Ettore Puricelli

Héctor Puricelli Seña, known as Ettore in Italy, was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on September 15, 1916.

Source Wikipedia

As a boy his club was Liverpool Montevideo and then at 17 he joined  Central Español, still in Montevideo.

In 1938 he came to Europe and joined Bologna in Serie A. He stayed six seasons, playing 145 games and scoring 93 goals. The Rossoblu won the Scudetto twice in this period; in 1938-1939 under Árpád Weisz and then Hermann Felsner and again in 1940-1941 under Felsner. He was top Serie A scorer in 1938-39 (19 goals with Aldo Boffi) and in 1940-41 (22 goals). In his last season the war interrupted regular sporting competitions and Bologna took part in the Campionato Alta-Italia.

In 1944-45 he played for Lecco in various local Lombard matches.

After the war he joined Milan and stayed four seasons. He played 79 league games and scored 40 goals. The Rossoneri finished 3rd (in Divisione Nazionale), then 4th, 2nd and 3rd in Serie A. His managers were Adolfo Baloncieri and then Giuseppe Bigogno for three seasons.

In 1949 Puricelli moved to Legnano in Serie B for two seasons. In the first  "I Lilla" (The lilacs) finished 3rd but in the next came 2nd and were promoted. He played 38 league games and scored 25 goals under manager Ugo Innocenti. In  the 1950-51 promotion season he also had the role of technical director.

He then retired at 35.

He won one Italy cap in a friendly against Switzerland in 1939 and scored a goal in a 3-1 win. He was Uruguayan but was eligible to play for Italy as an "oriundo".

After retiring he went into coaching. He started at Milan in 1954-55, taking over from fixture 20 and winning the Scudetto.  The following year the Rossoneri finished 2nd in Serie A but won the Latin Cup (tournament played by Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish league winners). Milan beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the final. His squad included players such as Lorenzo Buffon, Cesare Maldini, Osvaldo Bagnoli, Nils Liedholm, Juan Alberto Schiaffino, Omar Tognon and Gunnar Nordahl as well as future Lazio Amos Mariani (1959-61).

In 1956-57 he coached Palermo in A but was replaced during the season by Attilio Kossovel and the Sicilians ended up relegated.

In 1959 he left Italy and spent a season with Porto in  Portugal. The Dragões finished 4th.

In 1960 he returned to Italy and started with Salernitana in Serie C but was replaced in December. The Granata eventually finished 9th.

In 1961 he joined Varese in Serie C and stayed four seasons. The "Bosini" finished 5th, 1st (promoted to B), 1st (promoted to A) and 11th in A. A great achievement. His squads included Lazio connections Piero Cucchi (1967-69) and Carlo Soldo (1967-69).

In 1965-66 Puricelli was at Atalanta in A. He only lasted 8 games and was replaced by Stefano Angeleri. The Bianconeri eventually finished 12th. The squad included Englishman Gerry Hitchens (former Cardiff City, Aston Villa, Inter and Torino) and a young Beppe Savoldi.

In 1966 Puricelli joined Alessandria in Serie B. He did not last the season and the Grigi ended up relegated. The squad included future Lazio reserve goalkeeper Avelino Moriggi (1970-71 and 1972-76) and defender Gaetano Legnaro (1970-72).

In 1967-68 he spent a season in Sardinia with Cagliari in Serie A. The Rossoblu finished 9th and already included some players who would win the Scudetto in 1969-70 (such as Mario Martiradonna, Comunardo Niccolai, Mario Brugnera, Pierluigi Cera, Ricciotti Greatti, Nené and Gigi Riva). The squad also included Hitchens again and Roberto Boninsegna (future Inter and Juventus).

In 1968 Puricelli joined Vicenza in A. He stayed three seasons and the Biancorossi finished 12th and 8th twice. His squads included Lazio connections: Mario Maraschi (1961-64), Diego Zanetti (1961-69), Nicola Ciccolo (1965-66), Carlo Facchin (1971-72) and Oscar Damiani (1985-86) plus the great Luigi Menti (313 league games for Vicenza).

In 1971-72 he spent a season with Foggia in Serie B. The Satanelli finished 8th. The squad included former Lazio, Juan Carlos Morrone (1960-64 and 1966-71) and future Lazio, Luciano Re Cecconi (1972-77).

In 1972 he returned to Vicenza and stayed almost three seasons. The Lanerossi were in Serie A and finished 13th and 12th. In the third season he was replaced after fixture 26 by Manlio Scopigno and the Veneti finished 14th and relegated. His teams included Lazio connections Michelangelo Sulfaro (1969-71), Walter Speggiorin (1981-82) and Oscar Damiani again.

In 1975-76 he took over during the season at Brindisi in Serie B but was sacked himself after eight games. The Biancazzurri finished 19th and relegated.

In 1976 he moved up the Apulian coast to Foggia again. The Rossoneri were now in Serie A and he stayed two seasons, finishing 13th and 15th (relegated). His teams included future Lazio derby hero, Aldo Nicoli (1978-81) plus future managers Gigi Delneri (Chievo, Porto, Roma, Juventus amongst others) and Nevio Scala (Parma, Borussia Dortmund, Beşiktaş, Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow).

In 1978-79 he took over during the season at Genoa in Serie B. He did not reach the end and was replaced himself by Gianni Bui and the Grifone finished 12th. The squad included Lazio connections Giorgio Magnocavallo (1985-87), Silvano Martina (1987-89) and Oscar Damiani again. It also featured future city rivals, with Roma, Bruno Conti and Sebastiano Nela.

Puricelli's last club was Foggia again. In 1980 he went back to the "Diavoli del Sud" who were now in Serie B and finished 10th. The following season he was sacked after five games and Foggia ended up 14th. His players included Lazio connections Aldo Nardin (1980-81) Rinaldo Piraccini (1983-84) and future manager Delio Rossi (2005-09 with a Coppa Italia triumph).

That was the end of a long career first as a player and then as a manager.

As a player he was an excellent forward. He was known as "testina d'oro" (golden head) for his heading skills. He scored 206 goals in the top flight and 38 in B. He won the Scudetto twice as top scorer and was considered one of the best strikers in Serie A for a decade.

He also had successes as a manager; a Scudetto with Milan and a Latin Cup plus a double promotion from C to A with Varese plus some good years with Vicenza.

An important name in Italian football for almost half a century.

Héctor Puricelli died in Rome, on May 14, 2001.

Sources

Wikipedia