Il Grande Torino
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Torino Football Club (), commonly referred to as Torino or simply Toro, is an Italian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in Turin, Piedmont. They currently play in Serie A. Founded as ''Foot-Ball Club Torino'' in 1906, Torino are among the most successful clubs in Italy with seven league titles, including five consecutive league titles during the 1940s. The ''
Grande Torino The Grande Torino was the historic Italian football team of Torino Football Club in the 1940s, five-time champions of Italy, whose players were the backbone of the Italy national team and died on 4 May 1949 in the plane crash known as the Superg ...
'', as the team was known, was widely recognised as one of the strongest footballing sides of the period, until the entire team was killed in the 1949 Superga air disaster. They have also won the Coppa Italia five times, the last of which was in the 1992–93 season. Internationally, Torino won the
Mitropa Cup The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale or Central European Cup, was one of the first international major European football cups for club sides. It was conducted among the successor states of the former Austria-Hungar ...
in 1991 and were finalists in the UEFA Cup in 1991–92. Torino plays all of its home games at the
Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino The Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino ( en, Grande Torino Olympic Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Turin, Italy. It is the home ground of Serie A club Torino Football Club. The stadium is located in Piazzale Grande Torino, in the dist ...
(also known as the Stadio Comunale "Vittorio Pozzo" until 2006). The club's traditional colour is maroon, and its symbol is a rampant bull, the traditional symbol of the city of Turin, from which the club's nickname is derived, ''"Il Toro"'' (The Bull). Torino have a local rivalry with Juventus F.C. and the two sides contest the Derby della Mole.


History


The foundation and first steps

Football first arrived in the city of Turin at the end of the 19th century, introduced by the industrial
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
and English. By 1887, ''Football & Cricket Club'' – the oldest Italian football club – had already been founded in the capital of Piedmont, followed in 1889 by ''Nobili Torino''. In 1891 the two clubs merged to form Internazionale Torino, after which Football Club Torinese was founded in 1894. The new game quickly supplanted the popularity of pallapugno, which led to the foundation of the football sections of the sports clubs Ginnastica Torino and
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
. On 8 May 1898 Internazionale Torino, Football Club Torinese and Ginnastica Torino, along with Genoa as part of the International Exhibition for the fiftieth anniversary of the Statuto Albertino gave birth to the first Italian Football Championship. In 1900, Football Club Torinese absorbed Internazionale Torino, and on 3 December 1906 at the Voigt brewery (now bar Norman) on Via Pietro Micca an alliance was formed with a group of Juventus dissidents, led by the Swiss financier
Alfred Dick Alfred Dick may refer to: * Alfred Dick (politician) (1927–2005), German politician and school teacher * Alfred Dick (entrepreneur) Alfred Dick (Yverdon-les-Bains, 12 April 1865 – Turin 10 August 1909) was a Swiss sports executive and en ...
. Through the merger of Football Club Torinese and the aforementioned group, "Foot-Ball Club Torino" was formed. The first official match was played on 16 December 1906 in Vercelli against
Pro Vercelli Football Club Pro Vercelli 1892, commonly referred to as Pro Vercelli, is an Italian football club based in Vercelli, Piedmont. The club is mostly renowned as one of the most successful teams in the early football era of Italy, with seven natio ...
, won 3–1 by Torino. The first derby was played in the new year, dated 13 January 1907, in which Torino defeated
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
2–1. Torino successfully replicated this by a margin of 4–1 a month later and gained the right to enter the final round of the Italian Football Championship, placed second behind Milan. Torino did not participate in the
1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...
Italian Football Championship as a rule was passed which limited the use of foreign players. The club instead played in two popular "minor" tournaments: the coveted "Palla Dapples" (a silver trophy in the shape of a regulation football), won against Pro Vercelli; and an international tournament organised by
La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...
, which took place in Turin that year. Torino lost in the final to
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
side Servette. In
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
, Torino were denied their first real championship attempt by the outbreak of World War I. With one match left to play, Torino (in second), were two points behind leaders Genoa. In the final game of the championship, Torino would have had the opportunity to play the Genoese head-on after defeating them in the first leg 6–1.


