Quick Facts
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Giovanni Ferrari (6 December 1907 – 2 December 1982) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder and as an inside forward on the left. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, one of Italy's best ever players, and as one of the greatest players of all time, having won the Serie A a record 8 times, as well as two consecutive FIFA World Cup titles (in 1934 and 1938) with the Italy national football team. Along with Giuseppe Meazza and Eraldo Monzeglio, he is one of only three Italian players to have won two World Cups.
A creative, advanced midfield playmaker, Ferrari was a strong, physically fit, hardworking, versatile, and well-rounded footballer, as well as being a generous team player. Due to his technical ability, vision, tactical intelligence, and passing ability, he excelled at building attacking plays and creating chances for team-mates, although he was also capable of scoring himself due to his powerful and accurate shot.
Club career
Ferrari was born in Alessandria, Italy, and began his footballing career with local club Alessandria Calcio in the prima divisione nazionale in 1923, making his debut in the newly established Serie A on 6 October 1929, in a 3–1 home win over Roma. He remained with the club until 1930, aside from a brief loan to Internaples during the 1925–26 season. He was given credit over the seven-year period (1923–1930) with Alessandria Calcio and Internaples to playing in 122 games and for scoring 78 times. The following year Ferrari changed over to Juventus F.C and was handed the number 10 shirt; over that five-year period (1930–1935) he played in 125 games and scored 35 goals, in addition to providing many assists. Although the official number of assists he provided was not recorded, it was said to be extremely high. The next move Ferrari would make would be to Inter in 1935, and subsequently to Bologna for the 1940–41 season, before returning to Juventus once again for the final season of his career, in which he also acted as coach, retiring from football in 1942. After his season spell as a player-manager with Juventus, Ferrari also managed Inter from 1942 to 1943. One of Italy's greatest ever players, he won 5 Championships with Juventus, 2 with Inter and 1 with Bologna; along with Giuseppe Furino and Gianluigi Buffon, he is one of only three players to have won an Italian record of eight Serie A titles (Ciro Ferrara would also have won eight if the 2004–05 title by Juventus had not been revoked due to the club's involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli Italian match-fixing scandal; Virginio Rosetta also won eight national championships, but three of them came before the formation of a professional Serie A). Ferrari is also one of six footballers to have won the Serie A title with three clubs, a feat he managed with Juventus, Inter, and Bologna; the other five players to have managed the same feat are Filippo Cavalli, Aldo Serena, Pietro Fanna, Sergio Gori, and Attilio Lombardo.
International career
With the Italian national team, Ferrari won two consecutive World Cups (in 1934 and 1938) as a player, along with team-mates Giuseppe Meazza and Eraldo Monzeglio, as well as the Central European International Cup, which took place between 1933–1935, alongside Silvio Piola as well. In total he managed 44 appearances and 14 goals with the national side between 1930 and 1938. He later was the head coach of Italy from 1960 to 1961, and was part of the technical commission with Paolo Mazza leading Italy in the 1962 FIFA World Cup.
Personal life
Ferrari died in Milan in 1982, aged 74.
Honours
Club
- Juventus F.C
- Serie A: 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
- Internazionale
- Serie A: 1937–38, 1939–40
- Coppa Italia: 1939
- Bologna F.C.
- Serie A: 1940–41
International
- Italy national football team
- FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1938
- Central European International Cup: 1933–35
Individual
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011 (Posthumous)