Rinaldo Martino

Rinaldo Fioramonte Martino (; 6 November 1921 – 15 November 2000) was an Italian Argentine forward who played for both the Argentine and the Italy national football teams. Usually a forward, Martino was a player known for his lethal combination of goal scoring ability, playmaking skills and technique.

Club career Martino was signed by San Lorenzo de Almagro in 1941 at the age of 19 from Belgrano de Rosario. He made his debut in 1941 against Newell's Old Boys and in 1942 he became the top scorer in the Argentine Primera netting 25 goals in 30 games. In 1946, the team won the Primera División championship.

In 1949, Martino moved to Italy, joining Juventus and helping them to record their first championship since the 1930s. During his time in Italy, he made one appearance for the Italy national team.

Martino then moved to Uruguay to play for Nacional, helping them to win the Uruguayan Championship. In 1951, Martino returned to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors, but he was sold back to Nacional in 1952 for 300,000 pesos. He played there until 1953, helping the team to win another Uruguayan league title and several other minor titles. In 1953, Nacional released his pass, and Martino went to São Paulo FC, for a period of testing during the Rio–São Paulo Tournament. After five games, he didn't like it and was released. Still in 1953, he joined C.A. Cerro, who were his last club.

International career

Martino played for Argentina in the 1940s. He made his debut in 1942 in a 4–1 win over Uruguay. He was part of the Argentina squads that won the Copa América in 1945 and 1946. During his time in Italy he also made a single appearance for the Italy national team.

After retirement In 1964, he served as the president of the Argentine ex-footballers mutual society.

Martino's love of Argentine Tango led him to establish a Casa Porteño called Caño 14 in the 1960s, which featured traditional tango music for 18 years. He died in Buenos Aires on 15 November 2000 at the age of 79.

Honours Club San Lorenzo Copa de la República: 1943 Primera División Argentina: 1946

Juventus Serie A: 1949–50

Nacional Uruguayan Championship: 1950, 1952

International Argentina Copa América: 1945, 1946