Omar Sívori

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Lore & Background

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. 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.

In Their Own Story

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.

Reader's Guide

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. 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. 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. Because of his creative playing style, skill, eye for goal, country of birth, hairstyle, strong mentality, and at times rebellious nature both on and off the field, Sívori is often retroactively compared to another left–footed Argentine player who emerged after him: Diego Maradona.

Did You Know?

• Sívori won the South American Championship Best Player award in 1957.
• He scored 432 goals in his career, including friendlies.
• Sívori's transfer from River Plate to Juventus was a world-record transfer fee for the time, at 10 million pesos (the equivalent of £91,000).
• He holds the record for most Serie A goals in a single league match, scoring six goals during Juventus's 9–1 victory against Inter Milan on 10 June 1961.
• Sívori is often retroactively compared to Diego Maradona, with some parts of the media dubbing him 'the Maradona of the Sixties'.