Roberto Bettega facts for kids
Bettega with Juventus in 1971
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto Bettega | ||
| Date of birth | 27 December 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Turin, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Juventus | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1969–1983 | Juventus | 326 | (129) |
| 1969–1970 | → Varese (loan) | 30 | (13) |
| 1983–1984 | Toronto Blizzard | 48 | (11) |
| Total | 404 | (153) | |
| National team | |||
| 1975–1983 | Italy | 42 | (19) |
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Roberto Bettega (born 27 December 1950) is a famous Italian former footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals.
Bettega is best known for his amazing career at his hometown club, Juventus. He won many titles there. People remember him as one of Italy's greatest players. He was strong, skilled, and very creative. His goal-scoring ability was incredible.
He had two cool nicknames. People called him La penna bianca ("White Feather") because of his look. He was also known as Bobby Gol! because he was so good at scoring.
Roberto also played for the Italian national team. He helped Italy reach fourth place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup and the 1980 European Championships. Sadly, he missed the 1982 World Cup due to an injury. Italy won that tournament.
After his playing career, Bettega worked as a director at Juventus. He helped the club with players and transfers.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Football Journey
Roberto Bettega was born in Turin, Italy. He joined the Juventus youth team in 1961. He started as a midfielder. In 1968–69, he was on the bench for the main team.
At 19, Juventus loaned him to Varese F.C. in Serie B. This is Italy's second-highest league. Under coach Nils Liedholm, Bettega scored 13 goals. He helped Varese win the league and get promoted to Serie A.
Nils Liedholm praised Bettega's skills. He said Roberto was strong and technically gifted. He was great at heading the ball. He could also kick with both feet. Liedholm believed Bettega would become a top player.
Becoming a Professional Star
Bettega returned to Juventus in 1970. He made his Serie A debut on 27 September 1970. He scored the winning goal against Catania. That season, he scored 13 goals in 28 matches. The next season, he scored 10 goals in just 14 games.
In 1972, he scored a goal against Fiorentina. But then he faced a serious lung illness. This kept him off the field for a while. Even so, he helped Juventus win the Serie A title that season. He came back strong on 24 September 1972. He then led the team to their second straight league title.
When Giovanni Trapattoni became coach in 1976, Bettega became the main forward. He played alongside Roberto Boninsegna. Together, they brought Juventus great success. They won two Serie A titles in a row. They also won a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup. Juventus also reached the European Cup final in 1973.
Bettega won another Serie A title in the 1980–81 season. He didn't play much in the 1981–82 season. This was because he hurt his knee in a European Cup match. After getting better, he played his final season with Juventus in 1982–83. He stopped playing in Europe after Juventus lost the 1983 European Cup Final in Athens.
Overall, Bettega played 326 league games for Juventus. He scored 129 league goals. He won seven league titles between 1972 and 1982. He also won the UEFA Cup in 1977 and the Coppa Italia in 1979. He was the top scorer in Serie A in the 1979–80 season. Bettega scored 179 goals for Juventus in 490 matches.
After leaving Europe, Bettega played for two summers. He joined the Toronto Blizzard in the NASL. He helped them finish second twice.
Playing for Italy
Roberto Bettega played 42 times for the Italian national team. He scored 19 goals between 1975 and 1983. His first game for Italy was against Finland in 1975.
He played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He scored two goals there. Italy reached the second round but lost to the Netherlands. This meant they missed the final. Italy finished fourth after losing to Brazil. Bettega was chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
Bettega also helped Italy finish fourth at the 1980 European Championship. This tournament was played in Italy.
He was supposed to play in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. But he got a knee injury in a European Cup match in 1981. He missed the tournament. Italy went on to win the World Cup that year.
How He Played
Bettega was known for being a very smart player. In his best years, he was one of Italy's most feared strikers. He was physically strong and scored many goals.
He was tall, fast, and athletic. Bettega was excellent at heading the ball. He often scored amazing acrobatic goals. This was because of his great jumping, timing, and ability to find chances. He was also a very accurate scorer with both feet. His elegant style, strong headers, and early grey hair earned him the nickname Cabeza Blanca ("white head").
