Sauro Tomà
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sauro Tomà | ||
| Date of birth | 4 December 1925 | ||
| Place of birth | La Spezia, Italy | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1942–1943 | Rapallo Ruentes | ? | (?) |
| 1945–1946 | Vogherese | ? | (?) |
| 1946–1947 | Spezia | 37 | (0) |
| 1947–1951 | Torino | 77 | (0) |
| 1951–1952 | Brescia | 24 | (0) |
| 1953–1955 | Bari | 36 | (0) |
| Total | 174+ | (0) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Sauro Toma (4 December 1925) is a former Italian footballer who played as a defender. He is the only living former member of the Grande Torino of the 1940s after the death of the second goalkeeper Renato Gandolfi on 30 April 2011.
He came to Turin in 1947 from Spezia and escaped the Superga tragedy because of the after-effects of an injured meniscus, which forced him to retire at the age of thirty, in 1955.
Born in Rebocco, Spezia, he began his football career in Rapallo Ruentes, he played for Vogherese and then in Spezia, after being spotted by a club official of the later during a friendly. Although he loved the role of goalkeeper, there were many players challenging for the role, thus he became a full back.
His class was noted by observers of many teams, including Juventus and Genoa, but it was Ferruccio Novo who contacted the Ligurian team management on the part of Torino.
His entry in Turin was negative. The move was initially blocked due to alleged lung problems. However, Toma underwent medical examinations of his own and showed excellent health. The fact was that Torino tried to go back on their deal, as they considered the purchase of Toma too challenging (Torino had to exchange five players to Spezia), but Toma won out.
After an immediate apology from Novo, Toma began his career in the Granata, with the role of substituting Virgilio Maroso, a victim of continuous muscle problems.
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