Giampiero Combi
Encyclopedia
Gianpiero Combi was one of Italian
football
's greatest goalkeepers of all-time. He spent his entire career at Juventus FC
and won the 1934 World Cup
with the Italian national team
. He was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world during the 1930s alongside Ricardo Zamora
and František Plánička
.
on 20 November 1902 and played for Juventus' youth side
, he debuted in the Italian Serie A
on February 5, 1922 in a match against Milan
. Combi played for Juventus FC
his entire career, he played 351 games in Serie A, winning five titles - in 1926
(having conceded only 18 goals during the season ), 1931
, 1932, 1933
and 1934
as part of the first golden age
of the club with a record of five championship victories
in a row, a feat known as Il Quinquennio d'Oro (The Golden Quinquennium ).
Along with Virginio Rosetta
and Umberto Caligaris
, Combi formed a formidable defensive wall (known in Italy
as the Trio Combi-Rosetta-Caligaris ) for both Juventus and the Italian national team. He played his last match in Serie A on April 15, 1934, in a 2-1 win over Brescia
. In total Combi played for 13 seasons with Juventus, totaling 348 Serie A
matches and another 16 games in the Central European Cup
, an international competition for clubs where Juventus played four consecutive semi-finals from 1932 to 1935 to claim the record for most appearances by a goalkeeper for the club, a record he held for more than 40 years until Dino Zoff
in the 1970s (476 matches) and Stefano Tacconi
in the 1980s (377 matches).
was in Budapest
, at the age of 21, on April 6, 1924 in a 7-1 loss against Hungary. He returned in Azzurro a year and seven games later when the Technical Commission, made up of Rangone, Giuseppe Milano and Baccani selected him to play against France in Turin
on the 22 March 1925. This match was played in Corso Marsiglia Stadium and this time the large score was in favor of the Azzurri, a victory of 7-0. After this match Combi never looked back and for the next ten years it was extremely rare to see another goalkeeper defending the Italian posts.
The 1928 Olympic Games
were held in Amsterdam
and this time Combi formed part of the squad and defended the Italian squad for the rest of the tournament: Quarter Final against Spain 1-1 after extra time, Quarter Final Replay against Spain 7-1, Semi Final against Uruguay
2-3 and 3rd Place Final against Egypt 11-3. With this result on June 10, 1928 in the Olympisch Stadion of Amsterdam
, the Azzurri won their first honour: the Bronze Medal of the 9th edition of the Olympic games
.
Other triumphs followed, the next being the winning of the inaugural Central European International Cup, a predecessor cup of the European Nations Cup
held between the National teams of Central Europe
. In these matches Italy lost against Matěj Šindelář
's Austria 0-3 in Vienna
but won all the others, against Switzerland 3-2 in Zurich
, against Czechoslovakia
4-2 in Bologna
and the last match against Hungary on 11 May 1930.
Combi made his debut as the Italian captain in his 33rd game on November 15, 1931.
(a record fourth in a row) with Juventus
and he had played more than 40 games for the national team. A new promising young goalkeeper was emerging : Carlo Ceresoli
, who played for Inter
. On his debut Ceresoli had helped the national team to qualify for the 1934 World Cup which was held in Italy that summer, by eliminating Greece in Milano by a 4-0 win. But the National Coach Vittorio Pozzo
included Combi in the Italian squad -he was also one of the Nazio-Juve members- and was asked by Pozzo to postpone his retirement until the end of the tournament as his experience might be a great help. During a training session a few weeks before the beginning of the tournament, a shot by Pietro Arcari broke one of Ceresoli's forearms. This forced him to miss the World Cup and Combi again found himself the top goalkeeper in Italy
, with the responsibility of leading the Azzurri to their debut in football's premier competition.
The first match was on May 27, 1934 when Italy played the first round of the World Cup in the Stadio Nazionale
of the P.N.F
. in Rome
against the United States
. The Azzurri beat their opponents 7-1, a victory provided by a hat trick from Angelo Schiavio
, a double from Raimundo Orsi
and a goal each from Giovanni Ferrari
and Meazza. In the Quarter finals the Italians met Spain, who were led by another great goalkeeper of the time
, Ricardo Zamora
. The game was played on May 31, 1934 in the Stadio Comunale "Giovanni Berta"
of Florence
. The game against the Spanish team was a very difficult one, dominated by the speed and force used by both teams and finished in a 1-1 draw after extra time. A replay had to be played the next day, in which Italy changed four players and Spain seven. Italy won 1-0 with a goal by Meazza.
