Silvio Piola facts for kids
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Piola in 1940
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 September 1913 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Robbio, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 4 October 1996 (aged 83) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Gattinara, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1925–1928 | Veloces 1925 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1928–1929 | Pro Vercelli | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1929–1934 | Pro Vercelli | 127 | (51) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1934–1943 | Lazio | 227 | (143) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1943–1944 | Torino | 23 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1945–1947 | Juventus | 57 | (26) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1947–1954 | Novara | 185 | (86) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 619 | (333) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1933–1935 | Italy B | 6 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1935–1952 | Italy | 34 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1954 | Italy (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1954–1956 | Cagliari | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1957 | Cagliari | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Silvio Piola (born September 29, 1913 – died October 4, 1996) was a famous Italian footballer. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals. Many people think he was one of the best Italian football players ever.
Piola set many records in Italian football. He helped the Italian national team win the 1938 FIFA World Cup and the 1933–35 Central European International Cup. In the 1938 World Cup final, he scored two goals.
He is the highest goalscorer in the history of Italy's top league, Serie A, with 274 goals. He also scored 16 goals in the older Divisione Nazionale, making his total 290 goals in Italy's first league. Piola is the only player to be the top scorer for three different teams in Serie A: Pro Vercelli, Lazio, and Novara. He played 566 games in Serie A, which is one of the most appearances ever.
After he passed away, two football stadiums were named after him. One is in Novara and the other is in Vercelli. In 2011, he was added to the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Silvio Piola's Club Career
Starting at Pro Vercelli
Silvio Piola started his football journey with Pro Vercelli. He played his first game in Serie A on February 16, 1930, when he was just 17 years old. In his first year, he scored 13 goals.
On October 29, 1933, Piola scored an amazing six goals in one game against Fiorentina. This is still one of the most goals ever scored by a single player in a Serie A match. He scored 51 goals in 127 games for Pro Vercelli.
Playing for Lazio
In 1934, Piola moved to Lazio. He played there for nine seasons. While at Lazio, he was the top goalscorer in Serie A twice, in 1937 and 1943.
For a long time, Piola was Lazio's all-time leading goalscorer with 149 goals. Another player, Ciro Immobile, finally broke his record in 2021.
Later Clubs: Torino, Juventus, and Novara
During World War II, in 1944, Piola played for Torino. He scored 27 goals in just 23 games, which was incredible. After the war, from 1945 to 1947, he played for Juventus.
Then, Piola returned to Novara and played there for seven more seasons. When he was 39 years old, he scored two goals in a Serie A game against Lazio. This made him the oldest player to score two goals in a single league match.
Piola's International Career with Italy
First Games and World Cup Win
Silvio Piola played his first game for the Italian national team on March 24, 1935, against Austria. In that game, he scored two goals, helping Italy win 2-0.
He was a key player when Italy won the 1938 FIFA World Cup. In the final match against Hungary, Piola scored two goals, and Italy won 4-2. He was the second-highest scorer in the tournament and was named the second-best player.
Goals for Italy
Piola played 34 games for Italy and scored 30 goals between 1935 and 1952. He would have likely scored even more goals if World War II had not interrupted his career. He was the captain of the national team from 1940 to 1947.
In 1939, he famously scored a goal with his hand against England. This happened 47 years before Diego Maradona scored his "Hand of God" goal. Piola's last international game was in 1952. He is currently Italy's third-highest goalscorer of all time.
How Silvio Piola Played Football
Piola was known for being a great goalscorer. He was a very modern player for his time. He used his strength and smarts to play with his back to the goal, helping his teammates. He also had good vision and worked hard.
He could play in different positions, including on the wing or in midfield. But he was best as a centre-forward. He was fast and always knew where to be to score goals.
Piola was great at shooting with both feet and with his head. He could score from anywhere on the field. He was also very agile and could score amazing bicycle kicks. Unlike some other players, he was not flashy but focused on scoring goals efficiently. He also played football for a very long time, showing great dedication.
Honours and Achievements
Club Honours
- Lazio
- Serie A: Runner-up in 1936–37
- Juventus
- Serie A: Runner-up in 1945–46, 1946–47
- Novara
- Serie B: Won in 1947–48
International Honours
- Italy
- FIFA World Cup: Won in 1938
- Central European International Cup: Won in 1933–35
Individual Awards
- Serie A top goalscorer: 1936–37, 1942–43
- Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011 (after his death)
- Inducted into the Walk of Fame of Italian sport: 2015
Images for kids
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Piola in 1940
See also
In Spanish: Silvio Piola para niños
