{{short description|Italian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Romeo Benetti | image = Benetti Amsterdam 1974.jpg | caption = Benetti in 1974 | fullname = Romeo Benetti | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|10|20|df=y}} | birth_place = Albaredo d'Adige, Italy | height = {{convert|1.76|m|order=flip}}<ref name="Worldfootball">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe52641/romeo-benetti/ |title=Romeo Benetti: Overview |publisher=Worldfootball |access-date=29 November 2025}}</ref> | currentclub = | position = Midfielder | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 1963–1964 | years2 = 1964–1965 | years3 = 1965–1967 | years4 = 1967–1968 | years5 = 1968–1969 | years6 = 1969–1970 | years7 = 1970–1976 | years8 = 1976–1979 | years9 = 1979–1981 | clubs1 = Bolzano | clubs2 = Siena | clubs3 = Taranto | clubs4 = Palermo | clubs5 = Juventus | clubs6 = Sampdoria | clubs7 = AC Milan | clubs8 = Juventus | clubs9 = AS Roma | caps1 = 31 | caps2 = 31 | caps3 = 63 | caps4 = 35 | caps5 = 24 | caps6 = 27 | caps7 = 170 | caps8 = 83 | caps9 = 27 | goals1 = 10 | goals2 = 7 | goals3 = 11 | goals4 = 2 | goals5 = 1 | goals6 = 2 | goals7 = 32 | goals8 = 12 | goals9 = 1 | totalcaps = 491 | totalgoals = 78 | nationalyears1 = 1971–1980 | nationalteam1 = Italy | nationalcaps1 = 55 | nationalgoals1 = 2 }}
'''Romeo Benetti''' ({{IPA|it|roˈmɛːo beˈnetti}}; born 20 October 1945) is an Italian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. A tenacious and intimidating player, Benetti played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, winning titles with AC Milan, Juventus and AS Roma. At international level, he represented the Italy national football team on 55 occasions between 1971 and 1980, and took part at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups, as well as UEFA Euro 1980, achieving fourth-place finishes in the latter two tournaments.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI">{{cite web|url=http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/romeo-benetti.html|title=Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI|publisher=Storie di Calcio|language=it|access-date=14 January 2015}}</ref>
==Club career== After winning the 1967–68 Serie B title with Palermo, Benetti started his Serie A career in 1968 with Juventus, making 24 appearances and scoring a goal during his first season with the club. However, he did not remain at the club for long, and he joined Sampdoria on loan during the next season. His breakthrough came in the 1970–71 Serie A season, after joining AC Milan in 1970, helping the club to three consecutive second-place finishes in the league between 1970 and 1973. During his time at the club, he won the 1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup, as well as two Coppa Italia trophies during the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, later being named the club's captain, inheriting the armband from teammate Gianni Rivera.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> He also scored a memorable long-range goal in the Milan Derby against rivals Inter in March 1973.<ref name="acmilan">{{cite web|url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/romeo-benetti|title=ROMEO BENETTI|publisher=A.C. Milan|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref>
In 1976, he returned to Juventus and won the 1976–77 and 1977–78 Serie A titles, as well as the 1976–77 UEFA Cup, and the Coppa Italia during the 1978–79 season. As his career came to an end he transferred to Roma in 1979, where he remained until 1981, winning two more consecutive Coppa Italia titles before retiring.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/>
==International career== Benetti won 55 caps for Italy between 1971 and 1980, scoring 2 goals throughout his international career. He made his debut on 25 September 1971 against Mexico. He was member of the Italian squads that took part in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and also in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where he wore the number 10 shirt<ref name=no10>{{cite web|url=http://www.gazzettaworld.com/euro-2016-news/italy-no-10-skeptics-wrong/|title=Italy's No.10 tasked with proving skeptics wrong|publisher=La Gazzetta dello Sport|author1=Kevin Pogorzelski|date=2 June 2016|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref> as Italy finished in fourth place; Benetti scored a goal from outside the area in the first round of the tournament, in a 3–1 victory over Hungary. He also took part at the 1980 UEFA European Championship with his country, on home soil, where he helped his team to the semi-finals, eventually finishing the tournament in fourth place once again; he made his final international appearance in the third-place match, which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Czechoslovakia following a 1–1 draw after extra-time, although Benetti was able to net his penalty in the shoot-out.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/3584--czechoslovakia-vs-italy/|title=Czechs beat Italy to third after shoot-out drama|publisher=UEFA|date=4 October 2003|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref> He was voted into Italy's all-time world cup team by website PlanetWorldCup.com and its members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetworldcup.com/atwc/atwc_squads.html|title=The all-time World Cup squads|access-date=14 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=135&squadra=1|title=Nazionale in cifre: Benetti, Romeo|website=figc.it|publisher=FIGC|language=it|access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
