Giacomo Blason was born in Fiumicello (Udine) on March 19, 1914.
He started playing football with local team Monfalconese CNT in 1931. He began as a midfielder and then changed to goalkeeper.
In 1932 he joined nearby Triestina in Serie A. He stayed with the "Alabardati" (halberds) two years playing 60 games. After only two months in Trieste he got his first called up for the national "Azzurri" team.
In 1934 he joined Lazio who had to replace Ezio Sclavi. His first season was positive with a 5th place under Walter Alt. Blason played 29 league games.
His second season saw Lazio finish 7th under Jozsef Violak. Blason played 25 games in Serie A and 3 in Coppa Italia.
The 1936-37 season was excellent for Lazio. The Biancocelesti came 2nd in Serie A and then reached the final of the then prestigious Central European Cup (losing to Ferencvaros). Blason played 28 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 5 in Europe.
The following year Lazio finished 8th and Blason played 19 games.
In 1938-39 Jôsef Violak was replaced by Luigi Allemandi after 19 games and Lazio came 10th. The Biancocelesti managed to beat Roma at Testaccio after many years. Blason played 25 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
The 1939-40 season would be his last at Lazio. The Romans under a new manager, Hungarian Géza Kertesz, came 4th. Blason played 24 Serie A games and 1 in Coppa Italia.
In 1940 Blason joined Napoli where he stayed two seasons playing 30 times.
In 1942 he signed for Roma who were reigning champions. He was mainly a reserve keeper but did manage 21 appearances over two years. He thus became one of the few to have played on both sides of the Tiber (some others being Ziroli, Ferraris IV, Selmosson, Galli, Cordova, Petrelli, Manfredonia, Malgioglio, De Nadai, Di Mauro, Peruzzi, Muzzi, Mihajlovic, Fuser, Kolarov and Pedro). A few but not many considering Lazio's 123 years of history.
In 1945 he returned nearer to his hometown and joined Pro Gorizia in Serie B as player manager for two years. The following year he spent a season at Suzzara in Serie B and then a year at San Donà in Promozione (4th tier), again as player manager, and won promotion to Serie C.
He then retired and spent one more year at San Donà but only as manager. In 1951-52 he was manager of S.P.A.L in Serie A and the Ferraresi finished 9th. That was probably the peak of a managerial career that then took him to Adriese, Mestrina, Portogruaro, back to SPAL in Serie A (for 28 games), Chieti, Savoia, Martina and Opitergina.
At international level despite his call-ups he never got a cap for Italy. He played one match for the Italy B team.
At Lazio he had five solid seasons. He was a reliable, steady keeper and Lazio had some good seasons with a 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th place. His strong points were coming off his line and incredibly strong legs which enabled him to perform superb dives and jumps. Photos of the times certainly show Blason possessing an enviable physique. He was famous for bringing his beloved hunting dog called "Pilù" everywhere and it even took part in all the training sessions. He was also mocked by his teammates for coming from a family of carpenters who also made coffins.
He was not mocked by Lazio fans who had great respect for him even when he later joined Roma, but those were different times.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup |
1934-35 | 29 | 29 | - | - |
1935-36 | 28 | 25 | 3 | - |
1936-37 | 34 | 28 | 1 | 5 |
1937-38 | 19 | 19 | - | - |
1938-39 | 27 | 25 | 2 | - |
1939-40 | 25 | 24 | 1 | - |
Total | 162 | 150 | 7 | 5 |
Sources
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