Portrait: Romeo Benetti

For many years Romeo Benetti was one of the best midfielders in Italy and perhaps even in the world. His willfulness ensured that even as a 35-year-old he was still chasing after the world on the international stage. The professional career of the ex-director, who now holds courses for coaches for the Italian Football Association (FIGC), began at the age of 17 in Bolzano. At the age of four he moved with his family from the Veneto to Bolzano. In the 1963/64 season, Benetti appeared on the field 32 times in the white and red jersey and scored an incredible ten goals.

It wasn't enough for the Talferstadt team to get their young midfield strategist to move up from Serie D to Serie C, as Bozen failed in the playoffs. “I will always remember the experiences in the 60s, that time is burned into my brain. That was when my professional career began and this time had a lasting impact on me. I remember the first away trips on the bus, the training sessions and the changing room where Italian and German-speaking players sat peacefully next to each other. It was a kind of model for how the two ethnic groups live together today,” says Benetti.

City derbies in Genoa, Milan, Turin and Rome Of course, his above-average skills did not go unnoticed and the following season Benetti played in Serie B with Palermo. With the southern Italians, the native of Bolzano won the second highest Italian league and subsequently moved to Serie A, where he played for Sampdoria Genoa, Milan, Juventus and Roma until the end of his career. In total, Benetti appeared 329 times in Serie A, won the title twice with Juventus (1976/77 and 1977/78), the Italian Cup four times (1972 and 1973 with Milan, 1979 with Juventus and 1980 with Roma), a Cup Winners' Cup in 1972/73 with Milan and the UEFA Cup in 1976/77 with the "Old Lady".

Wherever I went, the club won “I can't say that I felt more comfortable at any club than at the others. But I can proudly say that I have won something everywhere I have gone,” smiles Benetti mischievously. “I believe that as a professional I always had a winning mentality and that I brought it to bear at my clubs.” Benetti holds a number of records for his former clubs, but one of them affects all four clubs: the Bolzano native played for one of the two rival clubs in the four most important city derbies in Milan, Turin, Genoa and Rome. Not many players will have achieved this feat.

“All four derbies are the same in their own way and yet very different. In Rome, fans from both camps went out to eat together and the loser had to pay - that would be impossible today. In Milan it was about who could tease the losers until the next derby. Turin was known for its derby between citizens and workers, while the fans in Genoa were primarily concerned with doing the better choreography than their opponents.”

Two completely different world championships But Romeo Benetti wasn’t just a “star” in Serie A. He was more. Namely a player who was a mainstay in the national team in the 70s. So important that he was in the squad and on the field at two World Cups: 1974 in Germany and 1978 in Argentina. Two World Cups that ended completely differently for the “Azzurri”: In 1974, Italy was eliminated in the preliminary round, four years later Benetti & Co. came fourth. “I look back on both World Cups with a lot of satisfaction. Things didn't go well in Germany because the team was far too old and the atmosphere in the dressing room was poisonous. There were two groups within the team. One for Mazzola and one for Rivera. In Argentina, however, we were a real unit. The group simply made the difference here. Our solidarity got us into the game for third place.” In total, Benetti donned the jersey of the Italian national team 3 times and scored two goals.

Away win at Wembley Stadium In addition to the World Championships, Romeo Benetti can look back on another highlight in the national team's uniform. In 1973, the "Azzurri" with Benetti defeated England at Wembley Stadium and caused the English team's first home defeat against Italy. Perhaps this defeat was one of the reasons why the English tabloid “The Sun” ranked Romeo Benetti fourth on its list of the ten toughest footballers of all time in 2008. As the only Italian, by the way. “We enjoyed the victory at Wembley to the fullest. Nevertheless, in fairness I have to add that England were completely superior. They surrounded us in our penalty area for 90 minutes. We only got past the half once and scored the winning goal. It was all about defending. After the final whistle I was certainly ten centimeters shorter than before the game started,” jokes the now 65-year-old.

However, Romeo Benetti doesn't allow any jokes when asked about the “Squadra Azzurra's” performance at the World Cup in South Africa. “I trust our team and our coach Lippi. I think they will play a good World Cup. It will certainly be difficult to successfully defend the title, but this team can still go very far. You can't always win. But you always have to fight to be among the best.”

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Portrait: Romeo Benetti

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