Dino Ballarin (23 September 1925 – 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 ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
.
Club career
He arrived at
Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
in 1947, the team in which his brother,
Aldo Ballarin
Aldo Ballarin (; 10 January 1922 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Ballarin played for five seasons (166 games, three goals) in Serie A for U.S. Triestina Calcio and Torino. With Torino, he won four ...
, played as a defender. Dino arrived from the amateurs never played in any competitive games for Torino. However, he distinguished himself in the team for his dedication, which saw him first to arrive at practice and the last to leave. As a reward, his brother Aldo convinced the club to take him to
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
for a friendly with
Benfica, which would be the final game of the ''
Grande Torino''.
The decision was a great disappointment to the second goalkeeper,
Renato Gandolfi, who was notified on short notice.
[R. Ossola-F. Tavella, ''"Il romanzo del Grande Torino"'', Newton & Compton, Roma, 1993, pp. 281.] Gandolfi did not know that this event would later save his life, as both Ballarin brothers died together in the
Superga air disaster
The Superga air disaster occurred on 4 May 1949, when a Fiat G.212 of Avio Linee Italiane (Italian Airlines), carrying the entire Torino football team (popularly known as the ''Grande Torino''), crashed into the retaining wall at the back of th ...
.
In memory of their deaths, the town of
Chioggia
Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
Geography
The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...
renamed its municipal stadium in honour of the two footballers. In 1949, the town of
San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and ''comune'' in Marche, Italy. Part of an urban area with 100,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most densely populated areas along the Adriatic Sea coast. It is the most populated city in Province of Ascoli P ...
renamed its pitch, then used by
Sambenedettese
A.S. Sambenedettese S.r.l. is an Italian association football club, based in San Benedetto del Tronto, Marche. Sambenedettese currently plays in Serie D.
History
Foundation
The club was founded in 1923 as ''U.S. Sambenedettese''.
In 195 ...
, after the two brothers.
Dino Ballarin was buried in the cemetery of
Chioggia
Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
Geography
The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...
, near his brother Aldo.
Trivia
Dino Ballarin was played by
Matteo Taranto in the TV miniseries ''Il Grande Torino''.
Bibliography
*Nicoletta Perini e Davide Bovolenta, ''"Aldo e Dino Ballarin, uniti per sempre"'', Il Leggio, 2005
References
External links
Playerhistory.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballarin, Dino
1949 deaths
Italian footballers
Torino F.C. players
1925 births
Rovigo Calcio players
Association football goalkeepers
Footballers killed in the Superga air disaster