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Wednesday 8 February 2012

Great Players: Attillo Lombardo


My first memory of Lombardo is seeing him on RTE's Monday night highlight package from Serie A. For some reason I thought it odd that a bald player could head the ball so well - I am far more open minded these days. Lombardo had the rather obvious nickname of "The Bald Eagle", and he would have stood out on any pitch for his distinctive appearance. What made Lombardo special for me was that he was that he stood out as an athlete - he was a player I could never hope to emulate. In the clips below, when he dribbles the ball goes 5+ yards ahead of him. He is not beating players with guile but with pace and occasionally power.






  • I was surprised to find out he was only 46. Even though he played liked the youngest on the pitch,.he always looked older than the Methusalah of Italian football, Pietro Vierchowod*,  with whom heplayed. 
  • In one clip, at the 2:00 mark below, he drops the shoulder subtly but even then he turns hard on the ball and the amount he beats the defender by is overkill. 
  • I love the socks-down look but not to start the game. It should happen organically to create the I-am-playing-too-hard-to-attend-to-my-two-socks look.
  • The exuberance with which he celebrated also enhanced him in my mind. Running at full pelt with arms aloft is when his speed and fitness stands out most.
* Vierchowod hung on until 2000 and I am pretty sure it was in search of a milestone, I just don't know which one. It could have been playing in four different decades, it could have been to play 25 seasons, or it could have been to finish with more goals than his age. He finished with Sampdoaria at 33 goals at 36 years of age, Juventus 35-37, Milan 36-38, before climbing the hill with 6 goals in three years at Piacenza.

1 comment:

  1. Maybe John Beck wasn't the answer8 February 2012 at 13:15

    He is not beating players with guile but with pace and occasionally power.

    Lombardo, the Kevin Kilbane of his day

    ReplyDelete

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