Eraldo Monzeglio

Eraldo Monzeglio (Italian pronunciation:[eˈraldomonˈdzeʎʎo]; 5 June 1906 – 3 November 1981) was an Italian association football coach and player, who played as a defender, in the position of full-back. Monzeglio had a highly successful career as a footballer, although he also later attracted controversy due to his close relationship with the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. At club level, he played for Casale, Bologna, and Roma, winning the Serie A title and two editions of the Mitropa Cup with Bologna. At international level, he also had success representing the Italy national football team, and was a member of the Italian teams that won consecutive FIFA World Cup titles in 1934 and 1938, being named to the tournament's All-star Team in 1934; he also won two editions of the Central European International Cup with Italy. Along with Giuseppe Meazza and Giovanni Ferrari, he is one of only three Italian players to have won two World Cups.^[1][2] Following his retirement as a player, he worked as a coach for Italian clubs Como, Pro Sesto, Napoli, Sampdoria, and Juventus, as well as Swiss club Chiasso. He was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Monzeglio was born in Vignale Monferrato, in the province of Alessandria (Piedmont).^[3]

In his nineteen-year career as a football defender, which lasted from 1924 to 1943, he played for Casale, Bologna, and Roma. With Bologna, he was victorious in the 1928–29 championship, also winning two Mitropa Cups in 1932 and 1934.^[3][4]

A nivel internacional, Monzeglio jugó para la selección italiana en 35 ocasiones, con la que ganó dos Copas Mundiales de la FIFA , en 1934 y 1938 , siendo incluido en el Equipo del Torneo en 1934; también ganó dos Copas Internacionales de Europa Central con Italia. ^{[ 3 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]}

A pesar de su éxito y fama como futbolista, tras la conclusión de la Segunda Guerra Mundial , Monzeglio inicialmente atrajo la controversia debido a sus opiniones políticas y su estrecha amistad con el dictador fascista italiano Benito Mussolini , así como por su papel como entrenador personal de Mussolini. ^{[ 7 ] [ 8 ]} Posteriormente, Monzeglio se convirtió en entrenador, dirigiendo a los equipos italianos AS Roma, Como , Pro Sesto , Napoli , Sampdoria , Juventus y Lecco , así como al Chiasso , en Suiza, entre 1941 y 1973. Monzeglio murió en Turín el 3 de noviembre de 1981, a la edad de 75 años. ^{[ 3 ]} En 2013, fue incluido póstumamente en el Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Italiano . ^{[ 9 ]}

• Eraldo Monzeglio en Enciclopediadelcalcio.it