Danilo Martelli (27 May 1927 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
midfielder.
Martelli began his career with Marzotto Manerbio and later
Brescia. In 1946, he moved to
Torino, where he won three
Serie A titles. He died in 1949 in the
Superga air disaster.
Club career
Brescia
He began his career with Marzotto Manerbio in
Serie C. In the 1940–41 season, he moved to
Brescia, where he played in
Serie B for two seasons, and demonstrated an ability for scoring goals. In 1943, the ''Rondinelle'' won promotion to the top flight of Italian football, but this would be postponed due to the
Second World War. In the first post-war championship, Brescia won fourth place in the group of Northern Italy, but then lost a tie with
A.C. Milan for the final round.
Torino
Martelli came to the fore and was noticed by executives of Torino, whom signed him in 1946. With 72 appearances and 10 goals, he contributed to the conquest of three
Serie A titles of the ''Grande Torino'' in
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
,
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
and
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022.
* January 2 – Luis ...
.
Valentino Mazzola advised him always to be more "aggressive".
As Torino required to sell a player to balance their finances, they thought of selling Martelli, a rising star that interested many teams. His friends, however, organised a fundraiser to raise half the amount other teams would pay for him to remain at Torino.
[R. Ossola-F. Tavella, ''"Il romanzo del Grande Torino"'', Newton & Compton, Roma, 1993, pp. 203-204]
Along with
Valerio Bacigalupo
Valerio Bacigalupo (; 12 February 1924 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Born in Vado Ligure, he began his career with Savona. After a brief spell at Genoa, he moved to Torino in 1945, where he won four Serie ...
and
Mario Rigamonti
Mario Rigamonti (; 17 December 1922 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian football player, who played as a central defender for Torino F.C. and the Italy national football team. He died in the Superga air disaster together with the whole ''Grande Tori ...
, he was also part of the so-called ''Trio Nizza'', three players of the Grande Torino who lived together in a small apartment in Via Nizza in Turin.
Martelli was buried at the cemetery of his native region,
Castellucchio.
Legacy
The
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
of
Mantua was renamed after him after the
Superga air disaster.
Later, two football teams of the
province of Cremona
The Province of Cremona ( it, provincia di Cremona; Cremunés: ; Cremasco: ; Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital city is Cremona.
The province occupies the central section of Padana Plain, so the ...
(
Piadena) and
Mantua (
Castellucchio), were founded or changed their name to remember his football career: the G.S. Danilo Martelli of
Piadena because when he came from
Castellucchio he took the train to
Brescia and down to
Piadena, where he had many friends and former teammates with whom he played several tournaments during the summer; the US Danilo Martelli of
Castellucchio, his hometown.
Style of play
He was defensive midfielder, but could also play as a
full-back on either flank.
Honours
; Torino
*
Serie A (3):
1946–47,
1947–48,
1948–49
Bibliography
*Me Grand Turin, ''Sauro Tomà'', Graphot edition, 1998.
*1950/2000 Gruppo Sportivo Danilo Martelli Piadena - Cinquant'anni di calcio, amicizia e impegno - edited by Pro Loco and the community of Piadena, July 2000.
References
External links
Profile on Giulianovaweb.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martelli, Danilo
1927 births
1949 deaths
Italian men's footballers
Serie A players
Serie B players
Torino FC players
Brescia Calcio players
Men's association football midfielders
Footballers killed in the Superga air disaster
Footballers from the Province of Mantua