 Franco Causio | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Franco Causio | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1949-02-01)1 February 1949 (age 76) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lecce, Italy | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Right winger | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 1964–1965 | Lecce | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 1965–1966 | Sambenedettese | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 1966–1968 | Juventus | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 1968–1969 | Reggina | 30 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 1969–1970 | Palermo | 22 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 1970–1981 | Juventus | 304 | (49) | |||||||||||
| 1981–1984 | Udinese | 83 | (11) | |||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Inter | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | Lecce | 26 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Triestina | 64 | (5) | |||||||||||
| Total | 570 | (76) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 1972–1983 | Italy | 63 | (6) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Franco Causio (Italian pronunciation:[ˈfraŋkoˈkauzjo]; born 1 February 1949) is an Italian former professionalfootballer who won the1982 FIFA World Cup and came through the ranks of his hometown clubLecce before making his name atJuventus for many years in the 1970s and 1980s. Regarded as one of Italy's greatest everwingers, throughout his career, he was given the nickname "The Baron",[1] because of his stylish moves on the pitch, as well as his well-educated upbringing, and his fair attitude in life.
Causio was born inLecce,Apulia, and moved toJuventus when he was 17.
After some years on loan inSerie B (playing inReggina andPalermo), he returned to Juventus in 1970. For 11 years he wore the number 7 jersey forJuventus, and played alongside notable players such asRoberto Bettega,Roberto Boninsegna,Pietro Anastasi,Claudio Gentile,Marco Tardelli,Dino Zoff,Gaetano Scirea andAntonio Cabrini. During a highly successful period with the club, he won thescudetto six times, as well as winning aCoppa Italia, and anUEFA Cup. He also reached theEuropean Cup final with Juventus during the 1972–73 season, as well as theIntercontinental Cup final that same year, narrowly missing out on a treble with the club, following their defeat in theCoppa Italia final that season, despite theirSerie A title. His best finish in the European Cup Winners' Cup was during the1979–80 season, when Juventus reached the semi-finals of the tournament.
Immediately after winning theScudetto for the sixth time in his final season with Juventus, he moved toUdinese in 1981, where he played for three years, teaming up with Brazil national team star playerZico. Following his time at Udinese he played forInter, and then joined his local town's football team,Lecce, in its debut in Serie A (1985–86). He finished his career playing forSerie B teamTriestina at the age of 39.[2]
Causio made his debut with theItaly national team on 29 April 1972 in a 0–0 draw againstBelgium, in aUEFA Euro 1972 qualifying match. He was in the Italian squad at the1974 World Cup, and at the1978 World Cup, where the Italians finished in fourth place after reaching the semi-final. He also represented Italy at the1980 UEFA European Football Championship on home soil, where they once again finished in fourth place after a semi-final finish. He was most notably a member of the Italy squad that won the1982 World Cup.[3][4] With two red cards throughout his international career, he isItaly's most red carded player ever, alongsideGiancarlo Antognoni andDaniele De Rossi.[5]
Regarded as one of the top Italian players of his generation, and one of the best ever Italian players in his position, Causio was usually deployed as awide midfielder on the right flank, although he was also capable of playing in several othermidfield positions, and was also often used as anoffensiveplaymaker, or as aleft winger. A creative, nimble, diminutive, and elegant footballer, he was gifted with excellentdribbling skills, and was an accuratecrosser of the ball. In addition to his outstanding ball control and technical ability, he was also a fast and hard-working player, who possessed notable stamina, which enabled him to cover the flank effectively, and aid his team defensively as well as offensively.[6][7][8][9][10]
Juventus[11]
Italy[11]
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