Romeo Benetti

Romeo Benetti

Personal information
Full name	Romeo Benetti
Date of birth	(1945-10-20) 20 October 1945
Place of birth	Verona, Italy
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1963–1964	Bolzano	31	(10)
1964–1965	Siena	31	(7)
1965–1967	Taranto	63	(11)
1967–1968	Palermo	35	(2)
1968–1969	Juventus	24	(1)
1969–1970	Sampdoria	27	(2)
1970–1976	A.C. Milan	170	(32)
1976–1979	Juventus	83	(12)
1979–1981	Roma	27	(1)
International career
1971–1980	Italy	55	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Romeo Benetti (born 20 October 1945 in Albaredo d'Adige) is a former Italian footballer. Benetti was a tenacious midfielder who was known for his stamina, charisma, determination, and leadership. Although he was initially deployed as a winger, he usually played in a defensive midfield role and his hard-tackling style of play epitomised the catenaccio tactics made famous by Italy during the 1970s. He was also known for his goal-scoring ability, despite being a predominately defensive player, due to his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance, as well as his reliable technique and distribution.

Career

Club

After winning the 1967–68 Serie B title with Palermo, Benetti started his Serie A career in 1968 with Juventus, making 24 appearances and scoring a goal during his first season with the club. However, he did not remain at the club for long, and he joined Sampdoria on loan during the next season. His breakthrough came in the 1970–71 Serie A season, after joining A.C. Milan in 1970, helping the club to three consecutive second place finishes in the league between 1970 and 1973. During his time at the club, he won the 1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup, as well as two Coppa Italia trophies during the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, later being named the club's captain, inheriting the armband from team-mate Gianni Rivera.

In 1976 he returned to Juventus and won the 1976–77 and 1977–78 Serie A titles, as well as the 1976–77 UEFA Cup, and the Coppa Italia during the 1978–79 season. As his career came to an end he transferred to Roma in 1979, where he remained until 1981, winning two more consecutive Coppa Italia titles.

In 2007 he was voted in at number 30 in a list of football's 50 greatest hardmen by times online.

International

Benetti won 55 caps for Italy, scoring 2 goals throughout his international career, making his debut on the 25th September 1971 against Mexico. He was member of the Italian squads that took part in the FIFA World Cup 1974, and the FIFA World Cup 1978, where Italy finished in fourth place; Benetti scored a goal in the first round of the tournament, in a 3–1 victory over Hungary. He also took part at the 1980 UEFA European Championship with his country, on home soil, where he helped his team to the semi-finals, eventually finishing the tournament in fourth place. He was voted into Italy's all time world cup team by website PlanetWorldCup.com and its members.

Honours

Club

Juventus

• Serie A: 1976–77, 1977–78
• UEFA Cup: 1976–77
• Italian Cup: 1978–79

Milan

• Italian Cup: 1971–72, 1972–73; Runners-up: 1970–71, 1974–75
• UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1972–73; Runners-up: 1973–74
• Serie A Runners-up: 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
• UEFA Super Cup Runners-up: 1973

Roma

• Italian Cup: 1979–80, 1980–81
• Serie A Runners-up: 1980–81

Palermo

• Serie B: 1967–68

International

Italy

• FIFA World Cup: 1978 (Fourth place)
• UEFA European Championship: 1980 (Fourth place)

External links

• Romeo Benetti – FIFA competition record
• Profile and Statistics at the FIGC website

Sporting positions
Preceded by Gianni Rivera	Milan captain 1975–1976	Succeeded by Gianni Rivera