Giacinto Facchetti
Encyclopedia
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian
football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered as “La Grande Inter
”. Facchetti is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking-full backs, and one of the best ever in his position.
, in the Province of Bergamo
(Lombardy
), Facchetti began his career with his hometown club, Trevigliese, as a forward. He was soon noticed by Helenio Herrera
, then manager of Internazionale, who launched him in Serie A
in the late 1960–61 season as a full back. The change of role was a good choice, and eventually Facchetti developed into one of the most effective defenders of Italian football.
With his club, Facchetti won four scudetti in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971; one Italian Cup
in 1978; two European Cups
in 1964 and 2011; and two Intercontinental Cups
in 1964 and 2011.
Facchetti made his debut for Italy
on 23 March 1963. He was capped
94 times (a record at the time, since overtaken only by Dino Zoff
, Paolo Maldini
and Fabio Cannavaro
), wearing the captain's armband 70 times and scoring three goals. He played for his country at the 1966, 1970 (where his team was runner-up to Brazil losing the final by 4–1), and 1974 FIFA World Cup
s, and was part of the winning Italian squad at Euro 68
. In March 2004, Pelé
named him one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
.
Giacinto was sent off only once, for sarcastically applauding the referee.
Over the years Facchetti held various managerial positions at Inter, including technical director, board member, worldwide ambassador and vice president. Facchetti was elected president of Inter on 19 January 2004. After a long illness, he died of pancreatic cancer
in Milan
on 4 September 2006. He is survived by his wife, Giovanna, and four children.
His former club, Inter, posthumously retired the number 3 shirt in his honour.
On 22 September 2008, a square in the town of Cesano Maderno, Milan was renamed in honor of Giacinto Facchetti.
|1960–61
||rowspan="18"|Internazionale Milano
||rowspan="18"|Serie A
||3||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||4||1
|-
|1961–62
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||21||0
|-
|1962–63
||31||4||2||0||colspan="2"|-||33||4
|-
|1963–64||33||4||colspan="2"|-||9||0||42||4
|-
|1964–65
||32||2||3||0||6||1||41||3
|-
|1965–66
||32||10||1||0||5||2||38||12
|-
|1966–67
||34||4||2||0||10||2||46||6
|-
|1967–68
||28||7||9||2||colspan="2"|-||37||9
|-
|1968–69
||30||6||3||1||colspan="2"|-||33||7
|-
|1969–70
||28||5||6||1||8||0||42||6
|-
|1970–71
||30||5||3||0||2||0||35||5
|-
|1971–72
||27||4||8||1||9||1||44||6
|-
|1972–73
||29||1||10||3||5||0||44||4
|-
|1973–74
||28||2||7||0||2||0||37||2
|-
|1974–75
||23||0||8||1||3||0||34||1
|-
|1975–76
||28||3||10||0||colspan="2"|-||38||3
|-
|1976–77
||27||1||9||1||1||0||37||2
|-
|1977–78
||18||0||4||0||1||0||23||0
476||59||85||10||68||6||629||75
476||59||85||10||68||6||629||75
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered as “La Grande Inter
La Grande Inter
Grande Inter is the name given to the Internazionale team led by Helenio Herrera that won back-to-back European Cup wins in 1964 and 1965, victories but were spotted in the light of a series of revelations published in recent years....
”. Facchetti is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking-full backs, and one of the best ever in his position.
Biography
Born at TreviglioTreviglio
Treviglio is a town and comune in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, northern Italy. It lies 20 km south of the capital city, in the lower territory called "Bassa" marked by the Adda and the Serio rivers....
, in the Province of Bergamo
Province of Bergamo
The Province of Bergamo is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of 1,098,740 , an area of 2,722.86 square km, and contains 244 comuni...
(Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
), Facchetti began his career with his hometown club, Trevigliese, as a forward. He was soon noticed by Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...
, then manager of Internazionale, who launched him in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
in the late 1960–61 season as a full back. The change of role was a good choice, and eventually Facchetti developed into one of the most effective defenders of Italian football.
With his club, Facchetti won four scudetti in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971; one Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
in 1978; two European Cups
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in 1964 and 2011; and two Intercontinental Cups
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
in 1964 and 2011.
Facchetti made his debut for Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on 23 March 1963. He was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
94 times (a record at the time, since overtaken only by Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
, Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
and Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...
), wearing the captain's armband 70 times and scoring three goals. He played for his country at the 1966, 1970 (where his team was runner-up to Brazil losing the final by 4–1), and 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
s, and was part of the winning Italian squad at Euro 68
1968 UEFA European Football Championship
-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Replay:-Top scorers:There were 7 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 1.75 goals per game.2 goals Dragan Džajić...
. In March 2004, Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
named him one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
.
Giacinto was sent off only once, for sarcastically applauding the referee.
Over the years Facchetti held various managerial positions at Inter, including technical director, board member, worldwide ambassador and vice president. Facchetti was elected president of Inter on 19 January 2004. After a long illness, he died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
on 4 September 2006. He is survived by his wife, Giovanna, and four children.
