Enrico Albertosi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Enrico Albertosi

Albertosi with Cagliari in 1973
Personal information
Full name	Enrico Albertosi
Date of birth	(1939-11-02) 2 November 1939 (age 85)
Place of birth	Pontremoli, Italy
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1957–1958	Spezia Calcio 1906
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1958–1968	Fiorentina	185	(0)
1968–1974	Cagliari	177	(0)
1974–1980	Milan	170	(0)
1982–1984	Elpidiense	44	(0)
Total		576	(0)
National team
1961–1974	Italy	34	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Italy (as player) UEFA European Championship Winner 1968 Italy FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1970 Mexico
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Enrico "Ricky" Albertosi (born 2 November 1939) is a famous Italian former goalkeeper. Many people think he is one of Italy's best goalkeepers ever. He had a very successful career playing for several top clubs.

Albertosi won important titles with Fiorentina, Cagliari, and Milan. He also played for the Italian national team. He was part of the Italian teams that played in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. In 1970, Italy reached the final match. He was also in the Italian squad that won the 1968 European Championship.

Club Career Highlights

Enrico Albertosi was born in Pontremoli, Italy. He started playing football in the youth academy of Spezia. When he was just 18 years old, he made his first professional appearance. This was for Fiorentina on 18 January 1959. His first game was a 0-0 draw against A.S. Roma.

Playing for Fiorentina

Albertosi played for Fiorentina until 1968. Even though there was strong competition from another great goalkeeper, Giuliano Sarti, Albertosi became a key player. During his time with Fiorentina, he helped the team win several trophies:

• The Mitropa Cup in 1966.
• The European Cup Winners' Cup in 1961. This was the very first time this competition was held!
• Two Coppa Italia trophies in 1961 and 1966.

Success with Cagliari

After Fiorentina, Albertosi moved to Cagliari Calcio. This team included the legendary player Luigi Riva. Albertosi played a big part in Cagliari's historic win. They won their first and only Scudetto (the Italian league championship) in the 1969–70 season. This was his second season with the club. During that season, Cagliari let in the fewest goals in the league. This was a record for a 16-team Serie A season at the time.

Time at A.C. Milan

In 1974, Albertosi joined A.C. Milan. He stayed there for six years. With Milan, he won another Serie A championship in the 1978–79 season. He also won another Coppa Italia in the 1976–77 season. Albertosi played 233 games for Milan. This makes him the fifth-most capped goalkeeper in Milan's history. Only Christian Abbiati, Sebastiano Rossi, Dida, and Lorenzo Buffon have played more games as a Milan goalkeeper.

Albertosi (number 1) playing for A.C. Milan at the San Siro stadium in the 1974–75 season.

Albertosi finished his long career in 1984. He played his last two seasons with Elpidiense in Serie C2. He was 44 years old when he retired. He played in 532 Serie A matches in total. This makes him one of the top 10 players with the most appearances in Serie A history.

Playing for Italy

Enrico Albertosi first played for the Italian national team on 15 September 1961. It was a friendly game against Argentina in Florence. Italy won 4-1. His last game for Italy was in June 1972. It was a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in Sofia.

World Cup Appearances

Albertosi became a regular player for Italy under manager Edmondo Fabbri. He played in his first World Cup in England in 1966. Italy was surprisingly knocked out in the first round.

In the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Albertosi was Italy's main goalkeeper. He played very well for Cagliari that season. He started in all of Italy's matches. He was part of the famous "Game of the Century". This was when Italy played West Germany in the semi-final. Even though he let in three goals, Albertosi made many amazing saves. He is also remembered for talking to Gianni Rivera during the match. Rivera made a mistake that led to Germany's equalizing goal. But Rivera quickly made up for it by scoring the winning goal a minute later. Albertosi then played in the 1970 World Cup Final. Italy finished as runners-up after losing 4-1 to Brazil.

Albertosi (standing, second from left) with the Italian national team in 1969.

Albertosi was also part of the Italian squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile. He was a backup goalkeeper then. He was also a backup at the 1974 World Cup. He often competed with Dino Zoff for the starting goalkeeper spot. Albertosi was also a backup goalkeeper when Italy won the 1968 European Championship at home. In total, he played 34 games for the national team between 1961 and 1972.

Playing Style

Albertosi was a strong, energetic, and sometimes unpredictable goalkeeper. He was known for his quick reactions, speed, and amazing acrobatic saves. Many people consider him one of Italy's best and most exciting goalkeepers ever. He was a very talented player who could make incredible saves. Sometimes, he was criticized for not always being serious enough. But overall, he was a very consistent and effective goalkeeper.

Honours

Club

Fiorentina

• Coppa Italia: 1960–61, 1965–66
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1960–61
• Mitropa Cup: 1966

Cagliari

• Serie A: 1969–70

Milan

• Serie A: 1978–79
• Coppa Italia: 1976–77

International

Italy

• FIFA World Cup: Runner-up: 1970
• UEFA European Football Championship: 1968

Individual

• Fiorentina Hall of Fame: 2018

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