The first scudetto

Heinrich Schönfeld Heinrich Schönfeld (3 August 1900 – 3 September 1976) was an Austrian footballer who played as a forward, and football manager. Club career Nicknamed "Beppo", Schönfeld was born in Kolozsvár, Austria-Hungary, and was Jewish. He made his p ...
, a
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
, joined the team in 1923 and became the top scorer in the 1923–1924 Serie A. He scored 22 goals, in 20 games, scoring 51.1% of the team's goals. The club experienced its first success under the presidency of Count Enrico Marone Cinzano, who was responsible for building the
Stadio Filadelfia The Stadio Filadelfia, originally known as Campo Torino (or simply, ''Il Fila'') is a small multi-use stadium in Turin, Italy, situated in ''Borgo Filadelfia'' in the Lingotto district. Designed by the former President of Foot-Ball Club Torino, C ...
. In attack, Torino boasted the ''Trio delle meraviglie'' (Trio of Wonders), composed of Julio Libonatti,
Adolfo Baloncieri Adolfo Baloncieri (; 27 July 1897 – 23 July 1986) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Critically regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Gianni Brera considered him one of the greates ...
and Gino Rossetti, and won their first ''
scudetto The ''scudetto'' (Italian language, Italian for: "little shield") is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in ...
'' on 10 July 1927 after a 5–0 win against Bologna. However, the title was revoked on 3 November 1927 due to the "Allemandi Case". After the revoking of the prior ''scudetto'', Torino were reconfirmed champions of Italy in the 1927–28 season. The "Trio of Wonders" scored 89 goals between them, with the title won on 22 July 1928, a 2–2 draw against Milan. After the resignation of Cinzano, the club began a slow decline in the early 1930s and often finished mid-table. It was not until the 1935–36 season that it began its revival, with a third-place finish in the league and first victory of the Coppa Italia. Renamed "Associazione Calcio Torino" due to the Italian
fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
regime, Torino finished in second place in the 1938–39 season, under the technical director
Ernest Erbstein Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...
. In 1939–40, Torino finished in fifth place, and saw the arrival of club president Ferruccio Novo. Novo provided financial support to the club and utilised his skill as a careful administrator. With valuable contributions from
Antonio Janni Antonio Janni (; 19 September 1904 – 29 June 1987) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Career Throughout his career, Janni played for Italian sides Torino and Varese at club level. Janni was a member ...
, Giacinto Ellena and Mario Sperone, Novo was able to build a team known as the ''"Grande Torino"''.


Grande Torino

The club's greatest period is encapsulated in the ''Grande Torino'', a team which won five titles in a row (not considering the interruption to the league in the
1944 Campionato Alta Italia The 1944 Divisione Nazionale, better known as Campionato Alta Italia was a football championship organized by the Italian Social Republic and disputed in Northern and Central Italy in 1944 among Serie A and Serie B teams plus others. The tournament ...
, in which the
Italian Football Federation The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence. It ...
(FIGC) in 2002 recognised only honorary value to Spezia) between 1942 and 1949, and the Coppa Italia in 1943 (due to this success, Torino was the first team to win the coveted ''Scudetto'' and Coppa Italia "double" in Italy during the same season). Torino's players formed the backbone of the Italy national team in this period, at one point fielding ten players simultaneously in the ''Azzurri''. The captain and undisputed leader of the team was Valentino Mazzola, father of
Ferruccio Ferruccio is an Italian given name derived from the Latin Ferrutio (the name of a 3rd-century Christian saint). It is also used as a surname. People with the name include: Given name A–L * Ferruccio Amendola (1930–2001), Italian actor *Ferruc ...
and
Sandro Sandro is an Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, Georgian and Croatian given name, often a diminutive of Alessandro (disambiguation), Alessandro or Alexander. It is also a surname. Sandro may refer to: Given name or nickname Sports *Sandro (f ...
, who would subsequently follow their father in becoming footballers. The typical starting lineup was: Bacigalupo; Ballarin; Maroso; Grezar; Rigamonti; Castigliano; Menti; Loik; Gabetto; Mazzola; Ossola. Their success came to an abrupt end on 4 May 1949 when the
Fiat G.212 The Fiat G.212 was an Italian three-engine airliner of the 1940s. An enlarged development of Fiat's earlier G.12 transport, it was used in small numbers in commercial service and by the Italian Air Force. Development and design The first proto ...
airliner carrying the whole team crashed against the retaining wall of the Basilica of Superga in Turin. The crash was attributed to dense fog and
spatial disorientation Spatial disorientation results in a person being unable to determine their position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular ...
due a faulty altimeter in the cockpit. The team had been returning from a friendly with Benfica played in
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 ...
. In addition to the entire team and reserve players, the crash claimed the lives of coaches
Egri Erbstein Egri can refer to following: * Agriș ( hu, Egri), a commune in Romania * Lajos Egri Lajos N. Egri (June 4, 1888 – February 7, 1967) was a Hungarian-American playwright and teacher of creative writing. He is the author of ''The Art of Dramati ...
and
Leslie Lievesley Leslie Lievesley (July 1911 – 4 May 1949) was an English football player and manager. During his playing career, his regular position was at full-back. Born in Staveley, Derbyshire, Lievesley started his career as an amateur with Rossingt ...
, two club officials, the club masseur, three journalists, and the four members of the crew.


