Just as Grande Torino was rising, outside forces would delay its ascension, in a way a grim forshadowing of what was to come. Although the Italian championship had continued four years into the Second World War, the Allied invasion of Italy and heavy fighting throughout the peninsula made having a championship in the 1943-1944 season simply untenable. This did not prevent Ferruccio Novo from continuing to build the squad, bringing in quite possibly his most spectacular signing to date, Italy legend Silvio Piola. In the second half of 1943, Grande Torino played only seven friendly matches, all against northern teams. The squad had a fairly easy time of it, handily winning every match except for a dropped 5-2 decision against Genoa.

The Campionato Alta Italia underway in Milan.

1944 saw the creation of a wartime championship, the Campionato Alta Italia. Although it would much later be recognized by the FIGC as an official title (although still only “decorative”), it only involved northern teams as the Gothic Line and continued fighting made the participation of central and southern teams impossible. Torino (playing as Torino Fiat) cruised through the Piedmont section of the championship, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Juventus and scoring an astounding 78 goals in 18 games followed by a nearly as impressive 21 in 8 in the semifinal stage to easily book a passage to the final. This was largely thanks to Piola, who would go on to score 31 goals in just 22 games, one of his most prolific seasons ever. Toro did miss Menti and Grezar though, who were playing with other teams in the championship due to the war. Unfortunately for Toro, they were exhausted and not ready for what hit them in final group of three. A tired side battled valiantly against a team from La Spezia but eventually fell 2-1 in an epic encounter, with Piola grabbing Toro’s only goal. The granata rebounded with a resounding 5-2 victory of Venezia, but due to Spezia’s draw with Venezia, Spezia were proclaimed wartime champions, with Torino runners-up. Despite this defeat, it is generally not considered a break in the Grande Toro’s successive run of championships. Indeed, the FIGC only officially declared it a championship in 2002 and even then it was only a ‘decorative’ championship. Furthermore, it was not truly a national championship as only northern teams participated (central and southern teams had their own regional championships) and Torino had lost many players from the 1942-43 side that would later rejoin the team after the war.

The beginning of 1945 saw the Allies push further up the Italian peninsula, but still it was impossible to conduct a national championship. Indeed, the fighting was so heavy that only a city championship could be held in the spring with Torino, Juventus, and three company/workers teams competing. Although Toro finished second to Juventus in this very erratic championship, no trophy was ever awarded, as one of the teams withdrew, some matches weren’t even played, and the use of professional players was heavily restricted. Turin was liberated sometime in late April/early May of 1945 (hard to get an exact date on this) as the Allies pushed across the Po Valley and Mussolini was executed. German forces in Italy officially surrendered on 2 May 1945 and the long process of reconstruction began. In these difficult years it would be football, and one team in particular that would help the Italian people forget their troubles.

Aldo Ballarin

As the country reconstituted itself, President Novo was hard at work. Already having a lethal attack (despite sending Piola off to Juve), the president focused on shoring up the Toro defense. First of all, Valerio Bacigalupo was brought in from Genoa to take over in goal, while speedy fullback Aldo Ballarin (Triestina), Virgilio Maroso (from the youth squad), and Mario Rigamonti (also from the youth squad) were added to the senior squad to reinforce the defense. Novo paid a handsome sum of 1.5 million lire for Ballarin and it would prove to be worth it, with the speedy back tearing up and down the right flank throughout his career at Toro and even adding a few goals. As for the 1945-46 championship itself, the fractured nature of Italy’s infrastructure meant that the championship had to have two regional sections, with the best team in each section meeting for a final, national championship. Toro cruised through the northern section, and although they ended up finishing only three points clear of second-placed Inter, they scored thirteen more goals than the next best teams (Inter and Juve) and had the best defensive record.

If that wasn’t enough, Torino made their intentions clear at the beginning of the national finals, thrashing Roma 7-0 in Rome on 28 April 1946. Torino were up 6-0 after 18 minutes of play and took the foot off the gas after that, still managing to score one more. That performance is to this day the greatest ever away victory ever recorded in Serie A. Amazingly enough, the highlights of that game can be found on YouTube (this is actually a general sports broadcast, the highlights of the game start at 1:30):

Goals: Castigliano, Mazzola, Ossola, Ferraris, Loik, Mazzola, Grezar

Despite that spectacular opening performance, Torino was able to win the championship by only a point over Juventus, with away defeats to both Milan teams and a derby loss keeping their city rivals close. Nonetheless, performances like the Roma game and 7-1 and 9-1 victories over Napoli and Livorno, respectively, helped to ensure Torino’s place as a dominant force in Italian football. The attacking brand of football Torino played during the season earned them much respect from critics and fans alike, and the team ended up scoring 12 more goals than second-placed Juventus despite finishing only a point ahead. Castigliano, Ferraris, Gabetto, Loik, Mazzola, and Ossola all reached double digits in scoring and a legend was in the making. What came to pass over the next three years would be one of the greatest yet most tragic stories of calcio.

