Carlo Galli was born in Montecatini Terme on March 6 1931.
After having played for Montecatini and Cascina in his early footballing years, in 1949 he met Giuseppe Viani, manager and former Lazio player. Viani got a job at Palermo and one of the first players he asked for was Galli. Viani transformed Galli into a powerful centre forward and on December 8, 1949, he debuted in Serie A and ten days later scored his first goal … against Lazio.
In 1951 the duo moved to Roma who had just been relegated in Serie B. Together with Lorenzo Bettini, Galli formed a new attacking partnership. Roma were promoted immediately and Galli was the top scorer with 13 goals. Viani at this point moved to Bologna but Galli stayed in Rome until 1956. In total he made 123 league appearances with the Giallorossi with 53 goals.
In 1956 Roma exchanged Galli for Gunnar Nordahl, so he reteamed with Viani at Milan. They would go on to win two scudetti, 1956-57 and 1958-59. He even scored five goals in one single match, a club record that still holds to this day. He obviously did it against Lazio …
In 1961 he moved to Udinese but after eight games he left to play for Genoa. He stayed there for two years, helping the Rossoblu to win the Serie B championship of 1961-62 and the Cup of the Alps in 1962. At the end of the 1962-63 season his contract expired, it was not renewed and he was without a team. He decided to quit.
In the summer of 1963 Lazio were looking for a new centre forward. They had purchased Eddie Firmani, a South African national with Italian passport who had played for Genoa, but he refused the transfer and signed for Charlton. He would become manager of the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. Orlando Rozzoni was seriously injured and manager Juan Carlo Lorenzo was forced to play with defender Gabriele Rambotti up front. Galli was on holiday, but he was approached by the club and due to the fact that his family lived in Rome he accepted.
He completely embraced the Lazio cause. He scored on his debut, against Milan, and he became the leader of the team. Sometimes he even played in defence. By Christmas, President Angelo Miceli proposed a longer contract without indicating a fee. Galli did not want a pay rise. He claimed that it was Lazio who had given him the possibility to get back to the life he loved, so he was in debt. He made 39 appearances with four goals.
Galli also has 13 caps for Italy with five goals. He played in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, scoring a goal in the second match against Belgium.
Once he stopped playing, he became sporting director for Lazio until 1971. It was Galli who “discovered” Giorgio Chinaglia and brought him to Rome.
Galli was an excellent centre forward, great header of the ball with incredible timing. He could shoot with both feet and he was also famous for his acrobatics.
He died in Rome on November 6, 2022.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1963-64 | 23 (1) | 23 (1) | - |
1964-65 | 14 (3) | 14 (3) | - |
1965-66 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 39 (4) | 38 (4) | 1 |
Sources
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