Romeo Benetti

Who is Romeo Benetti?

Romeo Benetti is a former Italian footballer. Benetti was a midfielder known for his stamina. He usually played in a defensive role and his hard-tackling style epitomised the catenaccio tactics made famous by Italy during the 1970s. He was also known for his goal-scoring ability despite being a predominately defensive player.

The wide midfield player started his career in 1968 with Juventus. However, he joined Sampdoria on loan for one season. His breakthrough came in the 1970/1971 Serie A season, when he joined A.C. Milan. In 1971 he made his debut for Italy.

In 1976 he returned to Juventus and won the 1977 and 1978 Scudetti. As his career came to an end he transferred to Roma in 1979.

In 2007 he was voted in at number 30 in a list of footballs 50 greatest hardmen by times online.

He won 55 caps and was member of the Italian squads in FIFA World Cup 1974 and FIFA World Cup 1978. He was voted into Italy's all time world cup team by website PlanetWorldCup.com and its members.