Julio Libonatti

Julio Libonatti

Personal information
Date of birth	(1901-07-05)5 July 1901
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Date of death	9 October 1981(1981-10-09) (aged 80)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1919–1926	Newell's Old Boys	141	(78)
1926–1934	Torino	238	(150)
1934–1936	Genoa	46	(13)
1937–1938	Libertas Rimini	0	(0)
Total		425	(241)
National team
1919–1922	Argentina	15	(8)
1926–1931	Italy	18	(15)
Teams managed
1937–1938	Libertas Rimini
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Julio Libonatti (5 July 1901 – 9 October 1981) was a football manager and former footballer who played as a forward for the Argentina national team and Italy national team.

Born in Rosario, Argentina, he started his career with Newell's Old Boys in 1917. In 1925 he became the first recorded trans-Atlantic transfer, when he moved to Italian club Torino. With 150 total goals with Torino, he is the second most prolific scorer in the history of the Torinese club after Paolo Pulici (172). He won the Scudetto with Torino in 1926–27 and 1927–28, although the first title was later revoked. Later in his career he also represented Genoa and Libertas Rimini.

Internationally, Libonatti won the 1921 South American Championship with Argentina. He later represented Italy and won the 1927–30 Central European International Cup.

He was born in Rosario, Argentina into a Calabrian family.

Libonatti started his youth career with Rosario Central, but began his professional career with the other team of his hometown, Newell's Old Boys. His prolific goal-scoring and acrobatic game led to Libonatti becoming a crowd favourite, and he was nicknamed Matador. In the summer of 1925, due to an agreement that allowed the sons of Italians to take advantage of dual nationality, he moved to Torino.

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