his skill and creative ability by also becoming an accomplished offensive midfielder , and even played as a central midfielder or as a deep-lying playmaker in his later career . He was known for his excellent shooting ability and intoxicating dribbling skills , with an eye for the final pass . Despite his average height and slight yet stocky build , he was also an exceptional header of the ball , and was known for his acrobatic abilities in the air . Beyond his qualities as a player , he was also a great leader on the pitch . Meazza was the first Italian football player who became famous worldwide , and was the first player with personal sponsors . Unlike his more reserved friend , international teammate , and club-rival Silvio Piola , a player with whom Meazza was often compared , he was known for having a much more flamboyant character both on and off the pitch . He loved his cabriolet , champagne and women and was the only player on the national team that was allowed to smoke . Meazza was famous for humiliating the best defenders of the era and for sleeping at a brothel the night before a match . With his plush touch on the ball , he would cause panic in the robust defenders from an era where two footed tackles from behind were often waved on . Not known for having a particularly high work-rate , sometimes he would not get out of bed until his teammates were already finished training . He also loved the Tango and used this proficiency to make him unpredictable on the field and could score goals at fox-trot tempo . He was a superb dribbler who despite his speed , never had a single brylcreemed hair out of place , and although he was not tall , was remarkably good in the air . Meazza created many chances for his teammates and scored goals as well . His bending goals a foglia morta , the dead leaf technique , in particular from free-kicks , were also feared by goalkeepers . As an offensive playmaker , he was a brilliant passer , two-footed , had remarkable field vision , and was noted for his balance and agility on the ball , as well as his control , turns and spins . His trademark goals were ones where he would collect the ball at the half-line , dribble through several opponents with a series of twinkle-toed shuffles , and turns , until arriving in front of the goal , where he would stop and invite the goalkeeper to attack him like a matador , before faking a shot , then dribbling past the beaten goalkeeper to slot home easily . In away games , the defenders would often foul and hack him to avoid being humiliated . Gol alla Meazza and finte alla Meazza have since become popular sayings for Italian football fans to describe a truly inspiring goal off the dribble or a series of jukes . His goals ad invito , where he would invite the goalkeeper out before dribbling around him is yet another popular saying . An accurate penalty taker , Meazza once said , There is nothing worse than having a penalty kick saved by a keeper who didnt understand the fake . Reception . Meazza is widely considered one of the best players of his generation , and among the greatest of all time , as well as being regarded by many in the sport as Italys greatest ever player . Vittorio Pozzo , the mastermind coach behind both Italian World Cup victories , wrote of Meazza : He was a born forward . He saw the game , understood the situation , distributed the ball carefully and made the team offense operate . Having him on the team was like starting the game 1–0 up . Sports journalist Gianni Brera , who considered Meazza to be the greatest footballer in the history of the game , called him Il Folber , and dubbed his style of play the fasso-tuto-mi , because he considered him to be the complete central midfielder and a nimble acrobat . When describing Meazza , Brera said : He was only Italian that stood out amongst the sensational Brazilians and Argentines . Following Meazzas death in 1979 , Brera also added : The world was full of great football players , maybe some even tougher and more consistent than him , but to us it seemed that one could not go beyond his sudden inventions , his ingenious runs , his peremptory yet never condescending dribbling , his solo break-away runs towards the usual stray victim , the opposing goalkeeper . Peppino Prisco , who became vice-president of Internazionale in 1963 and won every major trophy possible with the club , also considered Meazza to be the best player of all time , and said of him : Meazza was great , unbeatable , even if he would occasionally run into a frightful crisis , caused by his intense sexual activity and his passion for the game . When he took over on the field , he did things that left the mouth ajar . Bruno Acari IV , who played with Meazza at A.C . Milan and later coached , once said that Peppino [ Meazza ] never wanted to hear about tactics . He was a simple person who became a king when he entered the goal box , with a technical ability that was comparable to Pelé . Death . Meazza died on 21 August 1979 of pancreas failure two days before his 69th birthday in Lissone , Italy , and is buried at the Monumental Cemetery of Milan . Career statistics . Club . Source : International . Sources : Honours . Club . Internazionale - Serie A : 1929–30 , 1937–38 , 1939–40 - Coppa Italia : 1938–39 International . - Italy - FIFA World Cup : 1934 , 1938 - Central European International Cup : 1927–30 , 1933–35 Individual . - Serie A Top Goal-scorer : 1929–30 , 1935–36 , 1937–38 - Mitropa Cup Top Goal-scorer : 1930 , 1933 , 1936 - FIFA World Cup All-Star Team : 1938 - Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame ( posthumous honour , 2011 ) - Inducted into the Walk of Fame of Italian sport : 2015 - Inter Milan Hall of Fame : 2019 Trivia . - Meazza was one of the first Italians to coach abroad , coaching Beşiktaş J.K . of Turkey in 1948–49 . - While serving as a youth coach for Inter , he met Sandro Mazzola . Understanding the boys pain at losing a father while so young and recognising his skills , Meazza took young Sandro under his wing , and convinced him to sign for Inter . This is however controversial , as the honour of having brought Sandro and his brother Ferruccio Mazzola to Inter is also attributed to an Inter player of the time , Benito Veleno Lorenzi , who was a friend and fellow Italian international to the boys father , Torino legend Valentino Mazzola . - Meazza is a FIFA Hall of Champions Inductee and Italian Football Hall of Fame Entrant . He was selected by IFFHS/FIFA as the 2nd Best Italian player as one of the best 25 World Players of the 20th Century , and was also selected to Italys Sports Walk of Fame in 2015 . - Meazza is still today the joint-fourth top-scorer ever in Serie A along with José Altafini . - Many Italian football experts , including Alberto Giocattoli , consider him to be the best player ever , and even Silvio Piola was quoted saying : He is , without a doubt , one of the greatest Italian footballers ever . He is a symbol to our great country and we should cherish him . - With 33 goals , Meazza is still the Italian national teams second highest scorer . His record stood until Gigi Riva tied and eventually broke it on 9 June 1973 , also in a game against Brazil . On that day , Meazza was quoted to say , That Riva is good , he scored a lot of goals against Cyprus and Turkey . Surely my goals were much more important . - The San Siro stadium of Milan , which hosts two of Meazzas former clubs , Internazionale and A.C . Milan , was renamed the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honour . External links . - Profile at Enciclopedia del Calcio - Inter Profile - Juventus Profile - FIFA Profile - FIGC Profile - Unofficial Website - The life of Giuseppe Meazza : A legend ahead of his time – ESPN - The Mavericks : Giuseppe Meazza : Champion of the world – ESPN