Alfredo FONI

Alfredo Foni began his career with Udinese at the age of 16. For several years he suited up for Lazio Roma (1929-31) and Padua (1931-34) before heading to Juventus Torino, where he remained until 1947, the rest of his active career. In his first season with Juventus they won the Italian Championship and later captured two Italian Cups (1938 and 1942). For seven championship seasons from 1935-42 he never missed a game. He had 266 league appearances for Juventus for a total of 370 games in Serie A. The four games in the Olympic tournament in Berlin were his first appearances for the national team. Foni captained the team against Norway and in the final against Austria. In the 1938 FIFA World Cup he was on the field in three matches and Italy defended their title. He was voted into the All-Star Team of tournament and is one of only four Italian players to have won both the World Cup title and an Olympic gold medal. Between 1936 and 1942 Foni wore the azure jersey in 23 matches. He played the role of right defender, paired with Pietro Rava, domestically and internationally. In 1938 he was a member of Team Europe that lost to England 3-0.

After his active career Foni worked as a coach for several clubs until 1954, leading Inter-Milano to the Italian Championship in 1953 and 1954. After Italy’s defeat against Switzerland in the 1954 World Cup he was called to train the national team, but lost his post in 1958 when Italy failed to qualify for the that year's World Cup. After stations with Roma, where he won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and Udinese, he became the Swiss national coach, leading the team to the 1966 World Cup, but was again dismissed when qualification for the 1967 European Championship was at stake. He worked another 10 years as a club coach, including a second period for Inter-Milano in 1968-69. In 1977 he terminated his coaching career with the Swiss Division B club FC Lugano. Married to a Swiss, Foni spent the rest of his life in Switzerland.