Antonio Valentin Angelillo
Encyclopedia
Antonio Valentín Angelillo (born 5 September 1937) is an Italian Argentine
former football forward
who played the majority of his professional career in the Italian
Serie A
, and was a member of both the Argentine
and the Italian
national teams.
, Angelillo started playing professionally in Arsenal de Sarandí
in 1952, played in 1955 with Racing Club de Avellaneda
, and moved to Boca Juniors
in 1956.
Angelillo, along with his countrymen Omar Sivori
and Humberto Maschio
acquired the nickname "the Angels with Dirty Faces" when they moved to Italy in the latter part of the 1950s on account of their typically South American colour and flair. They were also known as ‘The Trio of Death’ because of their clinical finishing.
From 1957 to 1961, Angelillo played 127 games with Internazionale, scoring 77 times. In Serie A, he appeared in 113 matches and scored 68 goals for Internazionale.
In the 1958/59 season, Angelillo scored 33 goals in 33 matches, being the tournament's top scorer. His goal total was the highest since Gunnar Nordahl
had scored 34 in the 1950/51 season, and no player since has scored as many goals in a Serie A season.
Although Angelillo was Inter's highest goalscorer while he was playing there, he did not win any titles with the Nerazurri.
From 1961 to 1965, Angelillo played 106 games with AS Roma
in Serie A, scoring 27 times. He then spent one season at AC Milan
, scoring one goal in 11 matches. The following year, he signed with Lecco
, playing 12 matches and scoring one goal, with the team being relegated to Serie B
. He remained in Serie B, where his next and last team was Genoa
.
. During the 1957 South American Championship
that Argentina
won, Angelillo was tied for the second-most goals in the tournament, with eight in six matches, scoring in all matches but the last one against Peru
After that competition, he and other Argentine players (Omar Sivori
and Humberto Maschio
) were bought by different Italian teams. After moving to Italy and acquiring citizenship, he appeared twice for the Italian national team
, scoring 1 goal.
, which he led to win a Coppa Italia Serie C
title, a Serie C1
title and narrowly missing a promotion to Serie A
in its first attempt. Angelillo now works as a Inter scout for South America, and still lives in Arezzo
.
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
former football forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who played the majority of his professional career in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, and was a member of both the Argentine
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and the Italian
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
national teams.
Club career
Born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Angelillo started playing professionally in Arsenal de Sarandí
Arsenal de Sarandí
Arsenal Fútbol Club, usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí, is a football club from the Sarandí neighbourhood in the city of Avellaneda, Argentina, which was founded in 1957 by the Grondona brothers. Arsenal currently plays in the top tier of Argentine football, the Primera División Argentina....
in 1952, played in 1955 with Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
, and moved to Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
in 1956.
Angelillo, along with his countrymen Omar Sivori
Omar Sivori
Enrique Omar Sívori was an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He is known for his time with the successful Juventus side during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At club level he also played for River Plate and Napoli.On the international level, he first appeared for the Argentine...
and Humberto Maschio
Humberto Maschio
Humberto Dionisio Maschio is an Italian Argentine former football player.Maschio started playing at Arsenal of Lavallol to later move to Quilmes Atlético Club where he proved himself a prolific goal-scorer. He joined Racing Club in 1954, and transferred to Italy in 1957...
acquired the nickname "the Angels with Dirty Faces" when they moved to Italy in the latter part of the 1950s on account of their typically South American colour and flair. They were also known as ‘The Trio of Death’ because of their clinical finishing.
From 1957 to 1961, Angelillo played 127 games with Internazionale, scoring 77 times. In Serie A, he appeared in 113 matches and scored 68 goals for Internazionale.
In the 1958/59 season, Angelillo scored 33 goals in 33 matches, being the tournament's top scorer. His goal total was the highest since Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
had scored 34 in the 1950/51 season, and no player since has scored as many goals in a Serie A season.
Although Angelillo was Inter's highest goalscorer while he was playing there, he did not win any titles with the Nerazurri.
From 1961 to 1965, Angelillo played 106 games with AS Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
in Serie A, scoring 27 times. He then spent one season at AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, scoring one goal in 11 matches. The following year, he signed with Lecco
Calcio Lecco 1912
Calcio Lecco 1912 is an Italian football club, based in Lecco, Lombardy.Lecco currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, having last been in Serie A in 1967.The team's colors are blue and dark blue.-History:The club was founded in 1912....
, playing 12 matches and scoring one goal, with the team being relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. He remained in Serie B, where his next and last team was Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
.
International career
In official tournaments, Angelillo played 11 matches and scored 11 goals for the Argentina national teamArgentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. During the 1957 South American Championship
South American Championship 1957
The South American Championship 1957 was a football tournament held in Peru and won by Argentina with Brazil as a second.Humberto Maschio from Argentina and Javier Ambrois from Uruguay became top scorers of the tournament with 9 goals each.-Final round:...
that Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
won, Angelillo was tied for the second-most goals in the tournament, with eight in six matches, scoring in all matches but the last one against Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
After that competition, he and other Argentine players (Omar Sivori
Omar Sivori
Enrique Omar Sívori was an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He is known for his time with the successful Juventus side during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At club level he also played for River Plate and Napoli.On the international level, he first appeared for the Argentine...
and Humberto Maschio
Humberto Maschio
Humberto Dionisio Maschio is an Italian Argentine former football player.Maschio started playing at Arsenal of Lavallol to later move to Quilmes Atlético Club where he proved himself a prolific goal-scorer. He joined Racing Club in 1954, and transferred to Italy in 1957...
) were bought by different Italian teams. After moving to Italy and acquiring citizenship, he appeared twice for the Italian national team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, scoring 1 goal.
Coaching career
After retiring from playing, he stayed living in Italy, where he became a coach, managing several lower division clubs. His most notable success came with ArezzoA.C. Arezzo
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Atletico Arezzo is an Italian association football club based in Arezzo, Tuscany...
, which he led to win a Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Serie C
Coppa Italia Lega Pro , formerly named Coppa Italia Serie C, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Lega Pro in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis....
title, a Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
title and narrowly missing a promotion to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
in its first attempt. Angelillo now works as a Inter scout for South America, and still lives in Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
.