Bruno Bolchi
Bolchi (right) in 1962
Personal information
Date of birth (1940-02-21)21 February 1940
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Date of death 27 September 2022(2022-09-27) (aged 82)
Place of death Florence, Italy
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1963 Inter 109 (10)
1963–1964 Verona 19 (0)
1964–1965 Atalanta 25 (2)
1965–1970 Torino 89 (0)
1970-1972 Pro Patria 25 (0)
International career
1961 Italy 4 (0)
Managerial career
1971–1972 Pro Patria
1972–1973 Pistoiese
1973–1974 Unione Valdinievole
1974–1975 Sorrento
1975–1976 Messina
1976–1978 Pistoiese
1978–1979 Novara
1980–1981 Atalanta
1982–1983 Cesena
1983–1986 Bari
1986–1987 Cesena
1987–1988 Arezzo
1988–1989 Pisa
1989–1990 Reggina
1990–1991 Brescia
1991–1992 Avellino
1992–1993 Lecce
1993–1995 Cesena
1995–1997 Lucchese
1997–1998 Monza
1999 Reggina
2000–2001 Genoa
2001–2002 Ternana
2003 Messina
2004 Ternana
2005 Catanzaro
2007 Messina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bruno Bolchi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbruːno ˈbolki]; 21 February 1940 – 27 September 2022) was an Italian football manager and player, who played as a midfielder. Throughout his playing career, he played for Inter, Verona, Atalanta, and Torino, as well as the Italy national team. Bolchi was depicted in the first ever Panini sticker to be printed in 1961.

Club career

Born in Milan, Bolchi made his debut at the age of 18 with F.C. Internazionale Milano in a Serie A away match lost 1–0 to S.S.C. Napoli on 18 May 1958. He played six seasons with the nerazzurri, with 109 caps and ten goals, gaining the nickname Maciste, due to his imposing physique, strength, and hard-tackling style of play.[1] He captained the side between 1961 and 1962 and obtained notable success during his spell with the club, winning the Serie A title in 1963, and the European Cup in 1964. He then played for Serie B side Verona, and returned to play in the top division for Atalanta and Torino, where he ended his playing career in 1970, also winning the Coppa Italia with the latter club in 1968.

International career

Bolchi appeared for the Italy national team on four occasions, all in 1961.

Managerial career

Bolchi started his coaching career in 1971 with Pro Patria, then a Seconda Categoria club (at the time, Seconda Categoria was the sixth level of Italian football). In 1974, he had his first professional coaching job at Sorrento. He also coached Pistoiese, winning the 1976–77 Serie C title, earning promotion into Serie B. He first coached a Serie A team, Cesena, in 1982, but did not manage to save it from relegation. Since then, Bolchi made just two appearances as Serie A coach, despite his long career all over the country: in 1985–86, his third season as Bari's boss which followed two consecutive promotions from Serie C1 (winning the 1983–84 Serie C1 title) to the top tier of Italian football; however, Bolchi was not able to save the biancorossi. In 1988–89, he had his last Serie A job before 2007, as Pisa head coach, but he was sacked after the 22nd matchday.

On 23 April 2007, with just five matches remaining before the end of the league, Bolchi was appointed head coach of Messina, a team he already coached in their 1975–76 Serie C campaign and, for six matches, at the end of the 2002–03 season, in Serie B. He did not manage to avoid relegation, also due to Messina's poor league table well before his appointment, and finally retired from football after the end of the season.

Death

Bolchi died in Florence on 27 September 2022, at the age of 82.[2]

Honours

Player

Inter

Torino

Manager

Pistoiese

Bari

References

  1. ↑ "Bruno Bolchi, uno di noi" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "E' morto Bruno "Maciste" Bolchi, aveva 82 anni" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
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