Ugo Pozzan was born in San Martino Buon Albergo (Verona), on December 29, 1929.
Ugo Pozzan was born in San Martino Buon Albergo (Verona), on December 29, 1929.
He started his football in his local village team, A. C San Martino. He then played for nearby big town Verona between 1949 and 1953. The Scaligeri finished 9th, 9th, 10th and 13th. Pozzan played 121 league games with 32 goals.
In 1953 he joined Bologna in Serie A. In his first year under Cipo Viani the Rossoblú finished 7th. Pozzan played 14 games with 2 goals (Sampdoria, Palermo).
In 1954-55 Bologna came 4th. Pozzan played 32 games with 4 goals (Catania x2, Catania again, Torino).
In 1955-56 the Felsinei finished 5th, first under Viani and then after 18 games Aldo Campatelli. Pozzan made 26 league appearances and scored 6 goals (Triestina,Vicenza, Torino, Napoli, Milan, Juventus).
The next season would be his last in Emilia. Still under Campatelli, Bologna finished 6th. Pozzan played 25 league games with a personal record of 8 goals (Atalanta, SPAL, Juventus, Padova, Genoa, Inter, Roma x2).
It may have been the brace against Roma in a 3-2 away win but the fact is the following year Pozzan was playing for Lazio. In his first year in Rome, first under Milovan Ćiric and then Alfredo Monza, the Biancocelesti came 12th. Pozzan played 27 games with 5 goals (Atalanta, Napoli x2, Inter, Verona). It was in the Coppa Italia, however, that Lazio lived their finest hour. Under Fulvio Bernardini they lifted the cup on September 24,1958, beating Fiorentina 1-0 in Rome, thus winning their first ever trophy. Pozzan was a protagonist and played 8 games including the final, with one goal (Napoli).
In 1958-59 Lazio continued with Bernardini. The Biancocelesti, without Selmosson, who had defected to Roma, came 11th. Pozzan played 24 league games with 2 goals (Udinese, Roma).
In 1959-60 Lazio finished 12th. Pozzan played 16 games with 1 goal (Bari) and 3 in Coppa Italia with 2 goals (Palermo, Bologna).
The next season would be his last in the capital. It was not a positive one for Lazio. They started the season with Bernardini but after 10 games replaced him with former glory Enrique Flamini and were however unable to avoid relegation with an 18th place finish. Not even the appointment of Englishman Jesse Carver as Technical Director, after 15 matches, managed to salvage the situation. Lazio won a derby but, after 30 years, were going down to Serie B. Lazio almost got some glory in the Coppa Italia getting to the final but were beaten 2-0 by Fiorentina. Pozzan played 15 league matches and scored 1 goal (Fiorentina) and 2 games in Coppa Italia.
In 1961-62 Pozzan joined Pisa for a season in Serie C. He played 26 league games and scored 1 goal.
At international level he won 2 Italy caps, in 1956 in friendlies versus Argentina and Brazil.
At 32 he retired but continued in football as a manager. He coached Verona in Serie B in 1966-67 for 8 matches, between Omero Tognon and Nils Liedholm.
Between 1968 and 1970 he was at Pistoiese in Serie C. In his second year unfortunately the "Olandesina" (Little Dutch girl- for their orange shirts) got relegated to Serie D.
In 1970 he was back in Verona. After 8 matches the Gialloblù sacked Renato Lucchi and called on Pozzon. He led them to safety with an 11th place (beating Roma and Lazio). His top scorer was future Lazio Sergio Clerici with 15 goals in all competitions.
Pozzan was a midfielder. At 1.73 he was not an overly physical player but he had many qualities. He was constant, rarely having a bad game, intelligent and extremely dynamic. He could play with both feet and despite his height had a good header. His mobility and the fact he possessed a strong and accurate shot explain his relatively high scoring rate.
At Lazio he played 82 league games and scored 9 goals plus 14 Coppa Italia games with 3 goals. He played all 8 with a goal in the 1958 Coppa Italia triumph. This, apart from four solid seasons, would be his main legacy at Lazio. It was Lazio's first unforgettable silverware and their last until the 1974 Scudetto and then the next domestic cup in 1998. For us growing up in the 1970's the 1958 victory took on legendary status and Pozzan was a big part of it.
Pozzan died prematurely of leukemia in 1973, at the age of 43.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1957-58 | 32 (6) | 27 (5) | 5 (1) |
1958-59 | 27 (2) | 24 (2) | 3 |
1959-60 | 19 (3) | 16 (1) | 3 (2) |
1960-61 | 18 (1) | 15 (1) | 3 |
Total | 96 (12) | 82 (9) | 12 (3) |
Sources