Torino defeats Inter 1-0 in at the Filadelfia (26 May 1946):

Goal: Gabetto

To be continued…

It has been slow going for Toro in the past few days, which is disconcerting as we approach the crucial point of our mercato. We beat up yet another lower league team today, this time taking our frustration out on Ivrea, whom we beat 3-0 with goals from Abbruscato, Vailatti, and Ventola. At least we know if we go down to Serie B our strikers might actually be able to score there.

Believe it or not though, complaining about our team’s striking woes is not the point of this blog, or even this post. Since it has been a slow week for the team, I decided it would be the perfect time to start blogging a little bit about the magnificent and tragic history of this team in the hope that some readers will come off knowing a little more about how this team has come to where it is now and what role Torino has played and will continue to play in Italian football. I will continue this over the course of this blog, when there is a lull in news or I’m feeling particularly enthused and motivated. Our first subject is a special group of men whose story forever changed the world of Italian football.

Note: This is a long story, so I have divided it into three parts.

Simply the best. There are no other words I can think of to describe Il Grande Torino. Although I missed seeing them in person by about four decades, countless hours of watching clips and searching through various sources has given me an idea of just how great this team was. In many ways, this group were more than just a football team, they were a symbol of hope and optimism in a dark period of Italian history. They amazed crowds, set records, and still managed to be a part of the city life in Turin.

Part One: Beginnings

The brainchild behind this team was Torino president Ferruccio Novo, who assumed the presidency of the club in 1939, just as the world was about to descend into chaos. Novo’s start as president was a slow one. After finishing as runners-up in Serie A the season before Novo took over, Torino finished 6th in the 1939-1940 championship and 7th in the following season. However, the first elements of Grande Torino were already coming together. Forward Franco Ossola had been bought from Varese in 1939 but made relatively little impact his first season. After the end of the 1941 championship, midfielder Guglielmo Gabbeto was purchased from city rivals Juventus, where he had already made a big name for himself, with 85 goals in 164 appearances, just over 0.5 goals per game from midfield. Also added were Gabbeto’s Juventus teammates Alfredo Bodoira and Felice Borel, Liguria’s tricky winger Romeo Menti and finally Piero Ferraris.

The 1941-42 Torino team was a strong team, chasing a hotly contested scudetto along with Roma and Venezia. However, as the season wore on it became apparent that Torino would need something extra, something special, to be annual championship contenders. Novo found that something special in a pair of players currently playing for Toro’s title rivals Venezia. Valentino Mazzola and Ezio Loik were already stars in their own right at Venezia, having attracted the attention of the entire Italian peninsula even as war raged on. Novo paid a record 1,400,000 lire for both players, an unheard of sum at that time and beating a big offer from Juventus. However, as word of the transfers spread, Venezia hosted Torino in a key championship match. After Torino took a 1-0 lead, the Venezia fans began to heckle Mazzola, calling him a sellout. In response, Mazzola clenched his fists and went into a rage on the pitch, leading Venezia to a 3-1 victory and costing Torino their chance at the scudetto, which Roma went on to win by three points over the granata.

The 1942-43 championship side

Despite the loss of the championship, the team was in place. With one other addition, defensive midfielder Giuseppe Grezar from Triestina, Torino were again ready to challenge for the title. However, after disappointing losses in the opening two matches, Novo was already having doubts about his plan. What changed all this was one of the most famous derbies, the ‘debut’ of Il Grande Torino. In that game, the team came alive, putting the Juventus defense to the sword with a brace from Menti and goals from Ferraris, Loik, and Mazzola, who would all continue as crucial parts of the team. After winning the derby 5-2, Torino’s season was jump started. They destroyed Genoa, Roma, and Fiorentina, putting twelve goals past them in those three games. Despite some ups and downs, Torino managed to win their last six games on the trot, ensuring a hard-fought one point scudetto triumph over Livorno. In addition, Torino triumphed in the Coppa Italia, putting four goals past Venezia in the final, including a goal by Mazzola against his former team. The legend had begun.

To be continued…