Rino Ferrario

Rino Ferrario was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

As a defensive midfielder, Ferrario became a starter at Juventus, winning the position from Carlo Parola. At Juventus, he won two Serie A championships, the first in 1952 and the other in 1958 as well as one Coppa Italia before ending his career with cross-city rivals Torino at thirty-five years of age.

International career

Ferrario was one of five players selected to represent the Italy national team at the 1954 World Cup that did not play during the cup. A notable instance with the national team at Budapest was Ferrario's confrontation with Hungary's local hero Kocsis in a 1955 game where Italy lost 2–0 that nearly started a riot between the Italians and Magyars. For the 'Azzurri' he earned 10 caps between 1952 and 1958 and was praised for his consistent performances. He was also a member of the Italian team that took part at the 1952 Summer Olympics, however he did not participate in any matches.

Style of play

One of the largest players to ever have played on the Italy national team at the time, he was nicknamed 'Mobilia' for his rugby player-like physique. He was also called "The Belfast Lion" for fiercely defending himself in Belfast during a pitch invasion by angry opposing fans.