From relegation to the title

Difficult years followed in the aftermath of the tragedy. A slow decline led to the club's first relegation to Serie B, which took place under the name "Talmone Torino" in 1958–59. The stay in Serie B would only last one season, with Torino's return to the top flight in 1960–61. In 1963, Orfeo Pianelli assumed presidency. He appointed
Nereo Rocco Nereo Rocco (; 20 May 1912 – 20 February 1979) was an Italian association football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, he is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, winning s ...
as manager and signed club icon
Gigi Meroni Luigi "Gigi" Meroni (; 24 February 1943 – 15 October 1967) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a winger. He played 145 matches in Serie A, scoring 29 goals. At international level, he represented Italy on six occasions betwe ...
, nicknamed "The Maroon Butterfly" (''La Farfalla Granata''). In 1964–65, the team finished in third place. On 15 October 1967, Meroni was killed while crossing the street after a league game. Despite the tragedy, Torino finished the season in seventh place and won the Coppa Italia. The reconstruction of a winning team, initiated by the club president Pianelli, continued with the victory of another Coppa Italia in the 1970–71 season. In the 1971–72 season, Torino managed a third-place finish, placed just one point behind
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
. Across the following three seasons, Torino placed sixth, fifth, and sixth again ahead of what would be their seventh Serie A title in the 1975–76 season. The scudetto was won after a comeback against Juventus, who held a five-point advantage over the ''Granata'' during the spring. However, three straight losses for the ''Bianconeri'', the second of which was in the derby, allowed Torino to overtake. In the final round, Torino held a one-point advantage and, until then, had won every previous home fixture. Torino hosted Cesena at the Comunale but could only manage to draw; Juventus, however, were defeated at Perugia. The title was won by two points ahead of Juventus, 27 years after the Superga tragedy. The same title race was repeated the next year in a season that saw Torino finish with 50 points behind Juventus' 51, a record points total for the 16-team league format. In 1978, Torino finished second again (tied with a Vicenza side led by Paolo Rossi), still behind Juventus but with a larger gulf in points. In later years, whilst still remaining one of Serie A's top teams, the team began a slow decline and was not able to replicate past results, with the exception of the second place in 1984–85, where the team finished behind a Verona side led by
Osvaldo Bagnoli Osvaldo Bagnoli (born 3 July 1935) is an Italian former football coach and player who played as a midfielder. Playing career Born in the Bovisa district of Milan, Bagnoli began his professional career as a midfielder with his hometown club A.C. ...
.


Journey in Europe and bankruptcy

At the end of the 1988–89 season Torino were relegated to Serie B for the second time in their history. The club was promoted back to Serie A in the 1989–90 season, and after having made important signings, qualified for the UEFA Cup under
Emiliano Mondonico Emiliano Mondonico (9 March 1947 – 29 March 2018) was an Italian professional footballer and coach. He played as a winger. His playing career was spent mostly with Cremonese, where it began and ended. Mondonico's 31-year-long managerial care ...
. The following season, Torino knocked
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
out of the
1991–92 UEFA Cup The 1991–92 UEFA Cup was the 21st season of Europe's then-tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was won by Dutch club Ajax on away goals over Torino of Italy. The victory made Ajax only the second team – after Torino's city ...
in the semifinals, but lost the final on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaker, tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the ...
to Dutch side Ajax, after a 2–2 draw in Turin and 0–0 in Amsterdam. In Serie A, Torino finished in third place. In the 1992–93 season, Torino won their fifth Coppa Italia after defeating
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
, however the club subsequently went through a period of severe economic difficulties. The club changed presidents and managers several times, but the results continued to worsen, and at the end of the 1995–96 season, Torino were relegated for a third time. After a play-off lost on penalties in the 1997–98 season to Perugia, Torino returned to Serie A in 1998–99, but were once again relegated at the end of the 1999–2000 season. The club was immediately promoted back in the 2000–01 season, and the following year finished in 11th place, and qualified for the Intertoto Cup. After being eliminated by Villarreal on penalties, Torino suffered its worst performance in Serie A, and were relegated after finishing in last place. Under
Renato Zaccarelli Renato Zaccarelli (; born 18 January 1951) is a former Italian professional footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. Club career After Giorgio Ferrini and Paolo Pulici, Zaccarelli is the third player with the most appearances for Tor ...
, Torino achieved promotion in the 2004–05 season. However, due to heavy debts accumulated under the president Francesco Cimminelli, Torino were denied entry into Serie A and the club's bankruptcy was announced on 9 August 2005. On 16 August, the FIGC accepted the proposal of a new professional entity known as "Società Civile Campo Torino", formed by a group of businessmen and led by lawyer Pierluigi Marengo. The club was granted admission to the Petrucci Law, which guaranteed registration to Serie B, as well as all of the sporting titles of "Torino Calcio." On 19 August, Urbano Cairo was officially announced as the new president of the club at the bar Norman (once known as Voigt brewery). With the sale, the club changed its name to "Torino Football Club". Torino achieved immediate promotion in the 2005–06 season after winning the play-offs. The following season, Torino escaped relegation in the penultimate round of matches. After three seasons, the club once again were relegated to Serie B. During the 2009–10 season, Cairo named Gianluca Petrachi as the new sporting director at Torino, but the club failed to gain promotion that season and the one following.


