Amedeo Amadei (; 26 July 1921 – 24 November 2013) was a professional Italian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and manager, who played as a striker. Following his death in 2013, he was one of eleven members to be inducted into the A.S. Roma Hall of Fame. A fast and powerful forward, with a good touch, he is considered to be one of the best Italian strikers of all time. Amadei was known for his ability to run forward with the ball from midfield and find spaces in the opposing defence, as well as his prolific goalscoring, acrobatic ability in the air, and precise volleying, which allowed him to excel in the centre-forward role; due to his importance to Roma throughout his career, he was affectionately known by the fans as the "eighth King of Rome".

Club career

Amadei was born in Frascati, near Rome, the son of a baker, which earned him the nickname "Fornaretto." He made his professional debut on 2 May 1937 with A.S. Roma aged 15 years and 280 days (the youngest debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

history; surpassed on 12 May 2021 by Wisdom Amey) in a 2–2 draw against

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

. A week later he scored in a 5–1 defeat to A.S. Lucchese Libertas 1905 on 9 May 1937, making him the youngest scorer in Serie A history, a record he holds to this day. He also played in

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

with

Atalanta B.C. Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio (), commonly referred to as Atalanta, is a professional Association football, football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy, who compete in Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system, Italian league ...

, Inter and S.S.C. Napoli. He won one Italian title with Roma in the 1941–42 season; this was the club's first ever championship. With A.S. Roma he played 386 matches and scored 101 goals in the Italian top flight, as well as 11 in the Coppa Italia in 18 appearances, 16 goals in eight appearances in the 1944 Campionato Alta Italia, and 15 goals in 34 appearances in the 1945–46 Italian Football "After War" Championship; in his entire career he played 423 matches and scored 174 goals in Serie A, with a total of 508 appearances and 209 goals coming in league play.

International career

Amadei represented the Italian national team on 13 occasions between 1949 and 1953, scoring 7 goals; he made his international debut on 27 March 1949, and scored his side's third goal in a 3–1 friendly away win over

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at the Santiago Bernabéu. The following year, he participated in the

1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...

with Italy, where he made one appearance during the tournament, in a 2–0 win over

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Coaching career

Following his retirement in 1956, Amadei worked as a coach for Napoli, the club with which he retired. He later also coached Lucchese, and the Italy women's national football team.

Honours

Club

;Roma *

: 1941–42

Individual

*Seminatore d'Oro: 1957–58 * A.S. Roma Hall of Fame: 2012 * Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2018

Notes

References

External links

Profile at enciclopediadelcalcio.it

A.S. Roma Hall of Fame Profile

FIGC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadei, Amedeo 1921 births 2013 deaths Footballers from Frascati Italian men's footballers Italy men's international footballers Men's association football forwards AS Roma players Atalanta BC players Inter Milan players SSC Napoli players Serie A players Serie B players SSC Napoli managers Serie A managers 1950 FIFA World Cup players Italy women's national football team managers Italian football managers 20th-century Italian sportsmen