Omar Sívori

River Plate

Sívori was born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province, into a family of Italian descent. His paternal grandfather, Giulio Sivori, was an immigrant from Cavi di Lavagna, a hamlet in the province of Genoa, while his mother Carolina was of Abruzzese ancestry. As a youngster Sívori became heavily interested in the game of football and by the time he reached his teens he was signed up to a side from the city of Buenos Aires, River Plate. The teenage Sívori was given a chance to break through into a squad which included players like the famed forward Ángel Labruna and Félix Loustau who established themselves in the era of La Máquina, one of the foremost formations in football history. He soon earned the nickname El Cabezón (bighead) from the fans, due to his hair, outspokenness, confidence, arrogance, and playing style. River was able to win the Argentine Primera División in 1955, the title was confirmed when River beat local archrival Boca Juniors 2–1 at La Bombonera, in Buenos Aires, with just one game remaining. The same season River won the Copa Río de La Plata by beating Nacional from Uruguay. The following season he had similar success when River won the Argentine league title on the final day of the season; beating Rosario Central 4–0, with Sívori scoring the final goal. Sívori would play his final game for River against the same team on 5 May 1957.

During the 1957–58 season, the 21-year-old Sívori was signed by Italian club Juventus…

Argentina

At international level, Sívori defended the Argentina national football team eighteen times and registered nine goals. The Argentine side of the time had a formidable attack with Sívori, Oreste Corbatta, Osvaldo Cruz, Humberto Maschio and Antonio Angelillo. The attacking trio of Sívori, Maschio, and Angelillo were nicknamed the caras sucias, which literally means dirty faces in Spanish; in reference to the film of the same name, and due to way they played the game, like fun, dirty faced, mischievous children. Sívori defended Argentina to the gold medal 1957 South American Championship in Lima, Peru. Argentina dominated in every game during that year's South American Championship; the team's wins throughout the competition included an 8–2 victory against the Colombia national football team, and a 3–0 victory against close rivals Brazil.

Italy

Sívori moved to Italy in 1957, along with his compatriots Maschio and Angelillo. The Argentine football association banned the attacking trio from playing for Argentina, and eliminated them from the 1958 World Cup. Sívori's Italian ancestry enabled him to become an Italian citizen. In April 1961 he made his debut for Italy. Along with several other foreign-born Italian players, Sívori played for Italy at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, where they suffered a first-round elimination. He would earn nine caps and score eight goals while playing for Italy.

Encyclopædia Britannica has described Sívori's playing style as "audacious and brilliant"; a highly talented footballer, he is considered one of Italy's and Juventus's greatest ever players, as well as one of the best players of his generation. Sívori was a quick, diminutive, highly creative, and technically gifted forward, known for his pace on the ball, who used his acceleration, outstanding dribbling skills, flair, and feints to beat opposing defenders; these included turns, flicks, quick changes of direction, and his innovative trademark move: the nutmeg, also known as tunnel, in Italian, which involved him playing the ball between an opponent's legs. He was primarily a left footed player, and was an excellent finisher and a prolific goalscorer, who possessed a powerful and accurate shot from both inside and outside the area, and who had the ability to score not only with his left, but also his right foot and, in spite of his short stature, his head; this would sometimes see him receiving kicks to the face. Despite not being particularly strong, due to his slender physique, Sívori was also known for his tenacity and bravery on the pitch, as well as his professionalism as a footballer, although he also drew criticism at times for his volatile character and unsportsman-like behaviour, which often saw him argue with officials, commit aggressive tackles on his opponents, or attempt "to provoke and to humiliate" other players with his skill on the ball. Although he was an…

Sívori retired from the playing field in 1969. Although he retired to his native Argentina as a wealthy man, his love for the game meant that he decided to take up a further career as a coach; he coached River Plate, Rosario Central, Estudiantes de La Plata, Racing Club and Vélez Sarsfield. From 1972 until 1974, Sívori took charge of the Argentina national team, and the team qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Sívori was the first man to call up Ubaldo Fillol to defend Argentina. Fillol would become one of the most highly regarded keepers in Argentine history. After that he became a full-time scout in South America for Juventus. In 1983, he was the head coach for Toronto Italia in the National Soccer League.