Gianpiero Combi

Gianpiero Combi was born in Torino, on December 20, 1902.

Source Wikipedia

At 16 he joined the Juventus youth setup and from then on never left the Bianconeri.

He made his first team debut on March 5, 1922, and he went on to play thirteen seasons defending the "Old Lady's" goal. It was not a great debut as he conceded seven goals in a 1-7 defeat at Pro Vercelli. With hard work and dedication in training however he then became a formidable keeper.

He played 351 league games (conceding 336 goals) and won the Scudetto five times (1926, 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934). His managers were Jenő Károly, József Viola, William Aitken and Carlo Carcano (for the four consecutive titles). Along with defenders Virginio Rosetta and Umberto Caligaris he formed one of the best lines in Italian history, for both club and country.

He earned 47 caps for Italy. With the Azzurri he won the 1934 World Cup as captain and an Olympic bronze in 1928.

After retiring he was director of Juventus' swimming and ice-hockey sections. He then became an industrialist and business manager.

Combi was nicknamed "Fusetta" (little bundle or dumpling) for his agility. He was no giant at 1.74 and 72 kilos (he was rejected by Torino for his size before joining Juventus) but he was incredibly reliable and consistent. He was not flashy but safe and a born leader. He was excellent on high balls and a specialist in saving penalties. He was rarely injured, jumping only 9 games out of 398 in total.

At the time, along with Ricardo Zamora and František Plánička, he was considered one of the best keepers in Europe. He has been voted 16th best European keeper of the 20th century (IFFHS). From 1926 until 1994 he held the longest unbeaten record in Serie A, 934 minutes, then beaten by Gianluigi Buffon.

Combi died of a heart attack on August 12, 1956, in Imperia while driving back from Sanremo where his family were on holiday.

Sources

Wikipedia