Mario Bertini

Mario Bertini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo berˈtiːni]; born 7 January 1944) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. Throughout his career Bertini played for Italian clubs Empoli, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Prato, and Rimini; he spent nine seasons with Inter, winning a Serie A title in 1971. At international level, he played for the Italy national team on 25 occasions between 1966 and 1972, scoring twice, and was a member of the team that reached the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final.

Mario Bertini

Bertini with Inter Milan c. 1970
Personal information
Date of birth	(1944-01-07) 7 January 1944 (age 80)
Place of birth	Prato, Italy
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1963	Prato	3	(0)
1963–1964	Empoli	31	(7)
1964–1968	Fiorentina	97	(12)
1968–1977	Inter Milan	211	(31)
1977–1978	Rimini	22	(0)
Total		364	(50)
International career
1966–1972	Italy	25	(2)
Medal record Representing  Italy Men's Football FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1970 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

During his Serie A club career, Bertini played for several Italian teams: Empoli (1963–64), Fiorentina (1964–68), and most notably Inter Milan (1968–77), where he remained for nine seasons, winning the Scudetto in 1971; he had previously also won a Coppa Italia and a Mitropa Cup double with Fiorentina in 1966. He also won the Serie C in 1963 whilst playing with Prato for a season (1962–63). He ended his career in Serie B, in 1978, after a season with Rimini (1977–78).

International career

Bertini (kneeling, second from the right) with the Italy national team in 1969

Bertini earned 25 caps for the Italy national team between 1966 and 1972.^[1] He missed out on the 22-man Italy squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, although he was still brought to England by manager Edmondo Fabbri, along with Luigi Riva, as an additional reserve in order to gain experience with the national side.^[2] Bertini played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, where he wore the number 10 shirt,^[3] as Italy managed a second-place finish. In the final, he marked Pelé in his movements in depth outside the area, although Brazil eventually defeated Italy 4–1.^[4]

Style of play

A quick, well-rounded, and hard-working defensive midfielder, Bertini was mainly known for his stamina, strength, and tackling abilities, and was also capable of playing as a defender due to his defensive attributes; although he primarily served as a ball-winner, he was a complete midfielder who was also known for his eye for goal from midfield, due to his powerful striking ability from distance, as well as his accuracy from penalties and ability to make later attacking runs from behind into the penalty area.^[3][5]

Honours

Fiorentina

• Coppa Italia: 1965–66
• Mitropa Cup: 1966

Inter Milan

• Serie A: 1970–71

Prato

• Serie C: 1962–63

References

1. Nazionale in cifre – FIGC – Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Figc.it. Retrieved on 11 July 2015.
2. "1966 – Riva: "L'Italia non sarebbe andata lontano"" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
3. Kevin Pogorzelski (2 June 2016). "Italy's No.10 tasked with proving skeptics wrong". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
4. Mario Bertini Statistics FIFA. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
5. Filippo Nassetti (31 March 2016). "Bagni: "I miei 5 mediani scudettati per 50 anni di Inter"" (in Italian). Panorama.it. Retrieved 4 July 2016.