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Valentino Mazzola ((:valenˈtiːno matˈtsɔːla); 26 January 1919 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder and occasionally as a forward. Considered one of the greatest number 10s in the history of football〔 and, according to some, the best Italian footballer of all time, Mazzola was the captain and symbol of the "Grande Torino", the team recognised as one of the strongest in the world during the second half of the 1940s, with whom Mazzola won five Serie A championships. He was also captain of the Italian national team for a biennium.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/valentino-mazzola.html )〕 He became known during his spell at Venezia, where he played as a left inside forward, a playing position he held throughout his career that allowed him to expand his fame beyond Italy. In his later seasons, he was considered one of the best players in Europe in his role. He died at the age of 30 in the Superga air disaster.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/players/player=354241/ )〕 ==Early life== He was born in Cassano d'Adda, Ricetto, a neighbourhood of abandoned homes to a very modest family. His father, Alessandro, was a labourer for Azienda Torinese Mobilità and died in August 1940, hit by a truck. His mother's name was Leonina Ratti and his four brothers were Piero, Silvio, Carlo and Stefano. He had an unsettled childhood; in 1929 his father was fired from his job because of the Great Depression. To help his family, Valentino sought work the following year, just as he finished the first year of grade school. He found employment as a baker's boy, then, at age 14, the linen mill at Cassano d'Adda. In the summer of 1929, at age 10, he threw himself into the river Adda to save the life of a boy four years his junior from drowning: his name was Andrea Bonomi, the future football player and captain of A.C. Milan. A Juventus fan at a young age, he was nicknamed "Tulen" for his habit of kicking old tin cans: which Valentino would kick on his journey between home and the linen mill. He played in his local neighbourhood team, the "Tresoldi" and was noticed by a football fan who worked as a test driver for the Alfa Romeo factory in Arese, who offered Valentino a place in the Alfa Romeo team and a job as a mechanic.〔 In 1939 he was called up to join military service in the Royal Navy, in the port of Venice; he spent a few months on the ship, aboard the destroyer ''Confienza'', and was later moved to the ''Compagnia del Porto''. In Venice he obtained his elementary school diploma, attending night school.〔 Valentino was a private person of few words. On 15 March 1942 he married Emilia Rinaldi, whom he had two sons, both players: Sandro - who played for Inter Milan and the Italian national team - and Ferruccio (who was named in honour of the president of Torino, Ferruccio Novo), born respectively in 1942 and 1945. In Turin he lived in a small apartment in Via Torricelli 66. He worked in Lingotto and reported as a FIAT worker essential to wartime production, to avoid participating directly in the Second World War. Although the Torino players salaries were very good, they were not considered exaggerated, compared to normal payroll. The players were not considered professionals and officially held other jobs; in the aftermath of the war, Mazzola owned a sports shop in Turin, where he sold footballs that he manufactured personally.〔 Mazzola, who considered himself a solitary person led a secluded life, prioritised football above all. His entertainment consisted of a few games of bowls near his house. He used to write down everything, both in regard to his personal and professional life. He was very strict and meticulous and demanded the same treatment from others; this was the main reason for separation from his first wife, who was no longer willing live with his firm discipline. He separated from his wife in autumn 1946 and remarried on 20 April 1949 to the 19-year-old Giuseppina Cutrone. On 4 May 1949, just days after his second marriage, he died in the Superga air disaster, unfortunately, as he thought he would die because of war or misfortune; a sign of fate, given his fear of flying.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Valentino Mazzola」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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