Roberto Bettega

Roberto Bettega

Bettega with Juventus in 1971
Personal information
Full name	Roberto Bettega
Date of birth	(1950-12-27) 27 December 1950 (age 74)
Place of birth	Turin, Italy
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Juventus
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1983	Juventus	326	(129)
1969–1970	→ Varese (loan)	30	(13)
1983–1984	Toronto Blizzard	48	(11)
Total		404	(153)
International career
1975–1983	Italy	42	(19)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Bettega (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto ˈbɛtteɡa]; born 27 December 1950) is an Italian former footballer who played as a forward.

A prolific and athletic player, Bettega is mostly remembered for his successful time at his hometown club Juventus, where he won several titles and established himself as one of Italy's greatest ever players due to his strength, skill, goalscoring ability, and creativity. He was nicknamed La penna bianca ("White Feather") due to his appearance,^{[1][1][2][3][4]} and Bobby Gol! due to his eye for goal.^[4]

At international level, he represented Italy at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, and at the 1980 European Championships, helping his team to fourth-place finishes on both occasions; he was unable to take part at the 1982 World Cup, which Italy won, due to injury.^[2][5]

In December 2009, Bettega was officially appointed deputy director-general of Juventus. His role was to act as an intermediary between the players and coaching staff and the upper echelons of the club, as well as taking an active involvement in all of the Old Lady's transfer dealings.^[2] Bettega left the role a short time later in 2010 after the appointment of Luigi Del Neri as manager.^[6]

Club career

Early career

A 14-year-old Bettega with Juventus Youth Sector in 1964

Born in Turin, Bettega joined the Juventus Primavera squad in 1961 as a midfielder. Bettega spent the 1968–69 campaign on the bench. At the age of 19 Bettega was loaned to the Varese F.C. in Serie B. Under Nils Liedholm, the coach of Varese, Bettega hit 13 goals to help the side finish top and gain promotion to Serie A.

Nils Liedholm said of Bettega, "He allies tremendous athletic strength with impressive technical skills. He is particularly strong in the air, and can kick the ball with either foot. All he needs is to build up experience, and then he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with."^[1]

Professional career

Back at Juventus, Bettega made his Serie A debut away to Catania on 27 September 1970. He scored the winning goal. Bettega ended the season with 13 goals in 28 matches. The following season, he scored ten goals in only 14 matches.^[2]

Bettega in 1972, during his period of enforced rest, talks with juventino teammate Fabio Capello (left).

He scored a goal against Fiorentina on 16 January 1972, but this was to be his last for a while because he was forced out of the game with a lung infection and the initial stages of tuberculosis, although he was still able to contribute to Juventus's Serie A title victory that season. He was not out for long, and returned on 24 September of the same year, leading the team to their second successive league title that season.^[7]

With the arrival of Giovanni Trapattoni in 1976 as coach, Bettega found himself becoming the main frontman of the bianconeri in the late 70s; the former player to take this position, Pietro Anastasi, moved to Internazionale in the summer of that year, and Bettega partnered with his replacement, Roberto Boninsegna, leading the team to notable domestic and European success during this period, including back to back Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and an UEFA Cup triumph; Juventus also reached the European Cup final during the 1972–73 season, as well as the Intercontinental Cup final, and managed a semi-final finish in the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup.^[2][8]

Bettega won the Serie A title with Juventus yet again during the 1980–81 season, but did not feature extensively in Juventus's victorious defense of their Serie A campaign during the 1981–82 season, as he suffered knee ligament damage in a collision with an opposing goalkeeper during a 1981 European Cup match against Anderlecht.^[9] After finally regaining full fitness, he took to the pitch for the 1982–83 season, which would be his final season with the club. He retired from playing in Europe after Juventus lost the 1983 European Cup Final against Hamburg in Athens.^[10]

Claudio Gentile (left) and Bettega with bianconeri in the 1974–75 season

In total, Bettega made 326 league appearances for Juventus, scoring 129 league goals^[11] and enjoyed a highly successful career, winning seven league titles between 1972 and 1982, the 1977 UEFA Cup (in which he scored in the final) and the 1978-79 Coppa Italia titles. He also won the Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer) in the 1979–80 season. Regarded as one of Juventus's best ever players, Bettega scored 179 goals for Juventus in all competitions, in 490 matches, including 22 goals in 74 Coppa Italia matches, and 27 goals in 81 European matches.^[2][5]

After retiring from European football, Bettega played two summers in the NASL with the Toronto Blizzard, helping the team to two second-place finishes during his two seasons with the club.^[2][3]

