The Grande Torino Rivalry Era

Lore & Background

The club's greatest period is encapsulated in the Grande Torino, a team which won five titles in a row between 1942 and 1949, and the Coppa Italia in 1943. The captain and undisputed leader of the team was Valentino Mazzola. Their success came to an abrupt end on 4 May 1949 when the Fiat G.212 airliner carrying the whole team crashed against the retaining wall of the Basilica of Superga in Turin, due to dense fog and spatial disorientation from a faulty altimeter.

Reader's Guide

Torino plays all of its home games at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The club's traditional colour is maroon, and its symbol is a rampant bull, the traditional symbol of the city of Turin, from which the club's nickname Il Toro (The Bull) is derived. Torino have a local rivalry with Juventus and the two sides contest the Derby della Mole.

Did You Know?

• Torino's first official match was played on 16 December 1906 in Vercelli against Pro Vercelli, won 3–1.
• The first derby against Juventus was played on 13 January 1907, with Torino winning 2–1.
• Torino's first scudetto in 1927 was revoked due to the 'Allemandi Case', but they won the title again in the 1927–28 season.
• The Grande Torino team formed the backbone of the Italy national team, at one point fielding ten players simultaneously in the Azzurri.