Giuseppe Meazza

Giuseppe Meazza (August 23, 1910 – August 21, 1979) was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Inter Milan in the 1930s, scoring 243 goals in 361 games for the club. Meazza still holds a record for the most goals scored in a debut season in Serie A, with 31 goals in his first season (1929-30). At the age of 18 years, a year before the creation of Serie A when the Italian Championship was composed of 2 leagues (North and Central-South) with playoffs, Meazza played 29 matches and scored 38 goals. He became top-scorer in the pre-Serie A year of 1929. He won 3 national championships with Inter in 1930, 1938 and 1940, and was runner-up in 1933, 1934 and 1935; the Italian Cup in 1939; and was top-scorer of Serie A 3 times (1930, 1936, and 1938).

During his career, Giuseppe Meazza also played with A.C. Milan, Juventus and Atalanta Bergamo. In the 1934 and 1938 World Cups Meazza played for the Italy national team. Both of those World Cups were won by the Italian Team. In the 53 times Meazza played with Italy only six matches were lost. Giuseppe Meazza is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Italian players of all-time. Meazza was the first Italian football player who became famous worldwide, and was the first player with personal sponsors. San Siro, the principal stadium in his native city of Milan, which is today shared by Inter and cross-town rivals AC Milan, is now officially called Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.