Umberto Caligaris

Umberto Caligaris (Italian pronunciation: [umˈbɛrto kaliˈɡaːris]; 26 July 1901 – 19 October 1940) was an Italian international footballer who played, normally at left-back, for A.S. Casale and Juventus, before ending his career with Brescia. With Juventus he won an Italian record of five consecutive Serie A League titles between 1930 and 1935. He also managed to have a successful career with the Italian national team, notably winning a bronze medal at the 1928 Summer Olympic Games; he was also a member of the Italian side that won the 1934 FIFA World Cup. His 59 caps for Italy stood as a record for many years.[1] Following his retirement he worked as a manager, coaching his former clubs Brescia and Juventus.

Umberto Caligaris

Caligaris with Juventus in the 1930s
Personal information
Date of birth	26 June 1901
Place of birth	Casale Monferrato, Italy
Date of death	19 October 1940 (aged 39)
Place of death	Torino, Italy
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1919–1928	Casale	182	(18)
1928–1935	Juventus	178	(0)
1935–1937	Brescia	40	(0)
Total		400	(18)
National team
1922–1934	Italy	59	(0)
Teams managed
1935–1937	Brescia
1939–1940	Juventus
Honours  Italy Men's Olympic Football 1928 Amsterdam Team competition FIFA World Cup Winner 1934 Italy
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Casale Monferrato (Piedmont), Caligaris spent the first nine years of his career with the local team, A.S. Casale. He made his debut for them on October 12, 1919 in a match against local rivals Valenzana Calcio which Casale won 3–1. Casale was then in the Italian First division (the predecessor to Serie A) and had won the championship in 1914. However they were never to repeat that success and although during Caligaris's career with the club they twice qualified for the inter-regional semi-final of North Italy, they were unable to get further.[2]

The legendary Bianconeri's defensive line in the Interwar period: right-back Rosetta, goalkeeper Combi and left-back Caligaris.

The Italian national team, however, did provide scope for his talents. He received his first cap on 15 January 1922 against a strong Austria side, in Milan; he was selected in place of Virginio Rosetta as right-back flanking the great Genoese left-back Renzo De Vecchi ("Son of God" to the fans), who had been playing for Italy since 1910. From then until De Vecchi's retirement from international football in March 1925, Rosetta and Caligaris were in competition for the right-back position. He played for Italy in the 1924 Olympics, the match against Spain being the first in which he played alongside Rosetta, also winning the Central European International Cup with Italy between 1927 and 1930.[1]

After winning a bronze medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics, Caligaris left Casale to join Rosetta at Juventus, making his Serie A debut with the club on 6 October 1929, in a 3–2 home victory over Napoli. Here the two full-backs, backed by Italian international goalkeeper Gianpiero Combi, formed a formidable defensive combination. Juventus won five scudetti in a row between 1930 and 1935.[1]

Caligaris served as Italy's captain between 1931 and 1934. His final game for Italy, on February 11, 1934 was, like his first, against Austria. (Although a member of the Italian squad, he did not play in any of the 1934 World Cup matches, as Italy went on to win the tournament on home soil.)[3] His record of 59 caps for Italy was only surpassed in 1971 by Giacinto Facchetti.[4]

Caligaris coached Juventus from 1939 until his death. On 19 October 1940 in Turin, Caligaris returned to the field in a match between old Juventus stars, together with his old team mates Gianpiero Combi and Virginio Rosetta, but after a few minutes of play he was forced to leave the field: taken to hospital, he was struck down by an aneurysm.

Legacy

During the 1970s, an annual under-21 football tournament was named in the Italian's honour. The "Caligaris" International Tournament took place in the player's hometown of Casale Monferrato.[5]

Style of play

A highly successful left-back, Caligaris is regarded as one of the best Italian defenders of his generation. A strong, hard-tackling, and tenacious player, he was known for his pace, work-rate, stamina, and his ability in the air, which he combined with an excellent technique.[1]

Honours

Club

Juventus[1][2]

• Serie A: 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35

International

Caligaris with Italian national team

Italy[1][2]

• Central European International Cup: 1927–30
• Olympic Bronze Medal: 1928
• FIFA World Cup: 1934

References

1. Stefano Bedeschi (July 26, 2013). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Umberto CALIGARIS". tuttojuve.com (in Italian). Retrieved April 26, 2015.
2. "Caligaris, Umbero". enciclopediadelcalcio.it (in Italian). Enciclopedia del Calcio. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
3. "Mondiali Calcio 1934, Capitolo VII: Ritratti dei Campioni del Mondo". storiedicalcio.altervista.org (in Italian). Retrieved April 26, 2015.
4. "Nazionale in cifre: Caligaris, Umberto". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
5. "The Forgotten Italian Job of 1974". Blackpool-mad.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2016.

External links

• Umberto Caligaris – International Appearances from RSSSF
  • And the corresponding entries for Rosetta and De Vecchi
• The article on Umberto Caligaris from the Italian Wikipedia.
• DatabaseOlympics.com profile