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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Enrique Omar Sívori | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1935-10-02)2 October 1935 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Nicolás, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 17 February 2005(2005-02-17) (aged 69) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | San Nicolás, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1950–1951 | Club San Nicolás | ||||||||||||||||
| 1952–1954 | River Plate | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1954–1957 | River Plate | 63 | (29) | ||||||||||||||
| 1957–1965 | Juventus | 215 | (135) | ||||||||||||||
| 1965–1969 | Napoli | 63 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 341 | (176) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1957 | Argentina | 19 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 1961–1962 | Italy | 9 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1970 | Rosario Central | ||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | Estudiantes | ||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1973 | Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Racing Club | ||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Toronto Italia | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Enrique Omar Sívori (Spanish:[enˈrikeoˈmaɾˈsiβoɾi],Italian:[ˈɔːmarˈsiːvori]; 2 October 1935 – 17 February 2005) was an Argentine-Italianfootball player and manager who played as aforward. At club level, he is known for his successful time with Italian sideJuventus during the late 1950s and early 1960s, where he won threeSerie A titles among other trophies; he also played forRiver Plate in Argentina andNapoli in Italy.
He made his international debut forArgentina, winning theSouth American Championship in1957. Later in his career, he representedItaly and took part in the1962 World Cup. After his retirement as player, he coached several teams in Argentina.
Sívori is considered as one of the best players of his generation and also one of the greatest players of all time, he was known for his skill, speed, goalscoring, technique, creativity, and his footballing talent was widely acclaimed. He won theSouth American Championship Best Player award in1957,[1] and the covetedBallon D'Or award in 1961. He scored 432 goals in his career, including friendlies.[2]
Sívori was born inSan Nicolás de los Arroyos,Buenos Aires Province, into a family ofItalian descent. His paternal grandfather, Giulio Sivori, was an immigrant from Cavi di Lavagna, a hamlet in theprovince of Genoa, while his mother Carolina was ofAbruzzese ancestry.[3][4][5] As a youngster Sívori became heavily interested in the game offootball and by the time he reached his teens he was signed up to a side from the city ofBuenos Aires,River Plate.[3][6] The teenage Sívori was given a chance to break through into a squad which included players like the famed forwardÁngel Labruna andFélix Loustau who established themselves in the era ofLa Máquina, one of the foremost formations in football history.[7] He soon earned the nicknameEl Cabezón (bighead) from the fans, due to his hair, outspokenness, confidence, arrogance, and playing style.[3][7][8]
River was able to win theArgentine Primera División in 1955, the title was confirmed when River beat local archrivalBoca Juniors 2–1 atLa Bombonera, inBuenos Aires, with just one game remaining.[9] The same season River won the Copa Río de La Plata by beatingNacional from Uruguay. The following season he had similar success when River won the Argentine league title on the final day of the season; beatingRosario Central 4–0, with Sívori scoring the final goal.[10] Sívori would play his final game for River against the same team on 5 May 1957.
During the1957–58 season, the 21-year-old Sívori was signed by Italian clubJuventus after being spotted byRenato Cesarini. Juventus paid 10 millionpesos (the equivalent of £91,000) for the transfer, which was aworld-record transfer fee for the time. Sívori's move would prove bad for River's league fortunes, in the 18 years after 1957 they were unable to win the league in Argentina.[3][11] However, they were able to complete theirEl Monumental stadium (previously nicknamed "thehorseshoe") by adding a fourth stand bearing his name, with the money from the deal.[11]
The same season two other prominent Argentines moved to the Italian league:Antonio Valentín Angelillo (Inter) andHumberto Maschio (Bologna). The three had all been part ofArgentina's defenders that brought home gold from the1957 South American Championship. With an emphasis on the forward line positions, the team was nicknamedThe Angels with Dirty Faces, a reference to cinema's then-celebratedAngels with Dirty Faces–the team's irreverent style of play and lackadaisical attitude to training.[12] The nickname followed the trio after the tournament and their move to Italy. In Italy, the trio were nicknamedThe Trio of Death, the trio's clinical ability in scoring goals.[3][13]
Prior to the arrival of Sívori and WelshmanJohn Charles, Juventus had been going through somewhat of a slump. However, the duo along with experiencedJuventinoGiampiero Boniperti put together a formidable force and won Serie A during the 1957–58 season. Their good form continued and Sívori won two morescudetti (1959–60 and 1960–61) as well as twoCoppa Italia titles (1958–59 and 1959–60), and theCoppa delle Alpi (1963). Omar Sívori's hard work had paid off and he was namedEuropean Footballer of the Year (also known asBallon d'or) in1961.[3][14][15]
