Leando Remondini was one of the greatest defenders of his generation. He started playing for Lazio late in his career but in three years he proved his quality and to this day he is occasionally placed in some of Lazio’s best ever XI's.
Born in Verona on November 17, 1917, he started playing football for his hometown team in 1935-36 in Serie B, and two years later he moved to Milan where he stayed for five seasons.
Just before the beginning of World War II he was sold to Modena. During the war years he played for Varese and Casale before returning to Modena for the 1946-47 season. That year the Canarini (canaries) reached third place in Serie A, the best result in their history. Modena’s defence established the record for the least number of goals conceded in a 20-team Serie A season.
In 1947 he signed for Lazio. He had a few problems settling in but that was mainly because he missed his family. Once they moved to Rome, all his talent exploded. He could play in every defensive position and even in attack if necessary. He was fast and powerful, very generous and one of the most loved players by the fans. And he was good at free kicks.
In a Lazio Inter of October 1947, he took a free kick that was so powerful that it not only dangerously bent back the wrists of the goalkeeper but also broke the net with the ball ending up among the spectators. He scored 19 goals in three seasons, a lot for a defender in those years. He occasionally took penalties but his shot was so powerful he often missed.
In 1950 he signed for Napoli where he stayed a year. He finished his career with Lucchese in 1951-52.
He participated in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil and played his first and only game for the Nazionale on July 2 against Paraguay, won by Italy 2-0. For 42 years he was the oldest player to debut for the Italian national team until Mauro Tassotti played against Switzerland in 1992.
Once he quit playing he became a manager. After coaching Foggia in 1954-55 he worked in Turkey until 1960, where he coached Besiktas, Altay, Galatasaray and the Turkish National squad. He came back to Italy in 1960 and coached a number of teams, but his only experience in Serie A was with Palermo in the 1961-62 season. He was manager for Modena for 177 games, the highest number of games for any coach in their history.
He died of a heart attack in Milan on January 9, 1979.
Lazio career
Seasons | Appearances Serie A | Goals Serie A |
1947-48 | 35 | 6 |
1948-49 | 28 | 6 |
1949-50 | 32 | 7 |
Total | 95 | 19 |
Sources
Opmerkingen