José Altafini
The prolific striker who conquered Italy and Europe.
José João Altafini (born 24 July 1938), also known as "Mazzola" in Brazil, is an Italian-Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward. He began his career with Palmeiras in Brazil, later moved to Italy, and is mostly remembered for his successful stint with AC Milan. He also played for Napoli and Juventus, before ending his career in Switzerland with Chiasso and Mendrisiostar. Altafini is the joint-fourth highest scorer in Italian Serie A history (with Giuseppe Meazza) with 216 goals, and holds the record for being the fifth-youngest player in Serie A history to score 100 goals, a feat he managed at age 24 years and 239 days.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- José João Altafini
- Born
- 24 July 1938
- Birthplace
- Piracicaba, Brazil
- Height
- 1.76 m / 5 ft 9 in
- Position
- Striker
- Total caps
- 653
- Total goals
- 334
Lore & Background
Altafini was born on 24 July 1938 in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, to Gioacchino Altafini and Maria Marchesoni. He earned the nickname "Mazzola" due to his physical resemblance to Italian attacking midfielder Valentino Mazzola. He began playing football at age 16 for XV de Novembro Sporting Club, then joined Palmeiras at 17. He represented both Brazil and Italy internationally, winning the 1958 FIFA World Cup with Brazil and playing for Italy at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He coined the expression "golaço" (or "golazzo") and was known for his exclamation "incredibile, amici!".
Reader's Guide
Altafini made his debut for Palmeiras on 29 January 1956, scoring a brace and becoming the youngest goalscorer for the club. He played for Palmeiras for two seasons (1956 and 1957), scoring 32 goals in 63 competitive matches. He moved to AC Milan in 1958, winning two Serie A titles (1958–59 and 1961–62) and the 1963 European Cup, where he scored two goals in the final and finished as top scorer with a record 14 goals. He joined Napoli in 1965 due to disagreements at Milan, forming a partnership with Omar Sívori, and helped Napoli finish second in Serie A in 1967–68. He later joined Juventus, winning two more Serie A titles (1972–73 and 1974–75). He scored 630 goals in his career.
Did You Know?
- Altafini held the record for most goals in a single European Cup campaign for over 50 years, with 14 goals in 1962–63.
- He scored all five goals in Palmeiras's 5–0 win over Noroeste on 9 June 1957, a joint-club record.
- Altafini scored four goals in the Milan derby on 27 March 1960, a 5–3 victory for Milan.
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