His former club, Inter, posthumously retired the number 3 shirt in his honour.
On 22 September 2008, a square in the town of Cesano Maderno, Milan was renamed in honor of Giacinto Facchetti.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4 November 1964 | Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the ward where is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. It opened in 1911 and is one of the first and oldest stadiums still in use for football and other sports in Italy.Hosts since its birth the inside of Genoa,... , Genoa Genoa Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
6-1 | Win | 1966 FIFA World Cup Q. 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The 32 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each . The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis... |
||||||
| 2. | 7 December 1965 | Stadio San Paolo Stadio San Paolo Stadio San Paolo is a multi-purpose stadium in the western suburb of Fuorigrotta in Naples, Italy, and is the third largest football stadium in Italy after the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico. For the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, it hosted the football preliminaries. It is currently used mostly for... , Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
3-0 | Win | 1966 FIFA World Cup Q. 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The 32 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each . The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis... |
||||||
| 3. | 22 March 1967 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia Nicosia Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line... , Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
0-2 | Win | Euro 1968 Q. | ||||||
| Correct as of 10 June 2011 | |||||||||||
National team statistics
|-|1960–61
Serie A 1960-61
-Final classification:-Results:...
||rowspan="18"|Internazionale Milano
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
||rowspan="18"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||3||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||4||1
|-
|1961–62
Serie A 1961-62
-Final classification:-Results:...
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0||21||0
|-
|1962–63
Serie A 1962-63
-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||31||4||2||0||colspan="2"|-||33||4
|-
|1963–64||33||4||colspan="2"|-||9||0||42||4
|-
|1964–65
Serie A 1964-65
-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||32||2||3||0||6||1||41||3
|-
|1965–66
Serie A 1965-66
-Final classification:-Results:-References:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:* :it:Classifica calcio Serie A italiana 1966 - Italian version with pictures and info....
||32||10||1||0||5||2||38||12
|-
|1966–67
Serie A 1966-67
Serie A 1966-67 season was won by Juventus, it was their second scudetto of the 1960s. The season was closely contested and went down to the final day of the season; Inter were left needing just a draw or having Juventus not beat Lazio to win the title. However, Inter lost 1-0 on the final day to...
||34||4||2||0||10||2||46||6
|-
|1967–68
Serie A 1967-68
Serie A 1967-68 season was won by A.C. Milan.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||28||7||9||2||colspan="2"|-||37||9
|-
|1968–69
Serie A 1968-69
The 1968/1969 Serie A season was won by A.C. Fiorentina.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||30||6||3||1||colspan="2"|-||33||7
|-
|1969–70
Serie A 1969-70
The 1969/1970 Serie A season was won by Cagliari Calcio.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||28||5||6||1||8||0||42||6
|-
|1970–71
Serie A 1970-71
The 1970/1971 Serie A season was won by F.C. Internazionale Milano.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||30||5||3||0||2||0||35||5
|-
|1971–72
Serie A 1971-72
The 1971/1972 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C..-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||27||4||8||1||9||1||44||6
|-
|1972–73
Serie A 1972-73
The 1972/1973 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C..-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||29||1||10||3||5||0||44||4
|-
|1973–74
Serie A 1973-74
The 1973/1974 Serie A season was won by S.S. Lazio.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||28||2||7||0||2||0||37||2
|-
|1974–75
Serie A 1974-75
The 1974/1975 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C..-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||23||0||8||1||3||0||34||1
|-
|1975–76
Serie A 1975-76
The 1975/1976 Serie A season was won by Torino Calcio.-Classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||28||3||10||0||colspan="2"|-||38||3
|-
|1976–77
Serie A 1976-77
The 1976/1977 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C..-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||27||1||9||1||1||0||37||2
|-
|1977–78
Serie A 1977-78
The 1977/1978 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C..-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
||18||0||4||0||1||0||23||0
476||59||85||10||68||6||629||75
476||59||85||10||68||6||629||75
Honours as a player
- Italian Serie A championSerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
in 1962–63; 1964–65; 1965–66, 1970–71 with Inter - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
1977–78 with Inter - European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Winner in 1963–64European Cup 1963-64The 1963-64 season of the European Cup club football tournamentsaw Internazionale win the title with a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid. It was the second consecutive season that an Italian team had won the Championship....
and 1964–65European Cup 1964-65The season 1964–65 of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Internazionale for the second time in row, in a final match against two-time former champions Benfica, making it three consecutive titles for Italy ....
and Runner up in 1966–67European Cup 1966-67The 1966–67 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Celtic for the first time in the final against Internazionale, who eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals...
and 1971–72 with Inter - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
in 1964, 1965 with Inter - 1970 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
- Euro 681968 UEFA European Football Championship-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Replay:-Top scorers:There were 7 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 1.75 goals per game.2 goals Dragan Džajić...
: Winner - FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
(125 greatest living players, as selected by PeléPeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
): 2004