Attila Sallustro

Football player infobox
playername = Attila Sallustro


fullname = Attila Sallustro
nickname = "Il Divino"
"Il Veltro"
dateofbirth = birth date|1908|11|17|df=y
dateofdeath = death date and age|1983|5|23|1908|11|17|df=y
cityofbirth = Asunción
countryofbirth = Paraguay
height =
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1925-1937 1937-1939
clubs = Napoli Salernitana
caps(goals) = 259 (107) 14 (1)
nationalyears = 1929
nationalteam = flagicon|Italy Italy
nationalcaps(goals) = 2 (1)

Attila Sallustro (November 17 1908 - May 23 1983) born in Asunción, Paraguay was a professional Italian-Paraguayan football player. He is considered the first true idol at the club S.S.C. Napoli.

Biography

Sallustro was born in Asunción, Paraguay to Italian parents, but moved to Naples in Italy, with his family as a youngster. He came from a wealthy background and his father wanted him to play football in Italy.

Napoli

He joined Napoli when they were first known as Internaples and stayed on with the club for the majority of his career. At Napoli he was nicknamed "Il Veltro" and "Il Divino". Due to his background, Sallustro chose not to take any financial pay from the club, though he was rewarded with a luxury motor car.

At Napoli he played for 12 years, scoring 107 goals, in a career which was halted at one point due to World War II. He had a brother two years his junior, named Oreste Sallustro (referred to sometimes as Sallustro II). The two played together at Napoli though Oreste appeared less frequently. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/players/para-players-in-it.html RSSSF.com] ] After retiring from football he stayed in Naples where he died in 1983.

International

He was called up to the Italian national football team twice in 1929 and scored for them once. One of the games in which he played was a 6-1 defeat of Portugal. Sallustro along with Marcello Mihalic was the first Napoli player to be called up to the Italian national team. [cite news|url=http://www.homestead.com/forza_azzurri/clubs_prof_N.html|publisher=Forza Azzurri|title=Napoli Statistics|date=24 June 2007]

Despite his goal-scoring pedigree at club level, he was kept out of the side during much of his playing days due largely to the inclusion of Giuseppe Meazza. This was famously much to the dismay of some Neapolitans who thought his exclusion from the squad was unjust. [http://www.pianetaazzurro.it/ATTILASALL.htm PianetaAzzurro.it] ]

References