Return to Europe

On 6 June 2011, the club officially announced
Gian Piero Ventura Gian Piero Ventura (; born 14 January 1948) is an Italian football manager. His playing career as a midfielder was spent in the lower leagues, having not made the grade at Sampdoria, where he began his coaching career with the youth team in 1 ...
as the new
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
ahead of the
2011–12 Serie B The 2011–12 Serie B (known as the Serie bwin for sponsorship reasons) was the eightieth season since its establishment in 1929. A total of 22 teams will contest the league: 15 of which returning from the 2010–11 season, four of which promo ...
season, with Ventura signing a one-year contract. After a long campaign, Torino secured promotion to Serie A on 20 May 2012, after defeating
Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
2–0 in the penultimate round of the season. After achieving safety from relegation in the 2012–13 season, the 2013–14 season marked a sharp upturn for Torino, who finished seventh place, and qualified for the 2014–15 Europa League. The stars of the year were
Alessio Cerci Alessio Cerci (; born 23 July 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger. Cerci started his professional football career at Roma, playing four times for the first team before serving periods on loan at Brescia, Pisa an ...
and Ciro Immobile; the latter finished as the top scorer in Serie A. The 2014–15 season saw Torino reach the round of 16 of the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Zenit Saint Petersburg. In the league, Torino finished ninth, and in spring, won their first derby in 20 years. The following year, Torino finished the 2015–16 season in twelfth place, after which Ventura, after five years in charge, left the club for the Italy national football team. He was replaced by Siniša Mihajlović, who finished the 2016–17 season in ninth place. He was replaced by
Walter Mazzarri Walter Mazzarri (; born 1 October 1961) is an Italian former footballer and head coach, most recently in charge of Serie A club Cagliari. After a 14-year playing career with Italian clubs including Reggiana and Empoli, Mazzarri coached several ...
in January, who guided the club to another ninth-place finish at the end of the 2017–18 season. The following season Torino finished in seventh place and qualified for the Europa League after a five-year absence. Torino finished the season on 63 points, a club record since the introduction of the three points system in 1994. Torino, however, would fail to enter the group stages of the 2019–20 Europa League after being eliminated in the play-offs by Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the league, after a strong start to the season, Torino collapsed and only obtained a minimum achievement of safety from relegation. The following season was also negative, and marked by the alternation on the bench of managers
Marco Giampaolo Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian coach (sport), manager, and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A cl ...
and Davide Nicola. Torino managed only to achieve safety from relegation on the penultimate round of the season with a 0–0 draw away against Lazio. The following season saw the arrival of
Ivan Jurić Ivan Jurić (; born 25 August 1975) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Torino. Jurić spent most of his playing career, as a midfielder, and his entire managing career in Italy. Playing ca ...
on the bench, who guided the club to a tenth place finish.


