Gianpiero Combi facts for kids
Combi (left) together with referee Ivan Eklind (m.) and František Plánička (r.) before the 1934 FIFA World Cup Final
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| Date of birth | 20 November 1902 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Turin, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 12 August 1956 (aged 53) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Imperia, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1921–1934 | Juventus | 367 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1924–1934 | Italy | 47 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Gianpiero Combi (born November 20, 1902 – died August 12, 1956) was a famous Italian footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. He spent his whole club career playing for Juventus. With Juventus, he won five Italian League titles.
Combi also played for the Italian national team. He helped them win the 1934 World Cup. He also won two Central European International Cups (in 1930 and 1935). In 1928, he won an Olympic bronze medal. Many people thought Combi was one of the best goalkeepers in the world during the 1930s. He is still seen as one of Italy's greatest goalkeepers ever.
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Playing for Juventus
Combi was born in Turin, Italy, on November 20, 1902. He started playing football in the Juventus youth team. He made his first professional appearance in Italy's top league, Serie A, on February 5, 1922. This match was against Milan.
Combi played his entire club career with Juventus F.C.. He played 351 games in Serie A. He helped Juventus win five league titles. These wins were in 1926, 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934. This period was known as the golden age for the club. They won five championships in a row, which was a record. This amazing achievement was called Il Quinquennio d'Oro (The Golden Quinquennium).
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Combi, along with Virginio Rosetta and Umberto Caligaris, formed a very strong defense. They were known as the Trio Combi-Rosetta-Caligaris. This strong defense helped both Juventus and the Italian national team. Combi played his last Serie A match on April 15, 1934. Juventus won that game 2–1 against Brescia.
In total, Combi played for Juventus for 13 seasons. He played 348 Serie A matches. He also played 16 games in the Central European Cup. This was an international club competition. Juventus reached the semi-finals four times in a row from 1932 to 1935. Combi held the record for most appearances by a goalkeeper for Juventus (370 games) for over 40 years. Later, Dino Zoff, Stefano Tacconi, and Gianluigi Buffon played more games for the club.
Playing for Italy
Combi's first game for the Italian national team was on April 6, 1924. He was 21 years old. The match was in Budapest against Hungary, and Italy lost 7–1.
He returned to play for Italy a year later, on March 22, 1925. This time, Italy played against France in Turin. Italy won that game by a large score of 7–0. After this match, Combi became the main goalkeeper for Italy for the next ten years. It was rare to see another goalkeeper playing for the Italian team.
Olympic Success
In 1928, the Olympic Games were held in Amsterdam. Combi was part of the Italian squad. He played as goalkeeper for the rest of the tournament. Italy played against Spain in the Quarter-finals, drawing 1–1. In the replay, Italy won 7–1. They lost to Uruguay in the semi-finals (3–2). Then, they played for third place against Egypt and won 11–3. On June 10, 1928, in Amsterdam, Italy won their first honor: the Bronze Medal in football at the Olympics.
Central European Cup Wins
More victories followed. Italy won the first Central European International Cup. This competition was a bit like an early version of the European Nations Cup. In these matches, Italy lost to Austria 3–0. But they won all their other games. They beat Switzerland 3–2, Czechoslovakia 4–2, and Hungary on May 11, 1930.
Combi became the captain of the Italian team in his 33rd game. This was on November 15, 1931.
The 1934 World Cup
In early 1934, Gianpiero Combi was 31 years old and thinking about retiring. He was about to win his fifth Italian championship with Juventus F.C.. He had also played over 40 games for the national team. A new young goalkeeper, Carlo Ceresoli, was becoming very good. Ceresoli had helped Italy qualify for the 1934 World Cup, which was being held in Italy.
However, the national coach, Vittorio Pozzo, asked Combi to stay and play in the World Cup. Pozzo felt Combi's experience would be very helpful. A few weeks before the tournament, Ceresoli broke his arm during training. This meant he could not play in the World Cup. So, Combi became Italy's top goalkeeper again. He had the big job of leading Italy in their first World Cup.
