40s Retro Football Fantasy Draft | Finished

"El Cholo" Hugo Sotil

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Considered one of the best players in the history of Peru, Along with Teofilo Cubillas and Hector Chumpitaz one of the greatest exponents of the remarkable generation of Peruvian footballers of the 70. He was also part of the Peruvian team that won the Copa America 1975 and came the quarter-finals in World Mexico '70 World Cup and World Cup in Argentina '78.

The "Cholo" Sotil was a skillful midfileder, magnificent dribbling which was both electric and rogue, with his fast speed of thought in the penalty area he soon quickly become one of the best players in America in the 70s . His addiction to drink, nightlife and temptations weakened his physical capacity, so he could not fulfill his talent completely, but still had a fantastic career.

He also played offensive midfielder and was a great assister, due to the large number of assists he offered to their peers. The pairs that formed with Johan Cruyff in the FC Barcelona and Teofilo Cubillas in Alianza Lima and the Peruvian team were fantastic.

Hugo Sotil has been one of the most popular athletes in his country, to the point that in 1972 starred in a film directed by Bernardo Batievsky (big fan) and entitled "Cholo".

Honours:
Team:
Spanish league - FC Barcelona Spain 1974
Peruvian Football League - Alianza Lima Peru 1977
Peruvian Football League - Alianza Lima Peru 1978

Individual:
Peruvian soccer player of the year - 1973, 1974
Candidate South American Footballer of the Year - 1973, 1975
Footballer of Peru Abroad - 1974

@harms
 
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Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12.
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12.
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12.
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12.
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12.
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@harms
 
Erm, I have a question(s). When do the matches start? Immediately after the picks are done? Or do we get a couple of days to sort the details out... :confused:
 
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Well after Slavic and East German Beckenbauer here's also the Bulgarian: Dimitar Penev. He was the most complete Bulgarian defender with good technique and speed, good in starting the attacks, excellent in anticipating which also made him being used in midfield. Penev was strong in jump, although not giant physically, he also had solid shot but didn't shoot too often. He played 90 games for Bulgaria national football team and scored 2 goals. He is regarded as one of his country's best ever defenders, winning Bulgarian footballer of the year in 1967 and 1971, he also participated in 3 world cups for his country in 1966, 1970 and 1974. He is currently the Honorary President of CSKA Sofia and semi-pro side Nottingham United FC.

Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12.
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12.
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12.
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12.
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@mazhar13
 
Invictus said:
Erm, I have a question(s). When do the matches start? Immediately after the picks are done? Or do we get a couple of days to sort the details out... :confused:
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Depends. Usually on the week after the drafting, you and your opponent pick the most suitable time.
 
My final pick will be one of the best strikers ever from Spain. His goalscoring record really is immaculate, and even in his 30's, he was an awesome striker who was tough to handle for many defences. Winner of 5 Pichichi's, I present to you...

quini-bio.jpg


Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12.
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12.
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12.
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12. Quini
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@NM @Edgar Allan Pillow
 
mazhar13 said:
My final pick will be one of the best strikers ever from Spain. His goalscoring record really is immaculate, and even in his 30's, he was an awesome striker who was tough to handle for many defences. Winner of 5 Pichichi's, I present to you...

quini-bio.jpg


Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12.
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12.
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12.
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12. Quini
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@NM @Edgar Allan Pillow
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:mad: Damn it.
 
mazhar13 said:
My final pick will be one of the best strikers ever from Spain. His goalscoring record really is immaculate, and even in his 30's, he was an awesome striker who was tough to handle for many defences. Winner of 5 Pichichi's, I present to you...
Click to expand...

ctp said:
:mad: Damn it.
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Its pretty crazy that he's lasted this long. I researched him for a previous draft (chain draft maybe?) and had him filed away in some corner of my brain for future drafts, but we were sorted at centre forward with our first pick here.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
Its pretty crazy that he's lasted this long. I researched him for a previous draft (chain draft maybe?) and had him filed away in some corner of my brain for future drafts, but we were sorted at centre forward with our first pick here.
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I have Heynckes up front, so it's not the end of the world, but he'd have been great off the bench for a switch to a two striker system. Agreed about him not going earlier, better than a few strikers picked before him.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
Its pretty crazy that he's lasted this long. I researched him for a previous draft (chain draft maybe?) and had him filed away in some corner of my brain for future drafts, but we were sorted at centre forward with our first pick here.
Click to expand...

ctp said:
I have Heynckes up front, so it's not the end of the world, but he'd have been great off the bench for a switch to a two striker system. Agreed about him not going earlier, better than a few strikers picked before him.
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I was very surprised as well! The fact that he lasted until the 12th pick is somewhat of an injustice to him. However, he's ideal for me to switch to a 2-striker system, and he provides me with more options than before.
 
