Giuseppe Meazza: biography, achievements and photos

Giuseppe Meazza is a two-time world champion, a three-time champion of native Italy, a legendary footballer, a famous striker, often compared to Pele, the Brazilian "king of football." Thrice recognized as the top scorer in Serie A, today the famous Italian is considered the second sniper in the history of the Italian national team with 33 goals, second only to Luigi Riva.

Biography of Giuseppe Meazza: family

The Milanese Giuseppe was born on August 23, 1910. The father of the boy took part in the First World War and on his return from the front died from the received wounds. Premature withdrawal of the parent and inherent in the young leader's talents contributed to his early maturation and behavior, which is an order of magnitude ahead of the age of the young man. Prior to professional football, Giuseppe Meazza helped his mother in a bakery, where he was engaged in baking bread.

Beginning of a football career

Football for a young man has been a passion since childhood, which was typical of all teens of post-war Italy. At the age of 13, the boy himself formed the club "Constanta", taking on all the organizational tasks. After some time, Giuseppe Meazza moved to the team "Maestri Kampionesi", and then asked to "Milan", the fan of which he was from childhood. The favorite team did not appreciate the zeal and skill of Giuseppe, criticizing him for his frail figure. Hiding the offense Meazza moved to the "Internationale", which consisted of two seasons winning regional championships. In 1927 Meazza - still a frail teenager with a height of 169 cm and a body weight of 40 kg - was enrolled in the adult reserve. At that time, the coach of the main team was the Hungarian Arpad Weiss. Selecting players for the upcoming tournament, he for some personal reasons, engaged in fees "dystrophic" Meazstu, which for all was a huge surprise.

Balilla - in the first team!

Giuseppe Meazza, whose football biography is a vivid example for the beginning athletes, presented his chance to the fullest: in the game with "Milanese" he managed to hit the opponent's goal twice. After the game, the delighted coach announced that "from now on, this Balilla will always play in the first team." Why Balilla? In Italy there is a legend telling of a plain-looking young man who managed in 1746 to initiate a rebellion against the Austrian occupiers who seized the share of Italian lands. The nickname of this young man was Balilla, which means "bullet" in Russian.

Professional success of Giuseppe

1927 year. Summer. Meazza re-annoyed Milan, who lost to Inter 2-3, and the control goal was again scored by Giuseppe-Balilla. In the same season, in the game with "Genoa" (6-1 score), Meatz scored 2 goals to the opponent's goal.

1929 was marked by some iconic phenomena in the Italian club: "Internationale" was renamed "Ambrosiana" and merged with "Milanese". The national league acquired a modern look: the A series was a solid championship, in which 18 clubs took part. In the first season Meazza with the club won the series A and was determined the top scorer. The events that took place in the final round of the championship, in general, can be called unique. "Ambrosiana" played with "Genoa" on the guest field, the hosts began to lead with a score of 3: 0. However, there was an unforeseen event: under the weight of spectators in the stadium unexpected tribune came down. The game was stopped, and after its resumption Giuseppe Meazza under some incredible inspiration thrice thrust into the opponent's goal. The bout ended with a score of 3: 3, the first time in the history of the Italian Serie A team won the Scudetto.

The personal qualities of an Italian footballer

The dull Giuseppe Meazza is a football player who stood out against other players with personal qualities. Fully justifying his nickname ("bullet"), he with lightning speed (for 12 seconds) overcame the gas hundred-meter, could throw out tricks that nobody could repeat. I admired the skill of the player virtuously, it is better to own the ball better than others.

Meazza - the best striker and striker

In "Inter" football player Meazza quickly became an attacking leader, and in a short time and "brain" of the Italian team. To count so allowed two goals scored by a speedy football player for three minutes in a duel with Switzerland. In this match, "Squadre Azzurre" led with a score of 4: 2. It happened in February 1930. In the next games Meazza also had a decisive influence on the result. In the away match with the Germans scored a goal in the 75th minute, which predetermined the outcome of the match with a score of 2: 0. Then in Budapest with a score of 5: 0 Italy defeated Hungary, Giuseppe Meazza scored three times in this match. This was the most important duel of the teams of the Old World, the so-called Central European Cup - the progenitor of the modern European championship. In many respects thanks to the goals of Balilla, Italy won a triumph in this tournament.

53 matches for Italy

In the winter of 1931, Meazza, when meeting with the French in the first game half, struck the opponent's gate three times, becoming the star of this championship. Gained experience, Giuseppe learned how to manage his colleagues, rebuilding a team game in the course of a duel. In his homeland, Giuseppe became extremely popular. The player first founded the tradition of advertising sports stars of various products. He himself advertised perfume. In "Inter" at this time things were not very smooth: the team could not reproduce the victorious result of 1930 with the win of the Scudetto. For three consecutive years (from 1934 to 1936 inclusive), the club lost in the competition for the leadership of the Turin "Juventus", taking the second place of honor. 1938 The Italian national team has again become the world champion in football, and the team "Inter" after a long break has regained its gold. Meazza for the 4th time was named the best sniper. In total, from 1930 to 1939, the footballer played 53 games for the national team of his native country.

Black band in the life of Giuseppe

Further, Giuseppe Meazza, whose achievements are the pride of Italy, underwent surgery to remove appendicitis and recovered for a very long time. In the national team returned in the spring of 1939, in the summer engaged to Rita Galloni. The couple had a daughter. Further on the sportsman the next trouble - an occlusion of an artery which has entailed global disturbances of a circulation has fallen. Again, the operation - and the year of rehabilitation. Without the Giuseppe club in 1940, he again won the Scudetto.

In the "Milan"

However, after the recovery Meazza on the field was already part of another team - "Milan". Wearing a red-and-black uniform, Giuseppe Meazza made his debut for a club that he had been raving since childhood. It happened in January 1941. In the summer of 1942 he moved to Turin's Juventus. The season of 1943-1944 was foiled because of the war, the family Giuseppe moved to a small town of Varese. There the couple had a second baby. From the summer of 1947, Meazza took up coaching work, began to cooperate with the sports magazine Sport Illustrato. Further, Giuseppe received a proposal of cooperation with the Italian team, briefly replaced the dismissed mentors.

Giuseppe Meazza. Stadium "San Siro"

Since 1957, he started training with the younger generation in the football school "Inter". His life path Giuseppe Meazza - champion of Italy and the world - completed on August 21, 1979, not live to see his birthday just two days. In 1982, in honor of the legendary football player was renamed Milan arena "San Siro", which can accommodate more than 8 thousand spectators.