Egidio Turchi
- Dag Jenkins
- Jan 19
- 3 min read
Egidio Turchi was born in Pistoia, on October 4, 1913.
He started playing with his hometown club Pistoiese in 1927. He stayed five seasons, playing 65 league games and scoring 1 goal. The Arancioni were in Prima Divisione (2nd tier) and finished 1st (promoted), 12th (relegated), 5th, 10th and 11th in Serie B.
In 1932 he joined Ambrosiana Inter for a season. He played 13 league games and scored 1 goal (Napoli). He also made his debut in Europe. The Nerazzurri finished 2nd in Serie A under manager Árpad Weisz. They reached the Central European Cup final but lost 3-4 on aggregate to Austria Vienna. His teammates included Lazio connections Giuseppe Viani (1934-38), Virgilio Levratto (934-36) and Luigi Allemandi (1938-39, then manager briefly).
In 1933 he returned to Tuscany and joined Livorno for a year. The Amaranto finished 8th in A under Gyula Lelovics. Turchi played 15 league games and scored 2 goals (Fiorentina, Alessandria).
In 1934 he went back home to Pistoiese for a season. The Olandesina was in Serie B and finished 3rd in girone B under manager István Meszáros. Turchi played 25 league games with 5 goals (Cremonese x2, Aquila, Vicenza, Perugia).
In 1935 he signed for Lazio. The Biancocelesti finished 7th, first under Walter Alt and then József Viola. Turchi played 14 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia.
In 1936 he left Rome and moved back to Ambrosiana Inter. The Nerazzurri came 7th under Armando Castellazzi. Turchi played 8 league games with 1 goal.
In 1937 he changed clubs again, went back to Tuscany and joined Lucchese. He stayed in Lucca two seasons, playing 56 games with 2 goals and 3 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal. The Rossoneri were in Serie A and finished 14th and 16th (relegated). He had various managers; Ernest Erbstein, Antonio Vojak, Umberto Calligaris and Armando Bonino. His teammates included future Lazio defender Italo Romagnoli (1940-43).
In 1939 he joined Napoli. The Partenopei finished 13th in Serie A under Adolfo Baloncieri. Turchi played 10 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia. He played alongside Italo Romagnoli again.
In 1940 he signed for nearby Prato in Serie C. He played 27 league games with 1 goal and the Biancoazzurri won the league and promotion to Serie B under Armando Bonino.
In 1942-43 he played a season for Palermo-Juventina. The Rosanero were in Serie B but had to interrupt their participation after the 28th fixture due to the invasion of Sicily in WW2. Turchi played 21 league games, first under Renato Nigiotti and then Beppe Cutrera.
After the war Turchi restarted his career with Pistoiese again. He stayed from 1945 to 1948, playing 53 league games with 2 goals. The Orange were in Serie C and finished 3rd (promoted), 3rd in group B of Serie B and 14th (relegated). His managers were Renato Nigiotti, Árpád Hajós and Ottorino Dugini.
His last club was BPD Colleferro near Rome in 1948-49. He was player-manager and made 9 league appearances. The Rossoneri were in the 4th tier and finished 14th. He then retired at 35.
He continued coaching with Bondenense (Ferrara) in 1949-50 in Serie C (20th and relegated) and Pistoiese 1950-51 in Serie C (16th and relegated after a playoff). He then retired from football altogether.
Turchi was a midfielder. At 1.82 and 75 kilos he was strong physically and was a classic "mediano" (half-back). He had a good club career playing for big clubs such as Inter, Lazio and Napoli plus the satisfaction of playing for and coaching his hometown team Pistoiese. In Pistoia he has a sports complex named after him.
Turchi died at the young age of 43 in Pistoia, on December 2, 1954.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1935-36 | 17 | 14 | 3 |
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