Colours and badge

The first uniform used by Torino only a few days after its foundation and in the first game of its history against
Pro Vercelli Football Club Pro Vercelli 1892, commonly referred to as Pro Vercelli, is an Italian football club based in Vercelli, Piedmont. The club is mostly renowned as one of the most successful teams in the early football era of Italy, with seven natio ...
was striped orange and black, similar to the kits used by Internazionale Torino and Football Club Torinese, the historical predecessors of the newly formed club. Incidentally the colours were too similar to that of the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
s, historical enemies of the then ruling Italian house and considered inappropriate. Given the need to adopt a definitive color the founders opted in the end for granata, a dark shade of red similar to
burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
. The most widely accepted story is that it was adopted in honour of the
Duke of the Abruzzi Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...
and the
House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
, which, after the victorious liberation of Turin from the French in 1706, adopted a blood-colored handkerchief in honour of a messenger killed bringing the news of victory. Other accounts, considered less reliable, speak of a tribute to the founder Alfredo Dick, who was a fan of the Genevan team Servette, the Swiss club of the founders homeland, or a reference to the English club Sheffield, the oldest football club in the world, whose colours were also initially adopted by Internazionale Torino. There is even the possibility that the dark red was created by chance, as a result of repeated washing—a reconstruction that is found with many other club's football kits—among the uniforms that were red with black socks; the colour derived, being considered a good omen, would eventually be chosen as the official colour. Previously, the club had tried to obtain permission to use royal blue, but the monarchs of Italy were reluctant to grant the use of their dynastic color to a single team, as opposed to a few years later, when
Azure Azure may refer to: Colour * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 ...
adopted by the various national sports teams. Since then, the traditional home uniform of Torino has been composed of a kit combined with traditionally white but occasionally also maroon shorts, and black socks cuffed maroon. It has not been unusual however to see the team take to the field with maroon socks, especially at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s when the team permanently adopted a complete maroon kit. The away uniform, usually in reverse colours, consists of a white shirt with contrasting cuffs, maroon or sometimes white shorts, white socks and a maroon lapel. Cyclically, an away shirt with a diagonal maroon band has also been used. This is an homage to River Plate, the Argentine club which has had close historical ties to Torino since the tragedy of Superga. the shirt was debuted on 6 January 1953 in a league match against Milan, ending 1–1. The Torino club badge has always featured a rampant bull, the symbol of the city of Turin. The current badge was adopted in the 2005–06 season, the first following the bankruptcy of ''Torino Calcio''. The "1906" on the left side of the shield was later added to denote the founding year of the historic ''Foot-Ball Club Torino''. In the 1980s, the Torino badge was square in shape with a stylised bull and the words "Torino Calcio." This badge is still held in high regard by the fans, and in 2013 it was voted by the readers of ''
Guerin Sportivo The ''Guerin Sportivo'' is an Italian sports magazine. It is the oldest sport magazine in the world. Journalists who worked for the magazine include Gianni Brera, Indro Montanelli, Giorgio Tosatti, Darwin Pastorin, Carlo Nesti, Mario Sconcerti ...
'' as the most beautiful club logo of all time. From 1990 until the bankruptcy, the badge in use recalled the one used at the time of the ''
Grande Torino The Grande Torino was the historic Italian football team of Torino Football Club in the 1940s, five-time champions of Italy, whose players were the backbone of the Italy national team and died on 4 May 1949 in the plane crash known as the Superg ...
'', with the important difference that the right side of the oval crossed the letter "T" and "C" (initials of "Torino Calcio") instead of the letters "A", "C" and "T" (initials of "Associazione Calcio Torino"). In 2017, the Irish club Wexford Youths renamed itself
Wexford F.C. Wexford Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crossabeg, County Wexford. They compete in the League of Ireland First Division. The club joined the league after being awarded a First Division licence for the 2007 League ...
and adopted a new crest with rampant bull, inspired by Torino's. Club chairman Mick Wallace is known to be a Torino fan.


