Alessandro Altobelli


Alessandro Altobelli is a former professional Italian footballer who played as a forward, and who won the 1982 World Cup with Italy. Nicknamed Spillo for his slender build, Altobelli was a prolific goalscorer and regarded as one of the greatest and most effective Italian strikers of the late 1970s and 1980s. Altobelli is currently the all-time top scorer in the Coppa Italia, with 56 goals in 93 appearances, and the ninth-highest scoring Italian player in all competitions, with almost 300 career goals.

Club career

Altobelli was born in Sonnino, Latina. Following spells at Latina and Brescia, he was signed by Serie A club Inter Milan in 1977, for whom he played 466 times, scoring 209 goals. He contributed heavily to his team's scudetto victory of 1980, and also helped Inter to win two Coppa Italia titles in 1978 and 1982, finishing as the tournament's top scorer in the 1982 edition, with nine goals. Altobelli was also the top scorer in the 1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup, with seven goals, leading Inter to the quarter-finals of the tournament. After his lengthy period with Inter, he played one season with Juventus during the 1988–89 season, before ending his career with Brescia in Serie B once again, during the 1989–90 season.

International career

For Italy, Altobelli was capped 61 times between 1980 and 1988, scoring 25 goals, and he is currently Italy's sixth highest goalscorer. His most notable international goal was Italy's third goal in the 1982 FIFA World Cup final, which Italy won 3–1 over West Germany. After coming on in the seventh minute of play for the injured Francesco Graziani, he became the second ever substitute to score in a FIFA World Cup final. Altobelli also played at Euro 80, with Italy finishing in fourth place on home soil, as well as representing Italy at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals, which were, however, not enough to prevent the defending champions from crashing out of the tournament in the round of 16. He also represented Italy at Euro 88, where he played as the team's captain, leading the Italian squad to the semi-finals once again. He made four substitute appearances scoring just after coming on in a 2–0 win over Denmark in the group stages.

Style of play

Altobelli was a highly prolific goalscorer, who was regarded as a complete, world class striker. A well rounded centre-forward, with an eye for goal, he excelled in the air due to his heading accuracy, power, elevation, agility and acrobatic ability; he was also a fast, hard-working, and opportunistic player, with excellent technique, and he possessed an accurate shot with either foot, in spite of being naturally left-footed. Despite his slender build, he had excellent balance and deceptive strength. Moreover, he was capable of protecting the ball with his back to goal, and holding it up for his teammates.

After retirement

After retirement, he played for Italy national beach soccer team, being the top scorer at the 1995 and 1996 Beach Soccer World Championships.
In the 1990s, he entered politics. He also worked as a sporting director for Padova and as a football scout for Inter.
In the 2000s, he served as a pundit for Al Jazeera. Since September 2020, he serves as a pundit for RAI TV show A tutto campo. He also featured as a pundit in ''90º minuto.''

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy1–03–1Friendly
2Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy2–13–1Friendly
3Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain3–03–11982 FIFA World Cup
4San Siro, Milan, Italy1–02–2UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying
522 December 1983Stadio Renato Curi, Perugia, Italy1–03–1UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying
6BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey2–12–3Friendly
7Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Canada1–02–0Friendly
8Stadio Adriatico – Giovanni Cornacchia, Pescara, Italy1–02–0Friendly
9Dalymount Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland2–02–0Friendly
10Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico2–12–1Friendly
11Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce, Italy1–01–2Friendly
12Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy1–12–1Friendly
13Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy2–02–0Friendly
14Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico1–01–11986 FIFA World Cup
15Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Mexico1–01–11986 FIFA World Cup
16Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Mexico1–03–21986 FIFA World Cup
17Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Mexico2–13–21986 FIFA World Cup
18San Siro, Milan, Italy2–13–2UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
19San Siro, Milan, Italy3–13–2UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
20National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta2–02–0UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
21Stadio Comunale, Bergamo, Italy3–05–0UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
22Stadio Comunale, Bergamo, Italy4–05–0UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
23Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal1–01–0UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
24Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani, Pisa, Italy1–01–0Friendly
25Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, Germany1–02–0UEFA Euro 1988

Honours

Inter Milan
Italy
  • FIFA World Cup: 1982
Individual
  • European Cup Winners' Cup top goalscorer: 1978–79
  • Coppa Italia top goalscorer: 1981–82
  • Beach Soccer World Championships top goalscorer: 1995, 1996
  • Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2022