International career

Bettega played 42 times for Italy national team, scoring 19 goals between 1975 and 1983. In 1975, Bettega got his first call-up for a match against Finland. He went on to play in the 1978 FIFA World Cup where he scored two goals to help Italy reach the second round, where they were defeated by the Netherlands, which denied them a spot in the final. Italy finished fourth after losing the third place play-off to Brazil at Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespuci, Buenos Aires.^[12] Bettega was named in the Team of the Tournament for his performances. Bettega also helped Italy to a fourth-place finish at the 1980 European Championship, a tournament played on home soil.^[13]

From left to right: manager Enzo Bearzot, Marco Tardelli and Bettega celebrates an Italian victory over England in 1976.

He was set to represent Italy at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but suffered a knee ligament injury in a collision with an opposing goalkeeper during a 1981 European Cup match against Anderlecht, missing out on the '82 tournament, in which Italy were victorious.^{[2][3][5][14]}

Style of play

Bettega was regarded as a player of noteworthy tactical intelligence, and in his prime, he was one of the most feared Italian strikers, due to his physical strength and prolific goalscoring ability.^[2] A tall, quick, agile, and athletic player, Bettega excelled in the air, and was known for scoring acrobatic goals, due to his elevation, coordination, opportunism, and timing, as well as his ability to make attacking runs to get on the end of crosses, and was an accurate and a clinical finisher with either foot.^[1][15] His elegance, aerial strength, and prematurely greying hair earned him the nickname Cabeza Blanca ("white head," in Spanish).^[15]

One of Bettega's most iconic goals, the back-heel versus A.C. Milan at San Siro in 1971.

Considered one of the greatest Italian footballers of all-time, Bettega was also regarded as a complete and modern team player, as he was capable of playing both as a midfielder and as a forward, courtesy of his stamina, vision, passing ability, and outstanding technical skills, which led him to be compared to former Juventus legend John Charles. He was usually used as a centre-forward earlier on in his career, but was also able to play in several other attacking roles, including as a left winger, and was even deployed in a more creative role, as a supporting striker, or as an attacking midfielder, during his later career, in particular after losing some of his natural pace, agility, and mobility. In addition to his ability as a footballer, Bettega also stood out for his personality, determination, and leadership throughout his career. Despite his playing ability, his career is thought to have been affected by his injuries, in particular during the later part of his career.^{[2][3][16][17]}

After retirement

Bettega later returned to Juventus at the request of the club's chairman at the time, Umberto Agnelli, who asked him to be vice-chairman of the board of directors. He served the position from 1994 to 2006. He returned to Juventus again in 2009 as vice general manager.^[18][19] However, his return was short lived, after Andrea Agnelli became chairman and Giuseppe Marotta became CEO and general manager of the club in 2010.

Personal life

Bettega has a son named Alessandro who also started his career in the Juventus system and was the captain of the Primavera team.^[20]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Varese	1969–70	Serie B	30	13	3	0	–		33	13
Juventus	1970–71	Serie A	28	13	3	2	11	6	42	21
	1971–72		14	10	4	1	5	4	23	15
	1972–73		27	8	8	1	7	2	42	11
	1973–74		24	8	5	2	2	0	31	10
	1974–75		27	6	10	3	10	1	47	10
	1975–76		29	15	3	2	4	1	36	18
	1976–77		30	17	4	1	12	5	46	23
	1977–78		30	11	4	2	7	2	41	15
	1978–79		30	9	9	2	2	0	41	11
	1979–80		28	16	4	0	8	1	40	17
	1980–81		25	5	8	3	4	3	37	11
	1981–82		7	5	4	2	3	1	14	8
	1982–83		27	6	7	1	6	1	40	8
	Total		326	129	73	22	81	27	480	178
Toronto Blizzard	1983	NASL	16	2	–		–		16	2
	1984		23	8	–		–		23	8
	Total		39	10	–		–		39	10
Career total			395	152	76	22	81	27	552	201

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[21]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Italy	1975	2	0
	1976	7	8
	1977	5	6
	1978	12	3
	1979	2	0
	1980	10	1
	1981	3	1
	1982	0	0
	1983	1	0
Total		42	19

