Pietro Rava
|
Rava in 1935 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pietro Rava | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1916 | ||
| Place of birth | Cassine, Alessandria, Kingdom of Italy | ||
| Date of death | 5 November 2006 (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Turin, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1934–1935 | Juventus | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1935–1946 | Juventus | 230 | (11) |
| 1944–1946 | Alessandria | 38 | (5) |
| 1947–1950 | Juventus | 73 | (3) |
| 1950–1952 | Novara | 25 | (1) |
| Total | 366 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 1935–1946 | Italy | 30 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1952 | Padova | ||
| 1953 | Carrarese | ||
| 1953–1954 | Padova | ||
| 1954–1955 | Cuneo | ||
| 1955–1956 | Simmenthal-Monza | ||
| 1956–1957 | Sampdoria | ||
| 1957 | Palermo | ||
| 1958–1959 | Simmenthal-Monza | ||
| 1961–1963 | Alessandria | ||
| 1963–1964 | Biellese | ||
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Pietro Rava (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛːtro ˈraːva]; 21 January 1916 – 5 November 2006)[1] was an Italian football defender and coach, who played as a full-back. He won the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1938 FIFA World Cup with the Italy national team.[2]
Club career
Rava, born in Cassine, Province of Alessandria, played for Juventus (1935–1946 and 1947–1950), Alessandria (1944–1946), and Novara (1950–1952). He won two Coppa Italia in the 1937–38 and 1941–42 seasons, and two scudetti in the 1934–35 and 1949–50 seasons. He was Juventus's captain from 1947 to 1950.[1] In total, he played in 366 Serie A matches (including 303 for Juventus), scoring 20 goals.[3]
International career
Rava appeared in 30 international matches with the Italy national team between 1935 and 1946,[4] losing only one game,[4] and he was the captain of the Azzurri for two matches.[5] He won the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1938 FIFA World Cup.[2] Rumour has it, before the 1938 finals, fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini was to have sent a telegram to the team, saying "Vincere o morire!" (literally translated as "Win or die!"). However, no record remains of such a telegram, and Rava said, when interviewed, "No, no, no, that's not true. He sent a telegram wishing us well, but no, never 'win or die'."[6] He was selected to the "Best XI" of the 1938 World Cup.[7] Along with Alfredo Foni, Sergio Bertoni, and Ugo Locatelli, Rava is one of only four Italian players ever to win both the Olympic tournament and the World Cup.[8]
After retirement
As a coach, he managed Padova, Carrarese, Padova, Cuneo, Simmenthal-Monza, Sampdoria, Palermo, Alessandria, and Biellese.[9]
On 5 November 2006, Rava, who was the last surviving member of the Italy 1938 World Cup champion squad,[10] died in Turin after having had surgery on his right femur due to a fracture days before.[11] He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.[1] Juventus announced that the following day, for a Serie B match against Napoli, the players would wear mourning armbands in his memory.[12]
Honours
Club
- Juventus
- Serie A: 1949–50; Runner-up: 1937–38, 1946–47
- Serie A-B runner-up: 1945–46
- Coppa Italia: 1937–38, 1941–42
International
- Italy
Individual
- 1938 FIFA World Cup All-star Team[7]
- Juventus FC Hall of Fame: 2025[13]
References
- ^ a b c Brian Glanville (6 December 2006). "Pietro Rava". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Pietro Rava". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Rava Pietro". Enciclopediadelcalcio.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ a b Di Maggio, Roberto (21 April 2011). "Pietro Rava - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Rava, un campione del mondo in maglia grigia". Museo Grigio (in Italian). 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ Martin, Simon (5 April 2018). "World Cup stunning moments: Mussolini's blackshirts' 1938 win". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Awards: All-Star Team". Sporting99.com Football. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Capitolo VIII: Ritratti dei Campioni del Mondo: 1938 Italia". Storie di Calcio (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ "Pietro Rava". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Morto Pietro Rava". Eurosport (in Italian). 5 November 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ Claudio, Gregori (6 November 2006). "Rava, addio a un'era mondiale". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Stasera Napoli-Juve. Assente Nedved" (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). 6 November 2006. p. 13. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Juventus creates its Hall of Fame - Juventus". Juventus.com. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
External links
- Pietro Rava at WorldFootball.net
- Pietro Rava at MyJuve.it
- Pietro Rava at databaseOlympics.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 February 2007)
- Pietro Rava at Enciclopediadelcalcio.it at the Wayback Machine (archived 3 September 2014)
- Pietro Rava at FIFA.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 October 2009)