I love how Ctrl+F is such a novelty and a thing of genius in this draft
 
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@NM picks the Greatest Chilean Attacking Midfielder of all time: Francisco "Chamaco" Valdés

francisco_valdes.jpg


Recognized as one of Chile's most important midfielders, with 215 official goals, he is the top scorer in the history of Chilean league. Despite spending most of his career as an attacking midfielder rather than a centre-forward, Francisco Valdes had an uncanny eye for goal that led to him becoming the highest scorer in the history of the Chilean First Division. The vast majority of his 215 domestic strikes came with Colo Colo, where he won two league titles and finished as runner-up in the 1973 Copa Libertadores. His 180 goals during two spells at the club puts him at the top of the their scoring charts and he is widely regarded to be among their greatest ever players. At international level he featured for Chile at the 1966 and 1974 World Cups.
 
Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12.
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12.
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12. Valdes
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12. Quini
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@Gio @Theon
 
Libro_Meroni.jpg


October 15, 1967, is one of the darkest days in Italian football history. Gigi Meroni, the symbol of a Torino side challenging for their first Scudetto since the Superga air disaster in 1949, was tragically killed in a road accident aged just 24. His premature death robbed Italy of one of its most outstanding young talents and cut short a career that would surely have produced greatness.

Born in 1943, the same year as Gianni Rivera, on the banks of Lake Como in Lombardy, Meroni started his career at his hometown club – just as the Milan legend had done. After two seasons he was snapped up by fallen giants Genoa, where he caught the eye of Torino CoachNereo Rocco. The tactician had taken the reins in Turin after leading Milan to the European Cup and was constructing a squad that were finally laying to rest the ghost of Superga. Rocco saw Meroni’s potential and signed the 21-year-old for the start of the 1964-65 campaign.

He was an instant hit for the Granata. An elegant right-winger with awesome dribbling skills and searing pace,Meroni was at times unstoppable and he often took terrible punishment from opposing defenders who were unable to curb him legally. His nickname was ‘La FarfallaGranata’ – The Granata Butterfly – due to his graceful playing style. He always played with his socks rolled down by his ankles and he was an expert at nut-meggingopponents.

While Meroni may not have been a great scorer, he certainly scored great goals. His most celebrated strike was against Inter in a 2-1 victory at San Siro in March 1967. The Nerazzurri were leading Serie A and had not lost at home for more than three years. The brilliant winger surprised everyone, notably his marker GiacintoFacchetti, by hooking a stunning lob over his own shoulder and into the far corner of the Inter net. The picture of a stunned Facchetti standing with his hands on his hips after seeing the ball go in perfectly reflects that moment of genius.

Meroni made his international debut in Paris against France in 1966. He was part of the Italy squad who were humiliatingly knocked out of the World Cup that year in the first round after losing to North Korea. Meroni was made a scapegoat for the disaster, even though he had played just one game and had not been selected against the Koreans. In all he made just six appearances for his country.

Meroni’s style and ability led to comparisons with George Best. Like the Manchester United legend he was a bit of a rebel, he had long hair which was often accompanied by a beard, dressed bizarrely, listened to The Beatles and drove flashy cars. He also had the odd run-in with Coaches. After Italy boss Edmondo Fabbri asked him to cut his hair before a World Cup qualifying match in Poland in 1965, Meroni refused. “I hope I might play well even with long hair.”

Similarly to Best, Meroni displayed the odd moment of outlandish behaviour. After being on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism in the Como Press, Meroni decided to respond in a way only he knew how. Accompanied by friend and teammate Fabrizio Poletti, he drove to the town’s main piazza, took out his pet chicken and then began walking around the square with the animal on a leash before attempting to dress it in a bathing costume. “He was a symbol of bizarre extrovert style and social liberty in a nation almost entirely made up of conformists,” noted journalist Gianni Brera.

Meroni was worshipped by the Torino faithful like a God. So it was no surprise that Toro fans took to the streets outside President Orfeo Pianelli’s house in protest after he accepted a bid from Juventus in 1967 for the star. It is even claimed that FIAT, owned by then Juve President Gianni Agnelli, would have gone on strike as most of their workers were Torino fans.

Meroni remained, but he was to play just four more games before tragedy struck. He was out with his good friend Poletti celebrating a 4-2 home win over Sampdoria when Meroni was struck by a 124 FIAT Coupé as he was crossing the road. He died later in hospital. In a strange twist of fate, the driver was a 19-year-old Torino fanatic called Attilio Romero. Meroni was his idol – he had a poster of him on his bedroom wall and even copied his haircut. Bizarrely, in 2000 Romero would become President of Torino.

Meroni’s funeral was attended by 20,000 people. The priest told those present that Gigi “was not just body, muscles, nerve, but also genius, courage, understanding, generosity.” A week after his death, it was the Turin derby. Torino won 4-0, which remains their biggest victory over Juventus, with the final goal scored by Alberto Carelli, who was wearing Meroni’s No 7 shirt.

Credit to Football Italia for the piece.

