Let’s explore the remarkable partnership in the attack for the “Squadra Azzurra.”
“No one has done more for Italy’s reputation than you,” Benito Mussolini told Giuseppe Meazza, captain of the national team, while shaking his hand at a reception in the “Palazzo Venezia.” The “Azzurri” had returned from Paris with their second consecutive world title, even as war clouds gathered over Europe.
Mussolini was certainly not referring to the incident where Meazza received the “Golden Nike” from French President Albert Lebrun’s hands. The Inter player extended his arm in a fascist salute, drawing boos from the entire Colombes Stadium. He shook hands with Lebrun, took the trophy, and unflinchingly repeated the salute. The championship for Italy ended just as it had begun. During the first match against Norway in Marseille, the “Stade Vélodrome” was packed with Italian emigrants – fugitives from the regime. They frantically booed the “Azzurri” as the players displayed the fascist gesture. Coach Vittorio Pozzo watched silently, waited for the booing to stop, and had the players repeat the salute.
Giuseppe Meazza in Inter’s jersey
Meazza’s career in the national team coincided with Vittorio Pozzo’s era. The coach’s second match in February 1930 was also Meazza’s debut, who had started playing for Inter in 1927 at just 17 years old. Three months later, Meazza scored three goals against Hungary, and Italy recorded their first victory over this opponent with a 5-0 win.
In 1934, Meazza was a key figure and largely a symbol of Italy’s first world title, which can most accurately be described as “conquered.”
He was accused by the Spaniards of committing a foul during the only goal in the replay, which he scored. The Austrians complained about the same, although Meazza did not score. However, he pushed goalkeeper Platzer during Guaita’s goal, which was the only one in the match.
Four years later in France, Meazza had a new role. He played further back, scoring only once but making numerous assists, mostly to his new attacking partner Silvio Piola. Although in “Italy ‘Piola’ and ‘goals’ mean the same,” as famous journalist Gianni Mura wrote, the debut of the goal machine was delayed as long as possible. One reason was Giuseppe Meazza, who did not like Piola.
During the 1938 World Cup, he even claimed that Piola was a “second-rate usurper.” Piola ended up in Pozzo’s squad after Angelo Schiavio’s retirement and scored two goals against Austria in his first appearance. During the World Cup, he scored four times, including twice in the final against Hungary (4-2).
Italy during their time
Meazza and Piola are the greatest attacking duo Italy has ever had. The numbers are conclusive. For many years, they were the top Italian scorers in Serie A. Piola leads the Serie A ranking with 274 goals, while Meazza is fourth with 216.
In the last decade, Francesco Totti also inserted himself among them with 250 goals, and another with a similar achievement is the Swede Gunnar Nordahl.
In 1934, Meazza and Piola could have teamed up at Inter, but this was stopped by the fascists, arguing that the “Nerazzurri” would become too strong for the rest. Instead, Piola ended up at Lazio for the colossal sum of 250,000 lira at the time. A fervent fan of the team was Mussolini’s right-hand man for football, General Giorgio Vaccaro. Because of this transfer, Piola never managed to become an Italian champion during his life.
The two strikers were very different in their lives. Meazza smoked, drank, gambled, and was a ladies’ man. He advertised everything – from toothpaste to brilliantine. He was regarded as the first superstar in Serie A. He bought an apartment at Piazza Cairoli, very close to the Arena stadium behind Milan’s castle, where Inter played until the beginning of World War II. The reason was that he didn’t want to travel much for matches and training after his numerous nightly escapades.
His teammate in the national team, Pietro Rava, claimed that “it is uncertain whether Meazza had more goals or women in his life.” His mother, a humble vegetable seller at the market near Porta Vittoria, received dozens of perfumed letters from Giuseppe’s admirers every day. Piola, on the other hand, was a complete teetotaler, and his biggest thrills during the day were walking his three dogs.
Piola in Juventus’ jersey during the 1940s
Both men’s lives were full of stories that crossed the border into anecdotes. In the semifinal against Brazil (2-1) in 1938, Meazza scored a penalty in the 60th minute, making the score 2-0. A small detail is that while running towards the ball, he held the elastic of his shorts with one hand, which had snapped. However, this didn’t prevent him from sending the Brazilian goalkeeper Valter in the opposite direction. The story of this penalty, one of the most famous in World Cup history, has been embellished to the point where Meazza’s shorts were said to have fallen as he shot. Existing film footage and photos from that moment debunk such a version but clearly show that the player was holding the broken elastic.
Even more curiously, Giuseppe Meazza was Italy’s coach in Silvio Piola’s last match with the blue jersey. He called him into the squad after five years of absence for the match against England in Florence in 1952. The match and, above all, the presence of the 38-year-old goal scorer caused real hysteria. Cinemas in Florence were turned into hotels to accommodate all those wanting to watch the match. Police reinforcements came from as far as Sicily to maintain order. Piola was greeted with a powerful roar from 95,000 in the stands of the “Stadio Comunale,” but he was the weakest on the pitch in the match, which ended 1-1. However, he left with his head held high. When he was in the squad, Italy had lost only two matches.