Their semi-final opponents were the Austrian Wunderteam
, the squad who had beaten the Italians 4-2 in Turin
four months earlier. The match was played in Milano's Stadio Calcistico San Siro on 3 June and the Azzurri won 1-0 with a goal by Enrico Guaita. Combi was also decisive when he made two miraculous saves to keep the score in favor of Italy until the end. The final was held in Rome
on June 10, 1934 against Czechoslovakia
. The first half finished without a goal but in the 71st minute, against all odds, Antonin Puč
managed to beat the Italian goalkeeper. Ten minutes later Orsi equalized and the game went to extra-time. With the help of a noisy support, so great that the rival coach Pozzo
had to continually run along the pitch so that the players could hear his instructions, Italy won the match through a goal by Schiavio and the Italian team were crowned World Champions. Gianpiero Combi, who played 510 minutes and conceded three goals as captain of the squad, received the Jules Rimet trophy from the Italian Dictator
Benito Mussolini
.
Although he had stopped playing football, his passion for the sport remained all his life and he still held a number of unofficial positions with Juventus. He offered advice to the technical staff and also served as a scout. In 1951 the Italian Football Federation offered him the job of technical commissioner for the Italian national team with Carlino Beretta and Toni Busini. They led the National Team for seven months, from 8 April to 25 November 1951 in which time the Italian squad played 5 games without any losses. They won 4-1 against Portugal
and France, and drew against Yugoslavia
(0-0), Sweden
(1-1) and Switzerland (1-1) - the only competitive game of the five.
He died in Imperia
in August 1956, aged 54.
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...
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...
's greatest goalkeepers of all-time. He spent his entire career at Juventus FC
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...
and won the 1934 World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
with 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...
. He was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world during the 1930s alongside Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora
Ricard Zamora i Martínez was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catalan XI and Spain...
and František Plánička
František Plánicka
František Plánička was a Czech football goalkeeper and one of the most honoured players in the history of Czechoslovakian football. He played the majority of his career for Slavia Prague, during which time the club won the Czech league eight times and the Mitropa Cup once...
.
Club career
Born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
on 20 November 1902 and played for Juventus' youth side
Juventus F.C. Youth Sector
Juventus F.C. Youth Sector is youth set-up of Juventus Football Club. The Youth Sector is made up of various squads divided by age groups...
, he debuted in the Italian 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 February 5, 1922 in a match against 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...
. Combi played for Juventus FC
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...
his entire career, he played 351 games in Serie A, winning five titles - in 1926
Italian Football Championship 1925-26
The winner was Juventus F.C..-Pre-League qualifications:A.C. Legnano, A.C. Mantova, U.S. Novese and F.C. Como were enlisted to participate in the qualification round, but Novese and Como retired, letting Legnano and Mantova to maintain their places in the Italian First...
(having conceded only 18 goals during the season ), 1931
Serie A 1930-31
Serie A 1930—31 was won by Juventus.-Final classification:-Results:...
, 1932, 1933
Serie A 1932-33
-Final classification:-Results:...
and 1934
Serie A 1933-34
-Final classification:-Results:...
as part of the first golden age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
of the club with a record of five championship victories
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 a row, a feat known as Il Quinquennio d'Oro (The Golden Quinquennium ).
Along with Virginio Rosetta
Virginio Rosetta
Virginio "Viri" Rosetta was an Italian football player. He was also a precision passer.Rosetta was born in Vercelli, Piedmont, where he debuted for Pro Vercelli in the Italian First Division in the 1919-20 season, as a striker...
and Umberto Caligaris
Umberto Caligaris
Umberto Caligaris was an Italian international footballer who played, normally at left back, for A.S. Casale and Juventus. His 59 caps for the Italian national team stood as a record for many years....
, Combi formed a formidable defensive wall (known in 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...
as the Trio Combi-Rosetta-Caligaris ) for both Juventus and the Italian national team. He played his last match in Serie A on April 15, 1934, in a 2-1 win over Brescia
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
. In total Combi played for 13 seasons with Juventus, totaling 348 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...
matches and another 16 games in the Central European Cup
Mitropa Cup
The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale was one of the first really international major European football cups for club sides...
, an international competition for clubs where Juventus played four consecutive semi-finals from 1932 to 1935 to claim the record for most appearances by a goalkeeper for the club, a record he held for more than 40 years until Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
in the 1970s (476 matches) and Stefano Tacconi
Stefano Tacconi
Stefano Tacconi is an Italian association football player. He is the only goalkeeper to have won all international club competitions.-Career:Tacconi got his first significant experience at Spoleto football club...
in the 1980s (377 matches).