The same year as his personal achievement however, theMagical Trio as they were known, had broken up with Boniperti's retirement and the following season John Charles moved back toLeeds United. Sívori stayed on with theOld Lady, notably scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory againstReal Madrid, making Juventus the first Italian side ever to win at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium. Sívori wore thenumber 10 shirt[16] and was appointed the team'scaptain in 1963, but did not win any more championships or trophies with Juventus, and left after the1964–65 season, because of a disagreement with new coachHeriberto Herrera.[3][14][17]
With Juventus, Sívori scored 167 goals in 253 appearances in all competitions,[18] making him the club'sfifth highest goalscorer ever as of 2011. He also holds therecord for most Serie A goals in a single league match; during the 9–1 victory againstInter Milan on 10 June 1961 he scored six goals; this record is jointly shared withSilvio Piola ofPro Vercelli.[19]
In 1965, Sívori signed withNapoli,[3] helping them to a third-place finish in the first season at the club; they also won theCoppa delle Alpi.[15] After two successful seasons at the club, Napoli's squad during the1967–68 season boasted several talents along with Sívori, such as goalkeeperDino Zoff, and fellow strike partnerJosé Altafini, and were considered one of the favourites to win the league title; the club tookA.C. Milan all the way in the battle for the Serie A championship but eventually finished in second place, while Sívori was ruled out for most of the season due to a knee injury and several clashes with manager Bruno Pesaola. Ironically, Sívori's last game for Napoli was against his former club Juventus, in which he was given ared card for kickingErminio Favalli, and was suspended for six matches. Following his ban, Sívori decided to return to Argentina during the1968–69 season.[20][21]
At international level, Sívori defended theArgentina national football team eighteen times and registered nine goals.[18] The Argentine side of the time had a formidable attack with Sívori,Oreste Corbatta,Osvaldo Cruz,Humberto Maschio andAntonio Angelillo. The attacking trio of Sívori, Maschio, and Angelillo were nicknamed thecaras sucias, which literally meansdirty faces in Spanish; in reference to the film of the same name, and due to way they played the game, like fun, dirty faced, mischievous children.[3][8][22]
Sívori defended Argentina to the gold medal1957 South American Championship inLima, Peru. Argentina dominated in every game during that year'sSouth American Championship; the team's wins throughout the competition included an 8–2 victory against theColombia national football team, and a 3–0 victory against close rivalsBrazil.
Sívori moved to Italy in 1957, along with his compatriots Maschio and Angelillo. The Argentine football association banned the attacking trio from playing for Argentina, and eliminated them from the1958 World Cup.[8] Sívori's Italian ancestry enabled him to become an Italian citizen. In April 1961 he made his debut forItaly.[18] Along with several otherforeign-born Italian players, Sívori played for Italy at the1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, where they suffered a first-round elimination.[20] He would earn nine caps and score eight goals while playing for Italy.[18]
Encyclopædia Britannica has described Sívori's playing style as "audacious and brilliant";[23] a highly talented footballer, he is considered one of Italy's and Juventus's greatest ever players, as well as one of the best players of his generation. Sívori was a quick, diminutive, highly creative, and technically giftedforward, known for his pace on the ball, who used his acceleration, outstandingdribbling skills, flair, andfeints to beat opposing defenders; these included turns, flicks, quick changes of direction, and his innovative trademark move: thenutmeg, also known astunnel, in Italian, which involved him playing the ball between an opponent's legs. He was primarily a left footed player, and was an excellent finisher and a prolific goalscorer, who possessed a powerful and accurate shot from both inside and outside the area, and who had the ability to score not only with his left, but also his right foot and, in spite of his short stature, his head; this would sometimes see him receiving kicks to the face. Despite not being particularly strong, due to his slender physique, Sívori was also known for his tenacity and bravery on the pitch, as well as his professionalism as a footballer, although he also drew criticism at times for his volatile character and unsportsman-like behaviour, which often saw him argue with officials, commit aggressive tackles on his opponents, or attempt "to provoke and to humiliate" other players with his skill on the ball.[3][8][14][15][20][24][25][26][27][28][29][excessive citations]
Although he was an excellent goalscorer, especially while with Juventus, Sívori was also able to use his vision and passing accuracy tocreate chances for team-mates, working in unison withCharles andBoniperti in the club's attacking trident, and was capable of playing both in thecentre as amain striker and in a deeper role as asecond striker or inside forward on theleft side of the pitch. Because of his creative playing style, skill, eye for goal, country of birth, hairstyle, strong mentality, and at times rebellious nature both on and off the field, Sívori is often retroactively compared to another left–footed Argentine player who emerged after him:Diego Maradona, with some parts of the media dubbing him "the Maradona of the Sixties".[3][8][14][30][31][32][33][excessive citations]
Sívori retired from the playing field in 1969. Although he retired to his native Argentina as a wealthy man, his love for the game meant that he decided to take up a further career as a coach; he coached River Plate,Rosario Central,Estudiantes de La Plata,Racing Club andVélez Sarsfield.