Stadium

The first official match after the club's foundation, a derby match against Juventus, took place on 13 January 1907 at the Stadio Velodrome Umberto. The club later moved to the ''Piazza d'armi'', which comprised numerous pitches: from 23 January 1911, the ''Lato Ferrovia''; and from 26 February 1911, the ''Lato Crocetta''. Towards the end of 1913 the club moved to the ''Stradale Stupinigi''; with the outbreak of the First World War, the stadium was requisitioned for military purposes. From 11 October 1925 until the end of the 1925–26 season, Torino played their home games at ''Motovelodromo Corso Casale'' (now restored, it is dedicated to Fausto Coppi and also hosts American football matches), while awaiting their move to the
Stadio Filadelfia The Stadio Filadelfia, originally known as Campo Torino (or simply, ''Il Fila'') is a small multi-use stadium in Turin, Italy, situated in ''Borgo Filadelfia'' in the Lingotto district. Designed by the former President of Foot-Ball Club Torino, C ...
. The "Fila" as it was known was heavily associated with the exploits of the ''
Grande Torino The Grande Torino was the historic Italian football team of Torino Football Club in the 1940s, five-time champions of Italy, whose players were the backbone of the Italy national team and died on 4 May 1949 in the plane crash known as the Superg ...
'' team of the 1940s: opened on 17 October 1926 with a match against Fortitudo Roma, it hosted Torino's games continuously until 11 May 1958 (the final match being a 4–2 victory over Genoa). In the 1958–59 season, the club briefly moved to the Stadio Comunale: the move was short-lived however, as the club was relegated to Serie B that year, and returned to the Filadelfia out of superstition. Torino played the entirety of the 1959–60 season and the next at the Filadelfia, but in 1961–62 and 1962–63 the club began to use the Comunale for "special" matches. The move to the Comunale, a stadium with a standing capacity of 65,000, was completed in 1963–64, and Torino remained there until 27 May 1990 when the stadium was abandoned in favour of the Stadio delle Alpi. Built specifically for the
1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...
, the Stadio delle Alpi was home to Torino from 1990 to 2006. Following the reconstruction carried out to make the stadium suitable to host the
2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics (''Torino 2006'') was held on 10 February 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET (UTC+1) at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy. The ceremony was attended by 35,000 spectators with the presence of numerous ...
and
closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
, Torino returned to the Stadio Comunale, renamed the
Stadio Olimpico The Stadio Olimpico (English: ''Olympic Stadium'') is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian Na ...
. The new capacity was now 27,958 seated, reduced by about 38,000 from the original in compliance with modern safety standards. In April 2016, the Olimpico was renamed in honour of the ''Grande Torino''. The Stadio Filadelfia also served as the training ground of Torino from 1926 to 1993. More recently, from 2006 to 2017, the team's training base was the Sisport di Corso Unione Sovietica. In the 2017–18 season, Torino returned to training at the reconstructed Filadelfia.


Players


Current squad


Out on loan


Notable players

;FIFA World Cup winners *
Giuseppe Dossena Milan (, , Milanese: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...
(1982) ;UEFA European Championship winners * Giorgio Ferrini (1968) * Lido Vieri (1968) *
Salvatore Sirigu Salvatore Sirigu (, ; born 12 January 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Fiorentina and the Italy national team. Sirigu began his career with Venezia, and then Palermo. In 2011, he moved to Paris Sa ...
(2020)


Torino and the Italy national team

Among the players of Torino to win international honours with the Italy national football team are
Adolfo Baloncieri Adolfo Baloncieri (; 27 July 1897 – 23 July 1986) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Critically regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Gianni Brera considered him one of the greates ...
,
Antonio Janni Antonio Janni (; 19 September 1904 – 29 June 1987) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Career Throughout his career, Janni played for Italian sides Torino and Varese at club level. Janni was a member ...
, Julio Libonatti and Gino Rossetti, all winners with Italy at the
Central European International Cup The European International Cup of Nations was an international football competition held by certain national teams from Central Europe & South Europe between 1927 and 1960.Leo Schidrowitz "Internationaler Cup", Vienna 1954 There were competitions f ...
1927–30, and who (with exception of Libonatti) also won bronze medals at the
1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
. Subsequently, Lido Vieri and Giorgio Ferrini were victorious at the 1968 European Championship with the ''Azzurri'', whilst
Giuseppe Dossena Milan (, , Milanese: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...
won the FIFA World Cup in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
. On 11 May 1947, during a friendly match between Italy and Hungary that finished 3–2, Vittorio Pozzo fielded 10 players who were at Torino; this remains the largest number of Italian players fielded from the same club in the same match in the history of the Italy national team. With 74 players having represented Italy throughout the club's existence, Torino is the fifth ranked Italian club for number of players capped by the ''Azzurri'' (sixth by number of total admissions). Francesco Graziani is the Torino player who has accumulated the most appearances (47) and goals (20) for Italy. On 11 June 2017,
Andrea Belotti Andrea Belotti (; born 20 December 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Roma and the Italy national team. Belotti started his career with AlbinoLeffe. He was later signed by Palermo, where he won a S ...
scored the hundredth goal of a Torino player in an ''Azzurri'' shirt, during a
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...
match against Liechtenstein.


