Giacomo Bulgarelli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giacomo Bulgarelli

Bulgarelli with Bologna
Personal information
Full name	Giacomo Bulgarelli
Date of birth	(1940-10-24)24 October 1940
Place of birth	Portonovo di Medicina, Italy
Date of death	12 February 2009(2009-02-12) (aged 68)
Place of death	Bologna, Italy
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1959–1975	Bologna	391	(43)
1975	Hartford Bicentennials	2	(0)
Total		393	(43)
International career
1962–1968	Italy	29	(7)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy (as player) UEFA European Championship Winner 1968 Italy
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giacomo Bulgarelli (born October 24, 1940 – died February 12, 2009) was a famous Italian footballer. He played as a midfielder. Many people think he was one of Italy's best midfielders ever.

Bulgarelli spent almost his whole career playing for Bologna in Italy. He was also the team's captain. He played more games for Bologna than anyone else. In 1964, he helped Bologna win the Serie A title. After he stopped playing in Italy, he played a short time in America in 1975. Later, in the 1990s, he became a successful football commentator.

Giacomo Bulgarelli also played for the Italian national team. He played in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also played in two FIFA World Cup tournaments. In his first World Cup game in 1962, he scored two goals. This made him Italy's youngest World Cup goalscorer ever. He was also part of the Italian team that won the UEFA Euro 1968 championship.

Club Career

Giacomo Bulgarelli was born in Portonovo di Medicina, near Bologna.

Bulgarelli (kneeling, second from left) with the 1963–64 Bologna team that won the Italian championship.

He played his entire Italian club career for Bologna. He was also the team's captain for many years. He played 391 games in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league. He played for Bologna from 1958 to 1975.

He also played in other important competitions. These included the Coppa Italia, the European Cup, and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In total, he scored 58 goals for Bologna. Forty-three of these goals were in Serie A.

In 1964, he helped Bologna win the Serie A title. They beat Inter Milan 2–0 in a special play-off game. This was the only time in history the league title was decided this way. He also won the Coppa Italia twice with Bologna in the 1970s. He also won the Mitropa Cup and the Anglo-Italian League Cup. He played 488 games for Bologna in all competitions. This makes him the player with the most appearances for the club.

In 1975, he played a short time for the Connecticut Bicentennials in the USA. This was before he stopped playing professional football.

Playing for Italy

Bulgarelli played three games for Italy at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Bulgarelli playing for the Italian national team in 1965.

He played his first game for the Italian national team at the 1962 World Cup. This was on June 7, 1962. He scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Switzerland. Even with these goals, Italy was knocked out in the first round. By scoring, he became Italy's youngest ever goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup. He was 21 years and 226 days old.

He also played all three games for Italy at the 1966 World Cup. In one famous match against North Korea, he was the team's captain. Italy lost this game 1–0 and was eliminated from the World Cup. During the match, Bulgarelli had to leave the field because of a knee injury. At that time, teams could not make substitutions. So, Italy had to play with one less player for the rest of the game.

Bulgarelli was part of the Italian team that won the 1968 UEFA European Championship. This tournament was played in Italy. His experience and leadership were very important for the team's success. Even though he did not play in the final games, he was a key part of the squad. His last game for Italy was in 1967 against Romania. He played 29 games for Italy and scored 7 goals.

How He Played

Bulgarelli was a strong and hard-working midfielder. He was known for being smart about where he stood on the field. He was also very consistent and a great leader. He was good at winning the ball from opponents. After winning the ball, he could pass it well to his teammates.

He had excellent vision and passing skills. This made him great at controlling the game from the midfield. He could also score many goals from his midfield position. Fabio Capello, another famous football figure, said Bulgarelli was Italy's best midfielder ever.

After Football

After he stopped playing professional football, Bulgarelli worked as a sporting director. He also had a very successful career as a football commentator. This was especially true in the 1990s. He worked for big TV channels like RAI and Mediaset. He also wrote for La Gazzetta dello Sport, a sports newspaper.

From 1998 to 2002, he was the Italian commentator for the EA Sports FIFA video game series. He worked with fellow commentator Massimo Caputi.

Giacomo Bulgarelli passed away in Bologna on February 12, 2009. He had been ill for a long time.

Helping Fellow Players

On July 3, 1968, Bulgarelli helped start the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC). This happened in Milan. He started it with other famous footballers like Gianni Rivera and Sandro Mazzola. This association was created to help protect the rights of football players in Italy. Sergio Campana, who was a lawyer and former footballer, became the first president.

Awards and Trophies

Club

Bologna

• Serie A: 1963–64
• Coppa Italia: 1969–70, 1973–74
• Mitropa Cup: 1961
• Anglo-Italian League Cup: 1970

International

Italy

• UEFA European Championship: 1968

Individual

• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2014 (Honored after his death)

See also

In Spanish: Giacomo Bulgarelli para niños