Valerio Bacigalupo Explained

Valerio Bacigalupo
Fullname:Valerio Bacigalupo
Birth Date:12 February 1924[1]
Birth Place:Vado Ligure, Italy
Death Place:Superga, Italy
Height:1.76 m
Position:Goalkeeper
Years1:1942–1943
Years2:1944
Years3:1945–1949
Clubs3:Torino
Caps1:20
Caps2:20
Caps3:137
Goals1:0
Goals2:0
Goals3:0
Totalcaps:177
Totalgoals:0
Nationalyears1:1947–1949
Nationalteam1:Italy
Nationalcaps1:5
Nationalgoals1:0

Valerio Bacigalupo (pronounced as /it/; 12 February 1924 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Born in Vado Ligure, he began his career with Savona. After a brief spell at Genoa, he moved to Torino in 1945, where he won four Serie A titles. He also represented the Italy national team.

Club career

Bacigalupo started his club career with his home province side Savona. After a brief spell at Genoa he moved to Torino where he won Serie A four consecutive seasons.[2] [3]

International career

Bacigalupo was called up in the Italy national football team five times between 1947 and 1949, making his senior international debut in a 3–1 win over Czechoslovakia on 14 December 1947.[4]

Style of play

Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Bacigalupo was a modern and world-class goalkeeper, who revolutionised his position in Italy. A precocious talent, he was known for his strong physique, reactions and excellent positional sense, as well as his athletic diving saves. In addition to being an outstanding shot-stopper, he was also a dominant goalkeeper, known for his ability to come off his line to collect crosses.

Personal life

Valerio Bacigalupo's older brother, Manlio Bacigalupo, also played professional football before the Second World War, also serving as a goalkeeper for Genoa and Torino. Valerio died in the Superga air disaster with most of the Grande Torino team, which also formed a large part in the Italy national team at the time, which was scheduled to take part at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.[5]

Legacy

After his death, the club where he started his career, Savona, named its ground Stadio Valerio Bacigalupo in his honour.

Honours

Torino

Individual

2014[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Valerio Bacigalupo . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130818211142/http://www.enciclopediadelcalcio.it/Bacigalupo.html . 18 August 2013 . 1 September 2016 . Enciclopediadelcalcio.it . it.
  2. Web site: Superga tragedy strikes Il Grande Torino. https://web.archive.org/web/20140505072703/http://www.fifa.com//classicfootball/history/news/newsid=2332739/index.html. dead. 5 May 2014. FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 March 2015.
  3. Web site: La Storia del Torino Fc. torinofc.it. Torino Football Club. it. 19 March 2015.
  4. Web site: Bacigalupo, Valerio. FIGC. it. 1 September 2016. 14 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131014120756/http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=96&squadra=1. dead.
  5. News: The day the dream team of Italian football died. https://web.archive.org/web/20150329131617/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18588045.html. dead. 29 March 2015. Pia. Simon. 2 May 1999. Scotland on Sunday. 30 November 2012.
  6. Web site: 20 November 2014 . Nasce la Hall of Fame del Toro: il 3 dicembre la cerimonia per i primi 5 granata indimenticabili . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919194613/https://www.quotidianopiemontese.it/2014/11/20/nasce-hall-of-fame-toro-3-dicembre-cerimonia-per-i-primi-5-granata-indimenticabili/ . 19 September 2020 . 19 February 2021 . Quotidiano Piemontese . it-IT.