 Rava in 1935 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pietro Rava | ||
| Date of birth | (1916-01-21)21 January 1916 | ||
| Place of birth | Cassine,Alessandria,Kingdom of Italy | ||
| Date of death | 5 November 2006(2006-11-05) (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Turin,Italy | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1934–1935 | Juventus | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1935–1946 | Juventus | 230 | (11) |
| 1944–1946 | Alessandria | 38 | (5) |
| 1947–1950 | Juventus | 73 | (3) |
| 1950–1952 | Novara | 25 | (1) |
| Total | 366 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 1935–1946 | Italy | 30 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1952 | Padova | ||
| 1953 | Carrarese | ||
| 1953–1954 | Padova | ||
| 1954–1955 | Cuneo | ||
| 1955–1956 | Simmenthal-Monza | ||
| 1956–1957 | Sampdoria | ||
| 1957 | Palermo | ||
| 1958–1959 | Simmenthal-Monza | ||
| 1961–1963 | Alessandria | ||
| 1963–1964 | Biellese | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Pietro Rava (Italian pronunciation:[ˈpjɛːtroˈraːva]; 21 January 1916 – 5 November 2006)[1] was an Italianfootballdefender andcoach, who played as afull-back. He won the1936 Summer Olympics and the1938 FIFA World Cup with theItaly national team.[2]
Rava, born inCassine,Province of Alessandria, played forJuventus (1935–1946 and 1947–1950),Alessandria (1944–1946), andNovara (1950–1952). He won twoCoppa Italia in the1937–38 and1941–42 seasons, and twoscudetti in the1934–35 and1949–50 seasons. He was Juventus's captain from 1947 to 1950.[1] In total, he played in 366Serie A matches (including 303 for Juventus), scoring 20 goals.[3]
Rava appeared in 30 international matches with theItaly national team between 1935 and 1946,[4] losing only one game,[4] and he was thecaptain of theAzzurri for two matches.[5] He won thegold medal at the1936 Summer Olympics and the1938 FIFA World Cup.[2] Rumour has it, before the 1938 finals,fascist Italian Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini was to have sent atelegram to the team, saying "Vincere o morire!" (literally translated as "Win or die!"). However, no record remains of such a telegram, and Rava said, when interviewed, "No, no, no, that's not true. He sent a telegram wishing us well, but no, never 'win or die'."[6] He was selected to the"Best XI" of the 1938 World Cup.[7] Along withAlfredo Foni,Sergio Bertoni, andUgo Locatelli, Rava is one of only four Italian players ever to win both the Olympic tournament and the World Cup.[8]
As a coach, he managedPadova,Carrarese,Padova,Cuneo,Simmenthal-Monza,Sampdoria,Palermo,Alessandria, andBiellese.[9]
On 5 November 2006, Rava, who was the last surviving member of the Italy 1938 World Cup champion squad,[10] died inTurin after having had surgery on his rightfemur due to a fracture days before.[11] He had been suffering fromAlzheimer's disease for several years.[1] Juventus announced that the following day, for aSerie B match againstNapoli, the players would wear mourning armbands in his memory.[12]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Juventus F.C. captains 1942–1949 | Succeeded by |
| World Cup-winners status | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living player 3 August 2001 – 5 November 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Media's team |
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