Valerio Bacigalupo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valerio Bacigalupo | ||
| Date of birth | 12 March 1924[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Vado Ligure, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 4 May 1949 (aged 25) | ||
| Place of death | Superga, Italy | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1942–1943 | Savona | 20 | (0) |
| 1944 | Genoa | 20 | (0) |
| 1945–1949 | Torino | 137 | (0) |
| Total | 177 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1947–1949 | Italy | 5 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Valerio Bacigalupo (12 March 1924 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian association football goalkeeper from Vado Ligure, Savona.
Club career
Bacigalupo started his club career with home province side Savona. After a brief spell at Genoa he moved to Torino where he won Serie A four times in a row.[1][2][3]
International career
Bacigalupo was called up to the Italian national football team five times between 1947 and 1949, making his senior international debut in a 3–1 win over Czechoslovakia on 14 December 1947.[1][4]
Style of play
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Bacigalupo was a modern and world-class goalkeeper, who revolutionised his position in Italy. A precocious talent, he was known for his strong physique, reactions and excellent positional sense, as well as his athletic diving saves. In addition do being an outstanding shot-stopper, he was also a dominant goalkeeper, known for his ability to come off his line to collect crosses.[1]
Personal life
Valerio Bacigalupo's older brother, Manlio Bacigalupo, also played professional football before the Second World War, also serving as a goalkeeper for Genoa and Torino.[1] Valerio died in the Superga air disaster with most of the Grande Torino team, which also formed a large part of the Italian national team at the time, which was scheduled to take part at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.[5]
Legacy
After his death, the club where he started his career, Savona named its ground Stadio Valerio Bacigalupo in his honour.
Honours
- Torino[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Valerio Bacigalupo" (in Italian). Enciclopedia del Calcio. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ↑ "Superga tragedy strikes Il Grande Torino". fifa.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ↑ "La Storia del Torino Fc". www.torinofc.it (in Italian). Torino Football Club. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ↑ "Bacigalupo, Valerio" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ↑ Pia, Simon (2 May 1999). "The day the dream team of Italian football died". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 30 November 2012.