Luis Monti

Luis Felipe Monti (15 May 1901 – 9 September 1983) was an Italian Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder and an Olympian. Monti has the distinction of having played in two FIFA World Cup final matches with two different national teams. He played the first of these finals with his native Argentina in 1930, which was lost to Uruguay; and the second with Italy as one of their Oriundi in 1934, thanks to his Romagnol descent. This second time, Monti was on the winning side in a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia.

Monti was a rugged, physical, and ruthless player, but he had the technical skills to go with his stamina and strong tackling. He played as an attacking centre half or metodista in the old-fashioned Metodo system: a position roughly equivalent to the defensive central midfield position of today. As such he would mark the opposing centre forward when his team were defending, but would be the main midfield playmaker when his team were on the attack, due to his passing and creativity, which enabled him to start attacking plays after winning back the ball. He was nicknamed doble ancho (double wide) due to his coverage of the pitch. Monti is considered one of the best centre-halves of his generation.

Career Argentina

Monti started his career in 1921 with Huracán, where he won the first of his many championships. The following year, he signed with Boca Juniors but left without playing a game. He joined San Lorenzo where he won a further three Argentine championships. All of Monti's honours in Argentina were recorded during the Amateur Era.

Monti was first called up to represent the Argentina national team in 1924. He won the 1927 South American Championship and the silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics. With Monti as a key player, Argentina cruised to the World Cup final in 1930, defeating France, Mexico, Chile, and the United States. Monti scored two goals along the way and injured opponents with his tackling. Some sources speculate that Monti was carrying an injury, but whatever the truth, and despite a death threat, he had a quiet game as Uruguay triumphed 4–2.

Italy

In 1930, Monti was signed by the Italian club Juventus, as he had Italian citizenship. As he was overweight and out of condition, he had a month's solitary training. Monti was back to top form, helping Juventus to four consecutive Serie A titles (1932 to 1935), also serving as the club's captain. Monti went on to play 225 matches and scored 19 goals in Italy. During the 1930s, he formed a formidable and successful defensive trio at the club, along with full-backs Virginio Rosetta and Umberto Caligaris, who played behind him.

He was also called up, within a year, to play for the Italy national team as an oriundo. Hosts Italy won their way to the 1934 World Cup final and defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1. Monti was only to play twice more for Italy.

In total, Monti won 16 caps (5 goals) for Argentina between 1924 and 1931, and 18 caps (1 goal) for Italy between 1932 and 1936.

After football Monti became a manager after retiring. In 1947, he managed the first team of Huracán. He died in 1983 aged 82.

International goals

Argentina's goal tally first + # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 31 August 1924 Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay 3–0 3–2 Friendly 2. 13 June 1928 Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1–1 1–2 1928 Summer Olympics 3. 15 July 1930 Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay 1–0 1–0 1930 FIFA World Cup 4. 26 July 1930 Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay 1–0 6–1 1930 FIFA World Cup 5. 4 July 1931 Estadio Sportivo Barracas, Buenos Aires, Argentina 1–1 1–1 Copa Rosa Cheva

Italia's goal tally first + # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 3 December 1933 Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy 5–2 5–2 1933–35 Central European International Cup

Honours

Player Club

Huracán Argentine Primera División (1): 1921

San Lorenzo Argentine Primera División (3): 1923, 1924, 1927

Juventus Serie A (4): 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35 Coppa Italia (1): 1937–38

International Argentina South American Football Championship: 1927 Summer Olympics: Runner-up 1928 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up 1930

Italy FIFA World Cup: 1934 Central European International Cup: 1933–35

Individual FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (2): 1930, 1934

Manager Club

Juventus Coppa Italia (1): 1941–42