Valerio Bacigalupo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valerio Bacigalupo | ||
| Date of birth | 12 March 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Vado Ligure, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 4 May 1949 (aged 25) | ||
| Place of death | Superga, Italy | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1942–1943 | Savona | 20 | (0) |
| 1944 | Genoa | 20 | (0) |
| 1945–1949 | Torino | 137 | (0) |
| Total | 177 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1947–1949 | Italy | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Valerio Bacigalupo (12 March 1924 – 4 May 1949) was an Italian association football goalkeeper from Vado Ligure, Savona.
Bacigalupo started his club career with home province side Savona. After a brief spell at Genoa he moved to Torino where he won Serie A four times in a row.
Bacigalupo was called up to the Italian national football team five times between 1947 and 1949, making his senior international debut in a 3–1 win over Czechoslovakia on 14 December 1947.
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Bacigalupo was a modern and world-class goalkeeper, who revolutionised his position in Italy. A precocious talent, he was known for his strong physique, reactions and excellent positional sense, as well as his athletic diving saves. In addition do being an outstanding shot-stopper, he was also a dominant goalkeeper, known for his ability to come off his line to collect crosses.
Valerio Bacigalupo's older brother, Manlio Bacigalupo, also played professional football before the Second World War, also serving as a goalkeeper for Genoa and Torino. Valerio died in the Superga air disaster with most of the Grande Torino team, which also formed a large part of the Italian national team at the time, which was scheduled to take part at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
After his death, the club where he started his career, Savona named its ground Stadio Valerio Bacigalupo in his honour.
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