All-Time Top Scorer: Giuseppe Meazza

Lore & Background

Meazza was born in Porta Vittoria, Milan. Having lost his father in 1917 during the fighting of World War I at the age of seven, he grew up in Milan with his mother, helping her sell fruit at the market. He began playing football at six years old, and started out playing barefoot with a ball made of rags on the streets. At the age of 12, his mother gave him permission to pursue a footballing career, and he began playing for Gloria F.C. At the age of 14, Meazza admired Milan, but was rejected by the team for his small physique; he was instead accepted by Inter Milan. His nickname 'il Balilla' was given to him in 1927 by older teammate Leopoldo Conti, who thought the 17-year-old was too young for the senior team. Meazza scored two goals on his official debut, leaving Conti speechless.

In Their Own Story

The rain fell hard on the muddy pitch of San Siro in 1938. The crowd was a roaring sea of blue and black, their voices lost in the storm. In the center circle stood a small figure with a distinctive mustache, his eyes locked on the ball. He didn't run; he glided. As two defenders lunged, Meazza feinted left, spun right, and slipped past them as if they were statues. The goalkeeper rushed out, but Peppino simply chipped the ball over him with a delicate touch that defied gravity. The net rippled, the whistle blew for halftime, and the stadium erupted in a chant that would echo through the decades: 'Meazza! Meazza!' In that moment, he wasn't just a player; he was the heartbeat of Inter.

Reader's Guide

Meazza scored two goals on his professional debut, which came in a 6–2 win against Milanese Unione Sportiva in the Coppa Volta di Como, on 12 September 1927. He still holds the record for the most goals scored in a debut season in Serie A, with 31 goals in his first season (1929–30). With Meazza in the squad, Inter won three national championships in 1930, 1938 and 1940, and helped win the team's first Coppa Italia in 1939. He was top-scorer of Serie A three times (1930, 1936, 1938). An injury put him out of action for most of 1938–39 and 1939–40, and after having devoted the best part of his career to Inter, Meazza transferred to AC Milan on 28 November 1940. Later he also played for Juventus, Varese and Atalanta. In 1946 he was recalled to Inter as a player-coach, playing 17 games and scoring the last two goals of his career to help an Inter team that was in danger of relegation.

Did You Know?

• San Siro, the principal stadium in Milan, was named Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the player's honour on 3 March 1980.
• Meazza captained Italy to win the 1938 World Cup; he was not captain in 1934 (Gianpiero Combi was).
• Along with Giovanni Ferrari, Guido Masetti and Eraldo Monzeglio, he is one of only four Italian players to have won two World Cups.
• He is the youngest player ever to score 100 goals in Serie A, a feat achieved at age 23 years and 32 days.