From 1972 until 1974, Sívori took charge of the Argentina national team, and the team qualified for the1974 FIFA World Cup. Sívori was the first man to call upUbaldo Fillol to defend Argentina. Fillol would become one of the most highly regarded keepers in Argentine history. After that he became a full-timescout in South America for Juventus. In 1983, he was the head coach forToronto Italia in theNational Soccer League.[34]
In March 2004, Sívori was named byPelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers and honoured as part of theFIFA 100.[35] The following year in February 2005, Sívori died in his hometown ofSan Nicolás at the age of 69 due topancreatic cancer.[36]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 1954 | Primera División | 16 | 8 | 16 | 8 | ||||
| 1955 | 23 | 11 | 23 | 11 | ||||||
| 1956 | 23 | 10 | 23 | 10 | ||||||
| 1957 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 63 | 29 | 63 | 29 | ||||||
| Juventus | 1957–58 | Serie A | 32 | 22 | 8 | 9 | - | 40 | 31 | |
| 1958–59 | 24 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 23 | ||
| 1959–60 | 31 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 31 | ||
| 1960–61 | 27 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 28 | ||
| 1961–62 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 30 | 15 | ||
| 1962–63 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 20 | ||
| 1963–64 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 14 | ||
| 1964–65 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 6 | ||
| Total | 215 | 135 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 254 | 168 | ||
| Napoli | 1965–66 | Serie A | 33 | 7 | 33 | 7 | ||||
| 1966–67 | 20 | 2 | 20 | 2 | ||||||
| 1967–68 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | ||||||
| 1968–69 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 63 | 12 | 63 | 12 | ||||||
| Career total | 341 | 175 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 380 | 208 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1956 | 13 | 6 |
| 1957 | 6 | 3 | |
| Total | 19 | 9 | |
| Italy | 1961 | 5 | 8 |
| 1962 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 8 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina goals | ||||||
| 1 | 22 January 1956 | Montevideo, Uruguay |  Peru | 2–1 | 1956 South American Championship | |
| 2 | 6 March 1956 | Mexico City, Mexico |  Costa Rica | 4–3 | 1956 Panamerican Championship | |
| 3 | 11 March 1956 | Mexico City, Mexico |  Chile | 3–0 | 1956 Panamerican Championship | |
| 4 | 18 March 1956 | Mexico City, Mexico |  Brazil | 2–2 | 1956 Panamerican Championship | |
| 5 | 17 March 1957 | Lima, Peru |  Ecuador | 3–0 | 1957 South American Championship | |
| 6 | 28 March 1957 | Lima, Peru | Chile | 6–2 | 1957 South American Championship | |
| 7 | 6 April 1957 | Lima, Peru | Peru | 1–2 | 1957 South American Championship | |
| Italy goals | ||||||
| 1 | 25 April 1961 | Bologna, Italy |  Northern Ireland | 3–2 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 24 May 1961 | Rome, Italy |  England | 2–3 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 15 June 1961 | Florence, Italy |  Argentina | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 4 November 1961 | Turin, Italy |  Israel | 6–0 | FIFA World Cup 1962 qualification | |
River Plate
Juventus[15]
Napoli
Argentina
Individual
Sívori played the part of himself, in two Italian films.[42]
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Omar Sívori international tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
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