Vittorio Pozzo - Background (1886-1928)

Background (1886-1928)

Affectionately known as Il Vecchio Maestro (The Old Master) and described as both an Anglophile and authoritarian, Pozzo's time as national coach coincided with the period in which Benito Mussolini governed Italy and it has been written that Pozzo was a beneficiary of that era in that he was able to command a type of control over players not permissible in the aftermath of that time.

In his formative years Pozzo, who had come from a reasonably comfortable background, travelled widely. He studied in Manchester at the turn of the 20th century and met Manchester United half-back Charlie Roberts and Derby County's inside-left Steve Bloomer. An Anglophile, legend has it that later in life Pozzo once purchased and never parted with a ticket to England. Pozzo played professionally in Switzerland for Grasshopper-Club Zürich during the 1905-06 season and in France before returning to Italy where he helped to found Torino FC on December 3, 1906, playing for the Turin side from 1906 to 1911. After a stint managing the Italian Olympic side at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, where Italy lost 3-2 to Finland in the first round match at Traneburg in a match refereed by Hugo Meisl, Pozzo took charge of Torino from 1912-1924. During this time he took up a management post outside of football with the Pirelli organisation and served with Italian forces in the Alpines during the First World War.