Domenico Penzo

A Varese youth product, Penzo began his footballing career at the age of 19, in Serie D, with Borgosesia in 1972, before moving to another Serie D side, Romulea for a season in 1973, where he made a name for himself as a promising striker, due to his eye for goal. In 1974, he was acquired by Roma, as a striker-partner for Pierino Prati; he struggled to gain playing time with the capital club, however, and only made 19 appearances during the 1974–75 season, scoring just one goal, which came in an away win over Fiorentina. In 1975, Penzo was transferred to newly promoted Serie B side Piacenza in a co-ownership deal. He struggled to fit into manager Giovan Battista Fabbri's system, however, and after three months, having failed to score and having made only two appearances as a substitute for the club, he was transferred to Serie C side Benevento, where he scored 12 league goals in 27 appearances during the 1975–76 season. The following season, he moved to Serie C side Bari, helping the club obtain promotion to Serie B with his prolific goalscoring, totalling 27 goals across his two seasons in Serie C. After another season in Serie B with Monza, he was sold to Brescia in 1979, helping the club achieve promotion to Serie A with 12 goals; the following season however, he struggled to find the back of the net, scoring only 4 times in 27 appearances, as Brescia suffered relegation at the end of the season. Penzo joined Serie B side Verona in 1981; under manager Osvaldo Bagnoli, he…

A tall, powerful, and physically strong centre-forward, with an eye for goal, Penzo excelled in the air, courtesy of his height and heading accuracy; due to his good technique, he was also known for his ability to make runs with the ball at speed and strike the ball powerfully on the run. An intelligent and hard-working forward, although he was capable of playing as a lone striker, he was also known for his ability to play off of other forwards, and usually performed at his best alongside a faster and more opportunistic striker, such as his Verona strike-partner Mauro Gibellini, and his Juventus strike-partner Paolo Rossi. Although he was regarded as a promising prospect in his youth, he was at times inconsistent at the top level in his later career.

Penzo was born in Chioggia, Venice, in Veneto; he is one of seven siblings. His father was a fisherman. When he was seven, Penzo moved to Baranzate with his family. After leaving school at the age of 14, he began working as a carpenter, and then as a mechanic at his brother-in-law's auto-repair shop; he initially played football with his friends and for several local teams, before pursuing a professional football career.

Juventus Serie A champion: 1983–84. UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1983–84.