Salvador Gualtieri, or Salvatore as he was known in Italy, was born in Buenos Aires on May 14, 1917.
He started playing football in Argentina for San Lorenzo, the team that Pope Francis supports. In March 1940 he travelled to Italy in the hope of finding a club that could have been interested in him. Lazio was, so he signed with the Biancocelesti but had to wait until the beginning of the 1940-41 season. In the meantime he could only play friendlies.
He was a very good midfielder. Tall, excellent technique, he had a great vision of the game. Gualtieri also had a cracking shot and was an excellent header of the ball. This allowed him to score lots of goals.
He arrived during World War II but unlike many of his compatriots, he stayed in Rome and was fundamental in the winning of the Roman War Championship in 1943-44. This tournament took place during the conflict among local Rome and Lazio Region clubs, since all the other tournaments had been suspended.
He stayed for 8 years with the club and played 223 times (159 in Serie A, 20 in the Southern Serie A-B Championship, 1 in the 1945-46 Post Championship, 8 in Coppa Italia and 26 in the Roman War Championship and 9 in other tournaments during the war years) and scored 26 goals (15 in Serie A, 5 in Coppa Italia and 5 in the Roman War Championship).
He was skipper for quite a number of years and even took on the role of player-manager for a few games in the 1945-46 season. When he quit football in 1949 he stayed and became assistant to Mario Sperone in the 1949-50 season. He then went back to Argentina but almost immediately moved to Brazil where together with his former Lazio team mate Luciano Ramella he started a coffee plantation.
In 1961 he came back to Rome and in the 1962-63 season he was assistant to Lazio manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo. He later was head trainer at Crotone from 1965 to 1967.
He died in Rome on December 18, 1998.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Centre-South Serie A-B Champ. | Post Centre-South Champ | Roman War Champ. | Coppa Italia | Other |
1940-41 | 31 (4) | 27 (2) | - | - | - | 4 (2) | - |
1941-42 | 28 (6) | 26 (4) | - | - | - | 2 (2) | - |
1942-43 | 22 (6) | 20 (5) | - | - | - | 2 (1) | - |
1943-44 | 14 (1) | - | - | - | 13 (1) | - | 1 |
1944-45 | 22 (5) | - | - | - | 13 (5) | - | 9 |
1945-46 | 22 | - | 20 | 1 | - | - | - |
1946-47 | 36 (1) | 36 (1) | - | - | - | - | - |
1947-48 | 28 (1) | 28 (1) | - | - | - | - | - |
1948-49 | 22 (2) | 22 (2) | - | - | - | - | - |
Total | 223 (26) | 159 (15) | 20 | 1 | 26 (6) | 8 (5) | 1 |
Sources
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