The Italian national team
Combi's first match for the Italian national teamItaly 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...
was in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, at the age of 21, on April 6, 1924 in a 7-1 loss against Hungary. He returned in Azzurro a year and seven games later when the Technical Commission, made up of Rangone, Giuseppe Milano and Baccani selected him to play against France in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
on the 22 March 1925. This match was played in Corso Marsiglia Stadium and this time the large score was in favor of the Azzurri, a victory of 7-0. After this match Combi never looked back and for the next ten years it was extremely rare to see another goalkeeper defending the Italian posts.
The 1928 Olympic Games
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
were held in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and this time Combi formed part of the squad and defended the Italian squad for the rest of the tournament: Quarter Final against Spain 1-1 after extra time, Quarter Final Replay against Spain 7-1, Semi Final against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
2-3 and 3rd Place Final against Egypt 11-3. With this result on June 10, 1928 in the Olympisch Stadion of Amsterdam
Olympisch Stadion (Amsterdam)
The Olympisch Stadion is a stadium built as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. When completed, the stadium had a capacity of 31,600. Following the completion of the rival De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam in 1937, the Amsterdam authorities decided to increase the capacity of the...
, the Azzurri won their first honour: the Bronze Medal of the 9th edition of the Olympic games
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
.
Other triumphs followed, the next being the winning of the inaugural Central European International Cup, a predecessor cup of the European Nations Cup
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
held between the National teams of Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. In these matches Italy lost against Matěj Šindelář
Matthias Sindelar
Matthias Sindelar was an Austrian footballer.He played centre-forward for the celebrated Austria national team of the early 1930s known as the Wunderteam, which he captained at the 1934 World Cup....
's Austria 0-3 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
but won all the others, against Switzerland 3-2 in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
4-2 in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and the last match against Hungary on 11 May 1930.
Combi made his debut as the Italian captain in his 33rd game on November 15, 1931.
The 1934 World Cup
Around the beginning of 1934, 31-year-old Gianpiero Combi was preparing to retire from football. In this season he was on the way to winning his fifth Italian championshipSerie A 1933-34
-Final classification:-Results:...
(a record fourth in a row) with 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...
and he had played more than 40 games for the national team. A new promising young goalkeeper was emerging : Carlo Ceresoli
Carlo Ceresoli
Carlo Ceresoli was an Italian football goalkeeper. Born in Bergamo, he played in the Serie B with Atalanta, and in the Serie A with Inter Milan, Bologna, Genoa and Juventus....
, who played for Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. On his debut Ceresoli had helped the national team to qualify for the 1934 World Cup which was held in Italy that summer, by eliminating Greece in Milano by a 4-0 win. But the National Coach Vittorio Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo 21 December 1968) was an Italian football coach who was most famous for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and 1938 FIFA World Cups; managed the side that won the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup, as well as the...
included Combi in the Italian squad -he was also one of the Nazio-Juve members- and was asked by Pozzo to postpone his retirement until the end of the tournament as his experience might be a great help. During a training session a few weeks before the beginning of the tournament, a shot by Pietro Arcari broke one of Ceresoli's forearms. This forced him to miss the World Cup and Combi again found himself the top goalkeeper in 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...
, with the responsibility of leading the Azzurri to their debut in football's premier competition.
The first match was on May 27, 1934 when Italy played the first round of the World Cup in the Stadio Nazionale
Stadio Nazionale PNF
The Stadio Nazionale del PNF was a multi-purpose stadium in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1927 and held 50,000 people. It hosted three of the 17 matches of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, including the final between hosts Italy and Czechoslovakia on 10 June 1934.Clubs S.S. Lazio and A.S...
of the P.N.F
National Fascist Party
The National Fascist Party was an Italian political party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of fascism...
. in 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...
against the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. The Azzurri beat their opponents 7-1, a victory provided by a hat trick from Angelo Schiavio
Angelo Schiavio
Angelo Schiavio was an Italian football player. Schiavio spent his entire career with Bologna FC, the club of the city where he was born and died...
, a double from Raimundo Orsi
Raimundo Orsi
Raimundo Bibiani "Mumo" Orsi was an Italian Argentine footballer who won the 1934 FIFA World Cup with Italy and the silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-Club:...
and a goal each from Giovanni Ferrari
Giovanni Ferrari
Giovanni Ferrari was an Italian football player. He played 125 times for Juventus F.C and scored 35 goals for the club...
and Meazza. In the Quarter finals the Italians met Spain, who were led by another great goalkeeper of the time
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora
Ricard Zamora i Martínez was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catalan XI and Spain...
. The game was played on May 31, 1934 in the Stadio Comunale "Giovanni Berta"
Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence)
Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football stadium in Florence, Italy. It is currently the home of ACF Fiorentina. The stadium was temporarily noticed as the host of Italy's Six Nations matches from 2012. The old nickname of the stadium was "Comunale."...
of 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....