==Style of play== Nicknamed ''Panzer'' (tank), ''El Tigre'' (the tiger), and ''Roccia'' (rock), Benetti was a tenacious, mobile, athletic, and complete midfielder, who was known in particular for his physical strength, stamina, charisma, determination, consistency, and leadership as footballer, as well as the trademark moustache that he bore for most of his career. Although he was initially deployed as a winger, he usually played as a central or defensive midfielder, and his hard-tackling style of play in this role epitomised the ''catenaccio'' tactics made famous by Italy during the 1970s. Despite being a predominantly defensive-minded player, he was also known for his goal-scoring ability from midfield, due to his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance. Furthermore, Benetti also possessed good technique and distribution, which enabled him to function as a deep-lying playmaker at times, and start attacking plays and create goalscoring opportunities after winning back the ball, in particular when playing in teams that lacked a true midfield playmaker.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/><ref name="acmilan"/><ref name="tuttojuve">{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttojuve.com/gli-eroi-bianconeri/gli-eroi-in-bianconero-romeo-benetti-66730|title=Gli eroi in bianconero: Romeo BENETTI|publisher=Tutto Juve|language=it|author1=Stefano Bedeschi|date=19 October 2013|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="magliarossonera">{{cite web|url=http://www.magliarossonera.it/protagonisti/Gioc-Benetti.html|title=Romeo BENETTI (II)|publisher=MagliaRossonera.it|language=it|access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="repubblica">{{cite web|url=http://carotenuto.blogautore.repubblica.it/2015/10/20/i-70-anni-di-benetti-in-70-cose-essenziali/|title=I 70 anni di Benetti in 70 cose essenziali|publisher=La Repubblica|language=it|date=20 October 2015|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Da Buffon a Riva">{{cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/sport/17_gennaio_11/da-buffon-riva-gioco-infinito-squadra-ideale-80a67d42-d83a-11e6-9dfa-46bea8378d9f.shtml|title=Da Buffon a Riva, il gioco infinito della squadra ideale|publisher=Il Corriere della Sera|language=it|author1=Mario Sconcerti|date=11 January 2017|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/esclusiva-tmw-milan-benetti-kaka-regista-scelto-il-danno-minore-502676|title=ESCLUSIVA TMW - Milan, Benetti: "Kakà regista? Scelto il danno minore"|publisher=TuttoMercatoWeb.com|language=it|author1=Marco Conterio|date=18 November 2013|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ilpalloneracconta.blogspot.ca/2007/10/romeo-benetti.html|title=Romeo BENETTI|publisher=Il Pallone Racconta|language=it|date=20 October 2016|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> In 2007, he was voted in at number 30 in a list of ''Football's 50 Greatest Hardmen'' by ''The Times'' online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/forum/printable.asp?m=1554851|title=Top 50 Hardest Footballers|website=empireonline.com|date=13 August 2007|access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
==Honours== '''Juventus'''<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> * Serie A: 1976–77, 1977–78 * UEFA Cup: 1976–77 * Coppa Italia: 1978–79
'''AC Milan'''<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> * Coppa Italia: 1971–72, 1972–73 * UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1972–73
'''AS Roma'''<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> * Coppa Italia: 1979–80, 1980–81
'''Palermo'''<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> * Serie B: 1967–68
'''Italy'''<ref name="Storie di Calcio: ROMEO BENETTI"/> * FIFA World Cup: 1978 (fourth place) * UEFA European Championship: 1980 (fourth place)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Romeo Benetti}} *{{FIFA player|174389|Romeo Benetti}} *[http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=135&squadra=1 Profile and Statistics] at the FIGC website
{{Navboxes |title= Italy squads |bg= #0066bc |fg= white |list1= {{Italy Squad 1974 World Cup}} {{Italy Squad 1978 World Cup}} {{Italy Squad 1980 UEFA Euro}} }}
{{portal bar|Association football|Italy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benetti, Romeo}} Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Verona Category:Italian men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Italy men's international footballers Category:Taranto FC 1927 players Category:Siena FC SSD players Category:Palermo FC players Category:Juventus FC players Category:UC Sampdoria players Category:AC Milan players Category:AS Roma players Category:Serie A players Category:Serie C players Category:Serie D players Category:1974 FIFA World Cup players Category:1978 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 1980 players Category:UEFA Europa League–winning players Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen