Claudio Sala

Claudio Sala (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo ˈsaːla]; born 8 September 1947) is a former Italian footballer, manager and current commentator, who played as a winger.

Claudio Sala

Personal information
Full name	Claudio Sala
Date of birth	(1947-09-08) 8 September 1947 (age 77)
Place of birth	Macherio, Italy
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	Monza
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1965–1968	Monza	75	(24)
1968–1969	Napoli	23	(2)
1969–1980	Torino	365	(22)
1980–1982	Genoa	41	(0)
Total		504	(48)
International career
1971–1978	Italy	18	(0)
Managerial career
1989	Torino
1990	Catanzaro
1991	Catanzaro
2001	Moncalieri
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

He made his debut for Monza, later moving to Napoli, Torino and Genoa. In total he played 323 matches and scored 27 goals in the Serie A. With Torino, he won the 1975–76 Serie A, and the 1970–71 Coppa Italia.^[1]

International career

He also earned 18 caps for the Italy national football team, including playing in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where Italy finished in fourth place after reaching the semi-final.^[2]

Style of play

Nicknamed "il poeta del gol" ("the goal poet," in Italian), Sala was usually deployed as a winger, but could also play as an attacking midfielder, or even as a main or supporting striker on occasion. Regarded as one of Italy's greatest wingers, he was a quick, powerful, and highly creative player, and an excellent assist provider. He had good technical ability, as well as accurate passing and crossing ability, which allowed him to be an effective playmaker. As a two-footed player, he was capable of attacking on either wing, and was known for his ability to get past his opponents and deliver balls into the penalty area from the touchline.^[1][3][4][5]

Honours

Club

Torino^[1]

• Serie A: 1975–76
• Coppa Italia: 1970–71

Monza

• Serie C: 1966–67

Individual

• Guerin d'Oro: 1976, 1977^[1]
• Torino FC Hall of Fame: 2016^[6]

References

1. "Storie di Calcio: CLAUDIO, SALA IL POETA DEL GOL" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
2. Claudio Sala Statistics FIFA. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
3. "Scatti, dribbling e fantasia: è tornata l'ala destra" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
4. "Toro, Agroppi: "Vi racconto Gigi Meroni, il nostro George Best"" (in Italian). Toro News. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. Borgi, Stefano (28 August 2013). "CUADRADO, TRA GARRINCHA E JULINHO..." (in Italian). Firenze Viola. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
6. De Marzi, Massimo (2 December 2016). "Castellini, Fossati, Grezar e Claudio Sala inseriti nella Hall of Fame granata". Torino Oggi (in Italian). Retrieved 19 February 2021.