Gino Cappello

Who was Gino Cappello?

Gino Cappello was an Italian football player.

A native of Padua, he debuted for the Italian national team on May 22, 1949 in a 3-1 win against Austria. He was one of four players to play both games at the 1950 World Cup. Four years later he played his last game for the national team at the 1954 World Cup in a 4-1 win against Belgium.

Despite not having the best dribbling skills, he played center forward like a natural. His main characteristic was to become completely separated from the game for long periods only to suddenly pull off the winning shot or a crucial assist. After two seasons in Serie B with Padova, he landed in Serie A with Milan in 1940. In the three seasons at Milan he was always the second leading scorer unfortunately Milan was not a major contender then. After the war he went to Bologna where he played for ten straight seasons. He scored 80 goals in 245 games leaving a mark on the fans not to be forgotten. In his last two seasons he played for Novara in Serie B. Genius and dissolute, Gino Cappello is also known for having had two life bans;once in 1952 in a summer game for punching a referee, he served 12 months of a suspension before being absolved.