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Mario Bertini
Mario Bertini Inter.jpg
Bertini with Inter Milan c. 1970
Personal information
Date of birth (1944-01-07) 7 January 1944 (age 81)
Place of birth Prato, Italy
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1963 Prato 3 (0)
1963–1964 Empoli 31 (7)
1964–1968 Fiorentina 97 (12)
1968–1977 Inter Milan 211 (31)
1977–1978 Rimini 22 (0)
Total 364 (50)
International career
1966–1972 Italy 25 (2)
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Men's Football
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1970 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mario Bertini (born January 7, 1944) is a former Italian professional football player. He played mainly as a midfielder, but also as a defender. Throughout his career, Bertini played for Italian clubs like Empoli, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Prato, and Rimini. He spent nine seasons with Inter Milan, winning the Serie A title in 1971. Bertini also played for the Italy national team 25 times. He scored two goals for his country between 1966 and 1972. He was part of the Italian team that reached the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final.

Club Career Highlights

Mario Bertini played for several Italian teams during his club career. He started with Prato for one season (1962–63). With Prato, he won the Serie C title in 1963.

He then played for Empoli in 1963–64. After that, he joined Fiorentina from 1964 to 1968. With Fiorentina, he won two important trophies in 1966. These were the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) and the Mitropa Cup (a European club competition).

His most famous time was with Inter Milan. He played there for nine seasons, from 1968 to 1977. In 1971, he helped Inter Milan win the Scudetto, which is the Italian league title. He finished his career in 1978. His last season was with Rimini in Serie B, a lower division.

Playing for Italy

Italy Team - Rome, 1969
Bertini (kneeling, second from the right) with the Italy national team in 1969

Bertini played 25 matches for the Italian national team. These matches, called "caps," took place between 1966 and 1972. He was not in the main squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. However, the manager, Edmondo Fabbri, brought him along. This was so Bertini could gain experience with the national team.

He played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Bertini wore the number 10 shirt for Italy. This is often worn by a team's main playmaker. Italy did very well in the tournament, reaching the final. In the final match, Bertini was tasked with marking Pelé. Pelé was a legendary player from Brazil. Brazil eventually won the final 4–1 against Italy.

How Mario Bertini Played

Mario Bertini was known as a quick and strong player. He was a very hard-working defensive midfielder. This means he focused on stopping the other team's attacks. He was great at tackling and had a lot of energy.

He could also play as a defender. This was because of his strong defensive skills. While he mostly won the ball back for his team, he was also good at attacking. He could score goals from midfield with powerful shots from far away. Bertini was also very accurate when taking penalties. He was also good at running forward from midfield into the penalty area to score.

Honours

Fiorentina

Inter Milan

Prato

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mario Bertini para niños

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