Italy's first World Cup match was on May 27, 1934. They played against the United States in Rome. Italy won easily, 7–1. Angelo Schiavio scored three goals, and Raimundo Orsi scored two. Giovanni Ferrari and Meazza also scored.
In the Quarter-finals, Italy played against Spain. Spain had another great goalkeeper, Ricardo Zamora. The game was played on May 31, 1934, in Florence. It was a very tough match, full of speed and strong play. It ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. They had to play a replay game the next day. Italy changed four players, and Spain changed seven. Italy won the replay 1–0 with a goal from Meazza.
Italy's semi-final opponents were the Austrian Wunderteam (meaning "Wonder Team"). This team had beaten Italy 4–2 just four months earlier. The semi-final was played in Milan on June 3. Italy won 1–0 with a goal by Enrico Guaita. Combi made two amazing saves to keep Italy ahead until the end.
The World Cup final was held in Rome on June 10, 1934. Italy played against Czechoslovakia. The first half ended with no goals. But in the 71st minute, Antonin Puč scored for Czechoslovakia. Ten minutes later, Orsi scored for Italy, making it 1–1. The game went into extra time. With huge support from the crowd, Italy won the match with a goal by Schiavio. The Italian team became World Champions!
Gianpiero Combi played 510 minutes in the tournament and only let in three goals. As captain of the team, he received the Jules Rimet trophy from Italy's leader, Benito Mussolini.
After Football
A year after the World Cup, in November 1935, Combi played only five of eight matches in the International Cup. Even without him playing all games, the Italian team won the trophy. He played a total of 47 games for the Italian team, and was captain in five of them.
Even after he stopped playing, Combi loved football. He continued to help Juventus in unofficial roles. He gave advice to the coaches and also worked as a scout, looking for new talent. In 1951, the Italian Football Federation asked him to be a technical commissioner for the Italian national team. He worked with Carlino Beretta and Toni Busini. They led the national team for seven months. During this time, Italy played five games and did not lose any. They won against Portugal and France, and drew against Yugoslavia, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Gianpiero Combi passed away in Imperia, Italy, on August 12, 1956, at the age of 53.
How He Played
Combi was not very tall for a goalkeeper. But he was a very strong and confident player. He was known for his elegance, quickness, and smart decisions. He was great at stopping shots and had excellent technique. Throughout his career, he was known for being very consistent and calm. He was not flashy, but he could make amazing diving saves when needed. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers of all time.
Records and Achievements
- Combi was the first goalkeeper to win four Italian Championships in a row.
- He played the 9th most games for Juventus in the Italian League. He is the goalkeeper with the fourth-most appearances for Juventus (370 games). Only Stefano Tacconi, Dino Zoff, and Gianluigi Buffon have played more.
- Combi held a record for not letting in any goals for 934 minutes during the 1925–26 season. This was a record in Italian football for a long time. Later, Gianluigi Buffon broke it with 974 minutes in the 2015–16 season.
Honours
Juventus
- Serie A: 1925–26, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34
International
- FIFA World Cup: 1934
- Central European International Cup: 1927-30, 1933-35
- Central European International Cup: Runner-up: 1931-32
- Summer Olympics: Bronze 1928
Interesting Facts
- Gianpiero Combi, Dino Zoff (1982), Iker Casillas (2010), and Hugo Lloris (2018) are the only goalkeepers who have won the FIFA World Cup as captain of their national teams.
- Combi and František Plánička were the only two goalkeepers who were also captains in the 1934 World Cup final.
- In Italy, he was known as Uomo di Gomma (the Rubber Man). This was because he was so agile and made saves that looked easy but were very secure.
- For the 1980 European Championship in Italy, there was an idea to rename the main stadium in Turin, the Stadio Comunale. Juventus suggested naming it Stadio Gianpiero Combi. However, the idea was not used, and the stadium kept its original name.
See also
In Spanish: Gianpiero Combi para niños
- One-club man