@crappycraperson
 
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mazhar13 said:
I was very surprised as well! The fact that he lasted until the 12th pick is somewhat of an injustice to him. However, he's ideal for me to switch to a 2-striker system, and he provides me with more options than before.
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Considered him instead of Geels in my last pick. He had a great record in La Liga, 5 times top scorer (ahead of the likes of Mario Kempes, Krankl, Juanito) and with different clubs. The reason I didn't plump for him was his international record which lets him down a bit, although saying that quite a few Spanish strikers during that time had similarly 'average' records.
 
Marty1968 said:
Surprised he hasn't gone before as well. He needed to be in this draft though. Him and Pele were incredible at Santos.
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I thought Chester might nab him after the Pele pick, but Greaves presents his own compelling case.
 
Gio said:
I thought Chester might nab him after the Pele pick, but Greaves presents his own compelling case.
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Pele and Greaves is pretty mouth watering. Hopefully I won't get picked against Chester. Even with my rock solid defence, think i'd struggle to win over those two....
 
Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12.
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12. Bertini
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12. Meroni
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12. Valdes
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12. Quini
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho
 
Aldo 1. Best 2. Chumpitaz 3. Pirri 4. Israel 5. Ademir da Guia 6. Boninsegna 7. Furino 8. Prati 9. Stepney 10. Lawler 11. F. Cruz 12.
Chesterlestreet 1. Pelé 2. Greaves 3. Bremner 4. Corso 5. E. Hughes 6. Lorimer 7. Muntyan 8. Smith 9. Cooper 10. Pivarnik 11. Clemence 12.
RedTiger 1. Beckenbauer 2. Oblak 3. Maier 4. Fischer 5. McNeill 6. Dobiaš 7. Tony Dunne 8. Sparwasser 9. Mifflin 10. McFarland 11. van der Kuijlen 12.
Skizzo/Pat_Mustard 1. Cruyff 2. Keizer 3. Olsen 4. Gemmell 5. Murdoch 6. Jardine 7. Rexach 8. Hellström 9. Flohe 10. Kolotov 11. Morini 12.
Gol123 1. Van Hanegem 2. Overath 3. Johnstone 4. Hulshoff 5. Kindvall 6. Rubén Marcos 7. Matosas 8. Skoblar 9. Pavoni 10. Ubiña 11. Tomaszewski 12.
Invictus 1. Eusébio 2. Mazzola 3. Haan 4. Suurbier 5. Perfumo 6. Weber 7. Bonev 8. Bransch 9. Carpegiani 10. Viktor 11. Rildo 12.
Balu 1. G. Müller 2. Vogts 3. Rensenbrink 4. Dobrin 5. Benetti 6. Cuccureddu 7. Holcer 8. Jennings 9. Dinu 10. Magnusson 11. Frosio 12.
ctp 1. Rivelino 2. Marzolini 3. Jansen 4. Heynckes 5. Höttges 6. Mészöly 7. Fichtel 8. Más 9. Iribar 10. Libuda 11. Velázquez 12. Toshack
crappycraperson 1. Moore 2. Tostão 3. Bene 4. Van Moer 5. Khurtsilava 6. Bell 7. Urbanczyk 8. Shilton 9. Domenghini 10. Asensi 11. Carrascosa 12. Bertini
Gio/Theon 1. Figueroa 2. Cubillas 3. Deyna 4. Clodoaldo 5. Bulgarelli 6. Rocha 7. Ancheta 8. Mazurkiewicz 9. Asparuhov 10. Shalamanov 11. Anczok 12. Meroni
NM/EAP 1. Facchetti 2. Riva 3. Jair 4. Stiles 5. Luis Pereira 6. Martin Peters 7. Bosquier 8. Yakimov 9. De Sisti 10. Anquilletti 11. Rudakov 12. Valdes
mazhar13 1. Jairzinho 2. Zoff 3. B Dietz 4. Giles 5. Buchan 6. Simões 7. Hurst 8. Hunter 9. Lodetti 10. Hansen 11. Jensen 12. Quini
harms 1. Krol 2. Florian Albert 3. Van Himst 4. Roth 5. Blankenburg 6. Lennox 7. Dzodzuashvili 8. G. Mühren 9. Bedin 10. Kaplychnyi 11. van Beveren 12. Penev
Tuppet 1. Rivera 2. Džajić 3. Shesternyov 4. Causio 5. Lubański 6. Piazza 7. Bo Larsson 8. Lovchev 9. Fazlagic 10. Julio Meléndez Calderón 11. Leao 12. Sotil
Joga Bonito 1. Law 2. Netzer 3. A.Ball 4. Wimmer 5. Gadocha 6. Greig 7. Byshovets 8. Sieloff 9. Reaney 10. Kapellmann 11. Nigbur 12. Madeley
Marty1968 1. Gerson 2. Carlos Alberto 3. Rosato 4. Schwarzenbeck 5. Cubilla 6. Grabowski 7. Everaldo 8. Panenka 9. Croy 10. Capello 11. Geels 12. Coutinho

@Balu
 
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