Youth system

The Torino youth system is formed of four men's teams that participate in separate national leagues ( Primavera, Beretti, Allievi Nazionali Serie A & B, and Allievi Nazionali Lega Pro) and three that participate at regional level (Giovanissimi Nazionali, Giovanissimi Regionali A & B). Torino was one of the first Italian clubs to adopt a youth system, organised as early as the 1930s and is considered one of the best in Italy. Domestically, Torino hold the record for most championships won in both the
Campionato Nazionale Primavera The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in th ...
with nine titles, and the
Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti Campionato Primavera 3, formerly Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti (or simply ''Campionato Berretti''), is an Italian football competition played by youth teams (under 19) organized by the Lega Pro, and mainly composed by Serie C clubs but also ...
with 10 titles. In addition, they have won the
Coppa Italia Primavera The Coppa Italia Primavera (Italian for Spring Italian Cup) is an Italian football competition played by youth teams from Campionato Primavera. All players are under 20 of age. The first edition was held in the 1972–73 season. Due to sponsorshi ...
a record eight times, and the prestigious Torneo di Viareggio six times. The players developed in the Torino youth system were nicknamed "Balon-Boys" in honour of
Adolfo Baloncieri Adolfo Baloncieri (; 27 July 1897 – 23 July 1986) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Critically regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Gianni Brera considered him one of the greates ...
, the player and club icon who ended his Torino career in 1932. The Torino youth system has developed numerous renowned players, including actor and journalist Raf Vallone, who devoted himself to a career in the arts after his debut for the first team.


Non-playing staff


Board of directors


Staff


Notable coaches


Supporters and rivalries

The fans of Torino hold a number of distinctions, including the first ever organised supporters group in Italy, the Fedelissimi Granata, founded in 1951. The fans also displayed the first banner of an organised club, at the
Stadio Filadelfia The Stadio Filadelfia, originally known as Campo Torino (or simply, ''Il Fila'') is a small multi-use stadium in Turin, Italy, situated in ''Borgo Filadelfia'' in the Lingotto district. Designed by the former President of Foot-Ball Club Torino, C ...
, and organised the first away trip by plane in Italian football, in 1963, during a game against
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
. It was at the Filadelfia that Oreste Bolmida, the trumpeter fan made famous by the film '' Ora e per sempre'' also performed. In the 1970s the fans began to organise the club's first choreographies, which were used in commercials of French carmaker Renault in the subsequent decade. In 1979, the ''curva Maratona'' was awarded "the most beautiful stand of Europe" by French magazine
Onze Mondial ''Onze Mondial'' is a French language quarterly football magazine published in Paris, France. History and profile The magazine was established with name ''Onze'' in 1976. In 1989 the magazine merged with another sports magazine, ''Mondial'', and ...
; an image of this section of the stadium was later featured on the cover of France Football on 21 December 1979. The fans of Torino are "twinned" with the fans of Fiorentina. The link between the two sides was born in the early 1970s due to a common anti-
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
sentiment and the closeness of the ''Viola'' after the Superga tragedy. Supporters of Torino are on good terms with the ''curva nord'' of
Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...
and ''curva sud'' of Nocerina. The friendship between Brazilian club Corinthians and Torino dates back to 1914; that year, Torino became the first Italian club to travel South America on tour. The club played six friendly matches, two of which were against Corinthians, and despite the results on the field, the two clubs established friendly relationships. On 4 May 1949, when the ''Grande Torino'' team perished in plane crash of Superga, Corinthians paid tribute to the Italians in a friendly match against Portuguesa when its starting XI took to the field in Torino's kit. The Argentines of River Plate are historically twinned with Torino, since the time of the Superga disaster. In the period following the disaster, the Argentine club was very close to the Italian club, organising a friendly and fundraiser to help the devastated team. On 26 May 1949, River flew to Turin to play a friendly charity match organised by the FIGC, together with a selection that included the strongest Italian players of the era, gathered under the name of "Torino symbol." As a testimony to the relationship between the two clubs, the away jersey of the Argentine club has been maroon on several occasions (most recently, the 2005–06 season) while Torino have sported several variations of an away kit with a diagonal band, an homage to River's home kit. The bond with the Portuguese of Benfica is also very strong, the last to have met the Grande Torino before the aerial disaster of Superga. Other supporters with whom there is a friendship are supporters of English club
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Torino's historical rivalries are with
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
, Piacenza, Verona, Lazio, Perugia, Internazionale, Atalanta,
Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A (in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seas ...
and Ancona. Torino's friendship with Genoa turned negative as a result of Genoese festivities during the Torino–Genoa match on 24 May 2009 won by the ''Rossoblu''; the result contributed to Torino's relegation to Serie B. On 16 December 2012, the day when the two clubs met for the first time after Torino's return to Serie A, clashes erupted between the two club's organised supporters. The rivalry with city rivals Juventus is the most heated, with the two teams taking part in the '' Derby della Mole'', one of the most popular derbies in Italian football and the oldest still played.