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 June 1976	Milan, Italy	Romania	3–1	4–1	Friendly
2.				4–1
3.	25 September 1976	Rome, Italy	Yugoslavia	1–0	3–0
4.				3–0
5.	16 October 1976	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	2–0	4–1	1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.				4–0
7.	17 November 1976	Rome, Italy	England	2–0	2–0
8.	22 December 1976	Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal	1–2	1–2	Friendly
9.	8 June 1977	Helsinki, Finland	Finland	2–0	3–0	1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
10.	15 October 1977	Turin, Italy	Finland	1–0	6–1
11.				2–0
12.				4–0
13.				5–0
14.	3 December 1977	Rome, Italy	Luxembourg	1–0	3–0
15.	6 June 1978	Mar del Plata, Argentina	Hungary	2–0	3–1	1978 FIFA World Cup
16.	10 June 1978	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	1–0	1–0
17.	24 February 1979	Milan, Italy	Netherlands	1–0	3–0	Friendly
18.	11 October 1980	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	2–0	2–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
19.	17 October 1981	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	Yugoslavia	1–1	1–1

Honours

Bettega (centre) in December 1970, wearing Juventus colors, awarded as 1969–70 Serie B top scorer during his previous period at Varese.

Juventus^[2]

• Serie A: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82
• Coppa Italia: 1978–79
• UEFA Cup: 1976–77
• Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up: 1973^[22]
• European Cup: Runner-up: 1972–73,^[23] 1982–83^[24]
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Runner-up: 1970-71^[25]

Varese

• Serie B: 1969–70

Italy

• FIFA World Cup: Semi-finals: 1978^[26]
• UEFA European Football Championship: Semi-finals: 1980^[27]

Individual

• Serie A top scorer: 1979–80^[28]
• Serie B top scorer: 1969–70^[29]
• FIFA World Cup All-star Team: 1978^[30]

References

1. "Roberto Bettega" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
2. Stefano Bedeschi. "Gli eroi in bianconero: Roberto BETTEGA" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
3. "Il Pallone Racconta: Roberto Bettega" (in Italian). Il Pallone Racconta. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
4. Emanuele Gamba (27 December 2009). "vizi e virtù DI Bobby gol" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
5. "Roberto Bettega" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
6. "Official: Director Roberto Bettega Leaves Juventus". Goal.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
7. Taylor, Dave (20 September 2014). "A look back at Bettega". Football-italia.net. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
8. Dave Taylor (20 September 2014). "A look back at Bettega". Football Italia. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
9. Lea, Greg (14 June 2018). "Tears, tantrums and phone bills: 14 high-profile superstars who suffered injury agony before a World Cup". Fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
10. Crosetti, Maurizio (20 October 2014). "La Juve di Bettega e una notte maledetta". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
11. "Fußball Italien: Bettega wird neuer Sportdirektor bei "Juve"" (in German). Düsseldorf, Germany: Handelsblatt.com. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
12. Bianchi, Fabio (15 May 2014). "Mondiale 1978: Italia, allegria del tango ma poi l'Olanda ci beffa". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
13. "Europei, la storia: Italia 1980". Il Sole 24 ORE (in Italian). 29 April 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
14. "Nazionale in cifre: Bettega, Roberto". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
15. Furio Zara (15 May 2018). "Pavoletti e i grandi specialisti di testa dell'Italia e del mondo" [Pavoletti and the great heading specialists in Italy and the world]. Calciomercato.com (in Italian). Retrieved 1 May 2019.
16. Pierpaolo Marino (26 March 2016). "50 ANNI, 10 STELLE: la classifica di Marino, Rivera e Scirea davanti a Baggio". Calciomercato.com (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2017.
17. "BETTEGA, Roberto in "Enciclopedia dello Sport"". Treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
18. "Official: Roberto Bettega Back At Juventus". Goal.com. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
19. "Roberto Bettega torna in bianconero" (in Italian). Juventus.com. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 26 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
20. Imparato, Gaetano (9 February 2007). "Sembra Nedved, è Bettega jr. - Gazzetta dello Sport". Gazzetta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
21. Di Maggio, Roberto (9 November 2002). "Roberto Bettega - Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
23. 1972–73 All matches – season at UEFA website
24. 1982–83 All matches – season at UEFA website
25. website eurocups-uefa.ru Fairs' Cup Seasons 1970-71 – results, protocols
26. 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina, FIFA.com
27. UEFA Euro 1980 at UEFA.com
28. Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015). "Italy - Serie A Top Scorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
29. "Italy - Serie B Top Scorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
30. "FIFA World Cup Awards: All-Star Team". Retrieved 22 March 2015.

External links

• Roberto Bettega at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
• Roberto Bettega at FIGC (in Italian)