Franco Causio

Franco Causio was born in Lecce, on February 1, 1949.

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He started his professional career with his hometown club in Salento, Lecce. The Giallorossi were in Serie C and he played 3 league games in 1964-65 under Ambrogio Alfonso. The "Lupi" (Wolves) finished 12th.

The following year he joined Sambenedettese in the same league. He played slightly more, 13 league games, under Alberto Riliani and the Rossoblu finished 3rd.

In 1966, at 17, he signed for Juventus but in two seasons only played one league game, under Heriberto Herrera. The Bianconeri won the Scudetto in 1967 and reached the European semi-final in 1968 (Benfica 0-3 with two Eusebio goals).

In 1968 Causio was sent to Reggina in Serie B on loan. He played 30 league games and scored 5 goals. The manager was Armando Segato and the Amaranto finished 5th.

In 1969 he joined Palermo on loan in Serie A. In Sicily he played 22 league games with 3 goals (Inter, Verona, Roma) and 3 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Catania). The Rosanero finished 15th under Carmelo Di Bella. His teammates included future Lazio manager Edy Reja (2010-12, 2014) and legendary former Lazio goalkeeper Idilio Cei (1958-68).

In 1970 he returned to Juventus and this time stayed. He played eleven seasons for the Bianconeri. It was a successful period with 6 league titles (1972, '73, '75, '77, '78, '81), a Coppa Italia (1979) and a UEFA Cup (1977) Juventus also reached the European Cup final in 1973 but lost 0-1 to Ajax. He played 452 total games (305 in A) with 72 goals (49 in A). His managers were Armando Picchi, Čestmir Vycpálek, Carlo Parola and from 1976 Giovanni Trapattoni.

In 1981 at 32 he left Turin and joined Udinese and stayed three years. The Friulani finished 11th, 6th and 9th. Enzo Ferrari was the manager for all three seasons. Causio played 101 games (83 in A) with16 goals (11 in A In the last season Causio played alongside the great Brazilian Zico.

In 1984 he made a surprise move to Inter. He stayed one season under former Lazio Ilario Castagner and the Nerazzurri finished 3rd. Causio played 41 games (24 in A) with 3 goals (1 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the UEFA Cup).

In 1985 he moved back home and joined Lecce. He played 33 games (26 in A) with 3 goals (all in A-Atalanta, Avellino, Como). The manager was Eugenio Fascetti and the Giallorossi ended up 16th and relegated. The Salentini however gave themselves and all Lazio fans a satisfaction when on April 20 they defeated Roma 3-2 in Rome which virtually cost Roma the Scudetto.

Causio's last club was Triestina in Serie B. He stayed two seasons, playing 69 games (64 in B) with 5 goals (all in B). The Alabardati finished 11th and 19th (relegated but with 5-point docking) His manager was Enzo Ferrari again in both seasons.

At 39 he then retired.

Causio also had a successful career with the Italian national side. He earned 63 caps with 6 goals (Romania, Luxembourg, Brazil, Argentina, Romania and Poland). He took part in three World Cups (1974, '78, '82). In 1982 Italy triumphed under Enzo Bearzot and Causio made two appearances (including the last few minutes of the final in the 3-1 win over West Germany). He will also be remembered as being one of the three immortalised in an iconic photo when involved playing a game of cards with President Sandro Pertini on the plane back from Spain (the other two were Dino Zoff and head coach Bearzot) with the trophy also on the table.

Source Wikipedia

After retiring he settled in Udine and opened a sports shop. He then worked as team manager for various clubs including Udinese. He has also worked in punditry for Sky Sport and Udinese TV and written a book with journalist Italo Cucci, 'Vincere ė l'unica cosa che conta' (Winning is all that matters).

Causio was an attacking midfielder who often played on the right wing in his number 7 shirt. He was 1.70 and 68 kilos but physically strong. He had excellent ball control, dribbling skills and a precise cross. He could cover the wing and put in good assists for the strikers. He was nicknamed "Il Barone" and was easily recognisable for his bushy moustache. The main rival in his role was Torino's Claudio Sala who was more flamboyant but Bearzot tended to prefer the more solid Causio, also as he was part of the "blocco Juve" (making up the bulk of the national team at the time). He will be remembered as a Juventus great and one of the best Italian players of the 1970's.

Sources

Wikipedia