Giampiero Boniperti
Encyclopedia
Giampiero Boniperti 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, Boniperti was the highest goalscorer in Juventus' history for more than 40 years, until his record was bested by Alessandro Del Piero
(who was himself signed by Boniperti in 1993) on 10 January 2006. Del Piero also broke his appearance record on 14 February 2010 when he played his 445th Serie A game. Notably, Boniperti is the eleventh-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.
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).
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 held the record for most Serie A
appearances at Juventus with 444 games until long-serving player and current Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero
broke it in February 2010 when he started the match against Genoa
.
A short while after his retirement, the Agnelli family offered Boniperti an executive position in the club management, 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
.
His grandson Filippo
has followed in his footsteps and plays for the Juventus Primavera (U-20) team and the Italy U-19 team as a midfielder.
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. Boniperti played for Italy in the 1950
and 1954 FIFA World Cup
finals.
|-
|1946–47
||rowspan="15"|Juventus
||rowspan="15"|Serie A
||6||5||||||||||||
|-
|1947–48
||40||27||||||||||||
|-
|1948–49
||32||15||||||||||||
|-
|1949–50
||35||21||||||||||||
|-
|1950–51
||38||22||||||||||||
|-
|1951–52
||33||19||||||||||||
|-
|1952–53
||29||7||||||||||||
|-
|1953–54
||30||14||||||||||||
|-
|1954–55
||27||9||||||||||||
|-
|1955–56
||31||6||||||||||||
|-
|1956–57
||24||4||||||||||||
|-
|1957–58
||34||8||||||||||||
|-
|1958–59
||26||8||||||||||||
|-
|1959–60
||31||7||||||||||||
|-
|1960–61
||28||6||||||||||||
444||178||||||||||||
444||178||||||||||||
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result
|-
| 1. || 22 May 1949 || Stadio Comunale, Florence
, Italy
|| || 3–1 || Win
|-
| 2. || 25 November 1951 || Cornaredo Stadium
, Lugano
, Switzerland
|| || 1–1 || Draw
|-
| 3. || 24 January 1954 || San Siro
, Milano, Italy
|| || 5–1 || Win
|-
| 4. || 24 January 1954 || San Siro
, Milano, Italy
|| || 5–1 || Win
|-
| 5. || 17 June 1954 || Stade Olympique
, Lausanne
, Switzerland
|| || 1–2 || Win
|-
| 6. || 16 January 1955 || Stadio della Vittoria
, Bari
, Italy
|| || 1–0 || Win
|-
| 7. || 18 November 1955 || Stadio Olimpico
, Rome
, Italy
|| || 2–1 || Win
|-
| 8. || 10 November 1960 || Stadio San Paolo
, Naples
, Italy
|| || 1–2 || Loss
|}
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...
former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
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
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
With 182 goals in all-competitions, Boniperti was the highest goalscorer in Juventus' history for more than 40 years, until his record was bested by Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, of which he is also club captain....
(who was himself signed by Boniperti in 1993) on 10 January 2006. Del Piero also broke his appearance record on 14 February 2010 when he played his 445th Serie A game. Notably, Boniperti is the eleventh-highest goalscorer of all-time in 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 named by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
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.The youngster played his first match for the Old Lady in 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...
on 2 March 1947 against A.C. 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...
, unfortunately for Boniperti it ended in a 2–1 defeat. His first goal for them in the league was three months later, against Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
. Juventus ended the Serie A 1946-47
Serie A 1946-47
-Final classification:-Results:...
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
Valentino Mazzola
Valentino Mazzola was an Italian footballer and captain of the legendary Grande Torino side, killed in the Superga air disaster. He is considered one of the best football players of all time and perhaps the first modern all-around footballer, as he was an attacking midfielder who could score,...
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
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
and 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...
, 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
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
twice (1958–59 and 1959–60).
Retirement
At the time of retirement, Boniperti was Juventus' all-time top goalscorer with 182 in all competitions, this record would stand for over 40 years before Alessandro Del PieroAlessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, of which he is also club captain....
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 held the record for most 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...
appearances at Juventus with 444 games until long-serving player and current Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, of which he is also club captain....
broke it in February 2010 when he started the match against 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...
.
A short while after his retirement, the Agnelli family offered Boniperti an executive position in the club management, 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
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
with Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
.
His grandson Filippo
Filippo Boniperti
Filippo Boniperti is an Italian professional football player currently playing for Juventus F.C.He made his professional debut for Juventus F.C. on December 16, 2010 in a 2010–11 UEFA Europa League game against Manchester City F.C...
has followed in his footsteps and plays for the Juventus Primavera (U-20) team and the Italy U-19 team as a midfielder.