. The game against the Spanish team was a very difficult one, dominated by the speed and force used by both teams and finished in a 1-1 draw after extra time. A replay had to be played the next day, in which Italy changed four players and Spain seven. Italy won 1-0 with a goal by Meazza.
Their semi-final opponents were the Austrian Wunderteam
Wunderteam
Wunderteam was the name given to the Austria national football team of the 1930s. Led by manager Hugo Meisl, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team was based on the Scottish school of football that focused on quick passing introduced...
, the squad who had beaten the Italians 4-2 in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
four months earlier. The match was played in Milano's Stadio Calcistico San Siro on 3 June and the Azzurri won 1-0 with a goal by Enrico Guaita. Combi was also decisive when he made two miraculous saves to keep the score in favor of Italy until the end. The final was held in 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...
on June 10, 1934 against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
. The first half finished without a goal but in the 71st minute, against all odds, Antonin Puč
Antonín Puc
Antonín Puč was a former Czech football player, the all-time leading scorer for the Czechoslovak national team....
managed to beat the Italian goalkeeper. Ten minutes later Orsi equalized and the game went to extra-time. With the help of a noisy support, so great that the rival coach Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo 21 December 1968) was an Italian football coach who was most famous for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and 1938 FIFA World Cups; managed the side that won the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup, as well as the...
had to continually run along the pitch so that the players could hear his instructions, Italy won the match through a goal by Schiavio and the Italian team were crowned World Champions. Gianpiero Combi, who played 510 minutes and conceded three goals as captain of the squad, received the Jules Rimet trophy from the Italian Dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
End of career and retirement
A year later, in November 1935, Combi played only five of the eight matches in the International Cup and in his absence the Italian team won the trophy. He totalled 47 caps for the Italian team, 5 of which were as captain.Although he had stopped playing football, his passion for the sport remained all his life and he still held a number of unofficial positions with Juventus. He offered advice to the technical staff and also served as a scout. In 1951 the Italian Football Federation offered him the job of technical commissioner for the Italian national team with Carlino Beretta and Toni Busini. They led the National Team for seven months, from 8 April to 25 November 1951 in which time the Italian squad played 5 games without any losses. They won 4-1 against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and France, and drew against Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
(0-0), Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
(1-1) and Switzerland (1-1) - the only competitive game of the five.
He died in Imperia
Imperia
Imperia may be:* Imperia , an Italian city* Province of Imperia, the Italian province of the above city of Imperia* IMPERIA, a vodka produced by Russian Standard* Imperia , a statue in Constance, Germany...
in August 1956, aged 54.
Records
- First Goalkeeper to win four Italian ChampionshipsSerie 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...
in a row. - He played the 3rd most games for JuventusJuventus 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...
. - Combi kept a clean sheet for 934 consecutive minutes in 1925-26 seasonItalian Football Championship 1925-26The winner was Juventus F.C..-Pre-League qualifications:A.C. Legnano, A.C. Mantova, U.S. Novese and F.C. Como were enlisted to participate in the qualification round, but Novese and Como retired, letting Legnano and Mantova to maintain their places in the Italian First...
, a record in Italian Football.
Club
- 1925-26 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...
(Juventus) - 1930-31 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...
(Juventus) - 1931-32 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...
(Juventus) - 1932-33 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...
(Juventus) - 1933-34 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...
(Juventus)
International
- 1930 Central European International Cup (Italy)
- 1935 Central European International Cup (Italy)
- 1934 FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(Italy)
Curiosities
- Gianpiero Combi, Iker CasillasÍker CasillasIker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
(20102010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
) and Dino ZoffDino ZoffDino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
(19821982 FIFA World CupThe 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
), are the only goalkeepersGoalkeeper (football)In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
to have won the FIFA World Cup as captain of their national teams. - Combi, alongside František PláničkaFrantišek PlánickaFrantišek Plánička was a Czech football goalkeeper and one of the most honoured players in the history of Czechoslovakian football. He played the majority of his career for Slavia Prague, during which time the club won the Czech league eight times and the Mitropa Cup once...
, was one of the only two goalkeepers-captains at the same World Cup final. - He was also known in ItalyItalyItaly , 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...
as Uomo di Gomma (the Rubber Man) due to his agility and his carefree but secure saves. - At the Eurocup in ItalyItalyItaly , 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...
in 1980, the idea to change the name of the major stadium in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Stadio ComunaleStadio ComunaleStadio Comunale is Italian for "municipal stadium", and may refer to a main stadium in many towns in Italy and Italian Switzerland. In particular:Italy*Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L'Aquila*Stadio Città di Arezzo, Arezzo*Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna...
, was being considered by the Comune. Juventus proposed the name Stadio Gianpiero Combi, but the idea was finally abandoned and this stadium remained with its old name.