Honours


Domestic


League

* Italian Football Championship / Serie A :*Winners (7): 1927–28, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1975–76 :*''Runners-up'' (7):
1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...
, 1914–1915, 1928–1929, 1938–1939, 1941–42, 1976–77, 1984–85 * Serie B :*Winners (3): 1959–60, 1989–90, 2000–01 :*''Runners-up'' (2): 2004–05, 2011–12


Cups

* Coppa Italia :*Winners (5): 1935–36, 1942–43, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1992–93 :*''Runners-up'' (8): 1937–38, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1969–70, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1987–88 *
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...
:*''Runners-up'' (1):
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...


European

*
Mitropa Cup The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale or Central European Cup, was one of the first international major European football cups for club sides. It was conducted among the successor states of the former Austria-Hungar ...
:*Winners (1): 1990–91 * UEFA Cup :*''Runners-up'' (1): 1991–92


Others

*
Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva The Torneo Internazionale ''Stampa Sportiva'' (English: ''The'' Sport Press ''International Tournament'') was an early international football competition. Held in 1908, it predated the more famous Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy by a year. Organised by I ...
: **''Runners-up'' (1): 1908 * Anglo-Italian League Cup :*Runners-up (1): 1971


Friendly

*
Eusébio Cup The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at E ...
:*Winners (1): 2016 * Amsterdam Tournament: **''Runners-up'' (1): 1987 *Torneo Interfederale Coppa Torino: **''Runners-up'' (1): 1910 Notes:
Torino won the title in the 1926–27 season, but it was later revoked.


Statistics and records

Torino is in 8th place in the Serie A all-time standings, which takes account of all the football teams that have played in the top flight at least once. In the Italian league, the team has finished in first place on eight occasions, although the club has only won seven championship titles, seven times in second place and nine times in third place. In 100 seasons, including 18 in various championships that preluded the single round format (Torino withdrew in
1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...
and the 1915–16 Coppa Federale is not recognised), 73 in Serie A and 12 in Serie B, the club has finished on the podium in 23% of cases. In the 2006–07 season, Torino, for the first time in history played at a level higher than
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
: while the ''Granata'' competed in Serie A, Juventus took part in Serie B following the aftermath of the ''
Calciopoli ''Calciopoli'' () was a sports scandal in Italy's top professional association football league Serie A and to a lesser extent Serie B. Involving various clubs and numerous executives, both from the same clubs and from the main Italian football b ...
'' scandal. Giorgio Ferrini holds the club's official appearance record with 566 appearances (plus 56 goals) accumulated between 1959 and 1975. The record for the most goals scored is held by
Paolo Pulici Paolo Pulici (; born 27 April 1950) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a striker. With 172 goals in all competitions, he is the all-time record goalscorer for Torino. He had several nicknames: amongst the most f ...
, with 172 official goals (in 437 appearances) between 1967 and 1982. Eight different Torino players have won the '' Capocannoniere'' award for league top scorer in the Italian top flight: the first was the Austrian
Heinrich Schönfeld Heinrich Schönfeld (3 August 1900 – 3 September 1976) was an Austrian footballer who played as a forward, and football manager. Club career Nicknamed "Beppo", Schönfeld was born in Kolozsvár, Austria-Hungary, and was Jewish. He made his p ...
with 22 goals in 1923–24. He was followed by the Italian Argentine Julio Libonatti, who scored 35 goals in 1927–28 and Gino Rossetti (36) in 1928–29. Rossetti's tally of 36 goals remains the highest number of goals ever scored to win the award.
Eusebio Castigliano Eusebio Castigliano (; 9 February 1921 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Castigliano played professional club football for Pro Vercelli, Spezia, Biellese and Torino where he was part of the ''Gra ...
was the leading scorer (13) of the first season after the Second World War (
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
46), followed by Valentino Mazzola in 1946–47 (29). Torino would have to wait almost 30 years before another league top scorer emerged, namely when
Paolo Pulici Paolo Pulici (; born 27 April 1950) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a striker. With 172 goals in all competitions, he is the all-time record goalscorer for Torino. He had several nicknames: amongst the most f ...
broke his low-scoring streak in the mid-1970s and won the award in 1972–73 (17), 1974–75 (18) and 1975–76 (21). He was succeeded by teammate Francesco Graziani in 1976–77 who scored 21 goals. After almost 40 years without a top-scorer from Torino, Ciro Immobile (22) established himself as the league's top scorer in 2013–14.


Divisional movements


Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors


See also

* Dynasties in Italian football


References


External links


Torino FC Official websiteTorino FC
at Serie A
Torino FC
at UEFA.com {{Authority control Association football clubs established in 1906 Football clubs in Italy Football clubs in Turin Italian football First Division clubs Serie A clubs Serie B clubs Serie A winning clubs Coppa Italia winning clubs 1906 establishments in Italy Phoenix clubs (association football) 2005 establishments in Italy