International
After playing only 14 games in the Serie ASerie 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...
league, Boniperti was called up to play for the Italian national football team, for a game against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, 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. Boniperti played for Italy in the 1950
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
and 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
finals.
Career statistics
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"|-
|1946–47
Serie A 1946-47
-Final classification:-Results:...
||rowspan="15"|Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
||rowspan="15"|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...
||6||5||||||||||||
|-
|1947–48
Serie A 1947-48
-Final classification:-Results:...
||40||27||||||||||||
|-
|1948–49
Serie A 1948-49
Torino were declared champions on May 6, 1949, after the Superga tragedy. Their remaining four matches were played by their reserve team.-Final classification:Note: "GD" colomn is a pure wikipedian invention...
||32||15||||||||||||
|-
|1949–50
Serie A 1949-50
-Final classification:-Results:...
||35||21||||||||||||
|-
|1950–51
Serie A 1950-51
-Final classification:-Results:...
||38||22||||||||||||
|-
|1951–52
Serie A 1951-52
-Final classification:-Results:...
||33||19||||||||||||
|-
|1952–53
Serie A 1952-53
-Final classification:-Results:...
||29||7||||||||||||
|-
|1953–54
Serie A 1953-54
-Final classification:-Results:...
||30||14||||||||||||
|-
|1954–55
Serie A 1954-55
-Final classification:-Results:...
||27||9||||||||||||
|-
|1955–56
Serie A 1955-56
-Final classification:-Results:...
||31||6||||||||||||
|-
|1956–57
Serie A 1956-57
This article is about the 1956-57 Serie A season.-Final classification:-Results:...
||24||4||||||||||||
|-
|1957–58
Serie A 1957-58
-Final classification:-Results:...
||34||8||||||||||||
|-
|1958–59
Serie A 1958-59
The 1958/1959 Serie A season was the 29th edition of Serie A, the top-level football competition in Italy. The championship was won by A.C...
||26||8||||||||||||
|-
|1959–60
Serie A 1959-60
-Final classification:-Results:...
||31||7||||||||||||
|-
|1960–61
Serie A 1960-61
-Final classification:-Results:...
||28||6||||||||||||
444||178||||||||||||
444||178||||||||||||
Honours
All with Juventus.- 1949–50 Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
- 1951–52 Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
- 1957–58 Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
- 1958–59 Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
- 1959–60 Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
- 1959–60 Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
- 1960–61 Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
International goals
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: left;"! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result
|-
| 1. || 22 May 1949 || Stadio Comunale, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
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...
|| || 3–1 || Win
|-
| 2. || 25 November 1951 || Cornaredo Stadium
Cornaredo Stadium
Cornaredo Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Lugano, Switzerland. It is used mostly for football matches. It is a home ground of AC Lugano. The stadium is able to hold 15,000 people and was built in 1951. The stadium has 5,000 seats and 10,000 standing places...
, Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
|| || 1–1 || Draw
|-
| 3. || 24 January 1954 || San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
, Milano, Italy
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...
|| || 5–1 || Win
|-
| 4. || 24 January 1954 || San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
, Milano, Italy
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...
|| || 5–1 || Win
|-
| 5. || 17 June 1954 || Stade Olympique
Stade Olympique de la Pontaise
Stade Olympique de la Pontaise is a multi-purpose stadium in Lausanne, Switzerland. The stadium holds 15,850 people and was built in 1904.During the 1954 FIFA World Cup, the stadium hosted five games.It is used mostly for football matches...
, Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
|| || 1–2 || Win
|-
| 6. || 16 January 1955 || Stadio della Vittoria
Stadio della Vittoria
Stadio della Vittoria is a multi-purpose stadium in Bari, Italy. The stadium holds 40,400 people. In 1991, it was used as a refugee camp, for 20,000 Albanians refugees, of the ship Vlora....
, Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy
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...
|| || 1–0 || Win
|-
| 7. || 18 November 1955 || Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
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...
|| || 2–1 || Win
|-
| 8. || 10 November 1960 || Stadio San Paolo
Stadio San Paolo
Stadio San Paolo is a multi-purpose stadium in the western suburb of Fuorigrotta in Naples, Italy, and is the third largest football stadium in Italy after the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico. For the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, it hosted the football preliminaries. It is currently used mostly for...
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
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...
|| || 1–2 || Loss
|}
See also
- One-club man