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Giampiero Boniperti
 |
|
Personal information |
|
Full name |
Giampiero
Boniperti |
|
Date of birth |
4 July 1928
(1928-07-04) (age 81) |
|
Place of birth |
Barengo, Italy |
|
Height |
1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in) |
|
Playing position |
Forward, Right Midfielder |
|
Senior career* |
|
Years |
Team |
Apps
(Gls)† |
|
|
1946–1961 |
Juventus |
444
(178) |
|
|
National team |
|
1947–1960 |
Italy |
038 00(8) |
|
*
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league
only.
† Appearances (Goals).
|
Giampiero Boniperti (born 4 July 1928 in Barengo, Piedmont) is an Italian former football player
who played his entire career at Juventus between 1946 and
1961. He also played for the Italian
national football team. After retirement from professional
football, Boniperti has been a president of Juventus and a deputy
to the European Parliament.
With 182 goals in all-competitions, he was the highest
goalscorer in Juventus' history for more than 40 years, until his
record was bested by Alessandro Del Piero on 10 January
2006. Notably, he is the tenth-highest goalscorer of all-time in Serie A and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living
footballers in March 2004.
Biography
Boniperti signed for Juventus at age 16, he had already built
himself a reputation prior to this at youth level, as he scored 11
goals in one match. At a try-out in which he scored seven goals,
journalist Carlin proclaimed; "A boy wonder is born to
Juve".
The youngster played his first match for the Old Lady
in Serie A on 2 March 1947
against A.C. Milan,
unfortunately for Boniperti it ended in a 2-1 defeat. His first
goal for them in the league was three months later, against Sampdoria.
Juventus ended the Serie A 1946-47
season as runners-up to local rivals Torino, Giampiero ended the
season with 5 goals in 6 games to his name.
Although he began as a centre forward he was a flexible player,
and could play also as an inside forward or on the right wing. His
second season with Juventus really put him on the map, he was only
just 20 years old, but scored 27 goals during that season, he
finished above Valentino Mazzola as the league's
topscorer.
Boniperti's first league championship with Juventus was during
the 1949-50 season. His scoring rate remained prolific and by his
24th birthday he had scored 100 goals for the Turin giants, adding
a second scudetto title to his name in 1951-52. For much
of the 1950s Juve and Boniperti struggled to put the club back to
the top of the Italian championship.
However, in 1957 La Vecchia Signora signed two
forwards; John
Charles and Omar Sivori, along with them Boniperti
would be a part of what was referred to as "the Magical
Trio". The three players excelled impeccably together, during
last four seasons at the club Juventus dominated and won Serie A
three times (1957-58, 1959-60 and 1960-61) and the Coppa Italia twice
(1958-59 and 1959-60).
Retirement
By the time he retired Boniperti was Juventus' all-time top
goalscorer with 182 in all competitions, this record would stand
for over 40 years before Alessandro Del Piero broke it on
10 January 2006. Currently, Giampiero Boniperti is the second top
goalscorer of all-time at Juventus and is sixth on the list of
all-time top appearances for the club. He holds the record for most
Serie A appearances at
Juventus with 444 games.
A short while after his retirment, the Agnelli family gave
him a managing role inside of the society, where he was President
for many years; to this day he still has a role at the club as
honorary president. From 1994 until 1999, Boniperti was elected as
a deputy in the European Parliament with Forza Italia.
International
After playing only 14 games in the Serie A league, Boniperti was called up to play
for the Italian
national football team, for a game against Austria, the match ended
in a humiliating 5-1 drubbing to the Austrian side.
He got even with Austria a couple of years later, when in May
1949 he scored his first international goal for Italy, with a 3-1
victory. Although Boniperti's international career was not
particularly great he did manage to achieve 38 caps (24 of which he
played as captain) and scored 8
goals for the azzurri.
Career
statistics
Honours
All with Juventus.
International goals
See also
Austria
Switzerland
Egypt
Belgium
Germany
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