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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1901-07-05)5 July 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 9 October 1981(1981-10-09) (aged 80) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rosario Central | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1926 | Newell's Old Boys | 141 | (78) |
| 1926–1934 | Torino | 238 | (150) |
| 1934–1936 | Genoa | 46 | (13) |
| 1937–1938 | Libertas Rimini | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 425 | (241) | |
| International career | |||
| 1919–1922 | Argentina | 15 | (8) |
| 1926–1931 | Italy | 18 | (15) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1937–1938 | Libertas Rimini | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Julio Libonatti (5 July 1901 – 9 October 1981) was an Italian Argentinefootballmanager and footballer who played as aforward for theArgentina andItaly national teams.
Born inRosario, he started his career withNewell's Old Boys in 1917. In 1925, he became the first recorded trans-Atlantictransfer, when he moved to Italian clubTorino. With 150 total goals with Torino, he is the second most prolific scorer in the history of the Torinese club afterPaolo Pulici (172). He won theScudetto with Torino in1926–27 and1927–28, although the first title was later revoked. Later in his career he also representedGenoa andLibertas Rimini.
Internationally, Libonatti won the1921 South American Championship with Argentina. He later represented Italy and won the1927–30Central European International Cup.
He was born inRosario, Argentina into aCalabrian family.[1][2]
Libonatti started his youth career withRosario Central, but began his professional career with the other team of his hometown,Newell's Old Boys. His prolific goal-scoring and acrobatic game led to Libonatti becoming a crowd favourite, and he was nicknamedMatador. In the summer of 1925, due to an agreement that allowed the sons of Italians to take advantage of dual nationality, he moved toTorino.
Libonatti also soon became a fan favourite in Italy. In addition to his acrobatic skills, typical of Argentine players, Libonatti had a tactical intelligence that allowed him to offer spectacular mains balls (in the future they would be calledassists) to his teammates. Torino's other forward,Gino Rossetti would benefit the most from Libonatti's play. Behind the two forwards was Torino's playmaker,Adolfo Baloncieri. The three became known as thetrio delle meraviglie (Trio of Wonders), and would bring Torino to win twoItalian championships (one was revolved). In the 1928–29 season, the club lost a final againstBologna, but the attack managed to score 117 goals in 33 games. With theGranata, Libonatti collected 241 appearances (239 in the league and 2 inCoppa Italia), and scored 157 goals (150 in the league seven in cup competition).
In January 1935, he left Torino forGenoa, who thanks to his contribution were able to return to the top flight. In 1937, he was hired by theLibertas Rimini, where he held the dual role of manager and player.
Libonatti first played withArgentina, winning the1921 South American Championship as the tournament's top scorer with three goals. He collected 15 caps and 8 goals with Argentina. He then played withItaly, Italy's firstOriundo to play on the national team. His first appearance was on 28 October 1926, collecting a total of 18 caps and 15 goals.
Torino
Genoa
Argentina
Italy
Central European International Cup top scorers | |
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