Many people think Bettega is one of the greatest Italian footballers ever. He was a complete team player. He could play as a midfielder or a forward. He had great stamina, vision, and passing skills. His technical abilities were outstanding. People even compared him to Juventus legend John Charles.
Early in his career, he played as a centre-forward. But he could also play in other attacking roles. He played as a left winger. Later, he even played as a supporting striker or an attacking midfielder. This was especially true after he lost some of his speed. Besides his skills, Bettega was known for his strong personality and leadership. His career was affected by injuries, especially later on.
After Playing Football
After retiring, Bettega returned to Juventus. The club's chairman, Umberto Agnelli, asked him to be the vice-chairman. He held this position from 1994 to 2006.
He came back to Juventus again in 2009. This time, he was the vice general manager. But his return was short. He left in 2010 when new leaders took over the club.
Personal Life
Roberto Bettega has a son named Alessandro. Alessandro also started his football career in the Juventus youth system. He was even the captain of their youth team.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Varese | 1969–70 | Serie B | 30 | 13 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 13 | |
| Juventus | 1970–71 | Serie A | 28 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 42 | 21 |
| 1971–72 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 15 | ||
| 1972–73 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 42 | 11 | ||
| 1973–74 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 10 | ||
| 1974–75 | 27 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 47 | 10 | ||
| 1975–76 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 36 | 18 | ||
| 1976–77 | 30 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 46 | 23 | ||
| 1977–78 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 15 | ||
| 1978–79 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 11 | ||
| 1979–80 | 28 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 40 | 17 | ||
| 1980–81 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 11 | ||
| 1981–82 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 8 | ||
| 1982–83 | 27 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 8 | ||
| Total | 326 | 129 | 73 | 22 | 81 | 27 | 480 | 178 | ||
| Toronto Blizzard | 1983 | NASL | 16 | 2 | – | – | 16 | 2 | ||
| 1984 | 23 | 8 | – | – | 23 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 10 | – | – | 39 | 10 | ||||
| Career total | 395 | 152 | 76 | 22 | 81 | 27 | 552 | 201 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1975 | 2 | 0 |
| 1976 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1977 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1978 | 12 | 3 | |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1981 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 19 | |
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5 June 1976 | Milan, Italy |  Romania |
3–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 4–1 | |||||
| 3. | 25 September 1976 | Rome, Italy |  Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 4. | 3–0 | |||||
| 5. | 16 October 1976 | Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg |
2–0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 6. | 4–0 | 4–1 | ||||
| 7. | 17 November 1976 | Rome, Italy |  England |
2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 8. | 22 December 1976 | Lisbon, Portugal |  Portugal |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 9. | 8 June 1977 | Helsinki, Finland |  Finland |
2–0 | 3–0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 15 October 1977 | Turin, Italy | Finland |
1–0 | 6–1 | |
| 11. | 2–0 | |||||
| 12. | 4–0 | |||||
| 13. | 5–0 | |||||
| 14. | 3 December 1977 | Rome, Italy | Luxembourg |
1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 15. | 6 June 1978 | Mar del Plata, Argentina |  Hungary |
2–0 | 3–1 | 1978 FIFA World Cup |
| 16. | 10 June 1978 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Argentina |
1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 17. | 24 February 1979 | Milan, Italy |  Netherlands |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 18. | 11 October 1980 | Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19. | 17 October 1981 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia |
1–1 | 1–1 |
Awards and Trophies
Juventus
- Serie A: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82
- Coppa Italia: 1978–79
- UEFA Cup: 1976–77
- Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up: 1973
- European Cup: Runner-up: 1972–73, 1982–83
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Runner-up: 1970-71
Varese
- Serie B: 1969–70
Italy
- FIFA World Cup: Semi-finals: 1978
- UEFA European Football Championship: Semi-finals: 1980
Individual Awards
- Serie A top scorer: 1979–80
- Serie B top scorer: 1969–70
- FIFA World Cup All-star Team: 1978
See also
In Spanish: Roberto Bettega para niños
