19 Facts About Silvio Piola

Silvio Piola was an Italian footballer who played as a striker.

Silvio Piola is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set, and he is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, as well as one of the best Italian players of all time.

Silvio Piola is third in the all-time goalscoring records of the Italy national team.

Silvio Piola is the highest goalscorer in Italian first league history, with 290 goals, and in Serie A history.

Silvio Piola played 566 Serie A games, putting him fourth on the all-time list for appearances in Italy's top flight.

Silvio Piola is the only player to have the honour of being the all-time Serie A top scorer of three different teams Silvio Piola is the highest scoring Italian player in all competitions, with 364 goals.

Silvio Piola began his career with Italian club side Pro Vercelli, making his Serie A debut against Bologna on 16 February 1930, scoring 13 goals in his first year, at the age of 17.

Silvio Piola went on to score 51 goals in 127 appearances in Serie A for Pro Vercelli.

Silvio Piola was to spend the next nine seasons there.

Silvio Piola was the Serie A top scorer twice while at Lazio, in 1937 and 1943.

Silvio Piola was Lazio's highest all-time leading goalscorer with 149 goals until it was surpassed in 2021 by Ciro Immobile.

Silvio Piola served as the national side's captain from 1940 until 1947.

Silvio Piola is currently Italy's third highest goalscorer of all-time, behind only Giuseppe Meazza, and Luigi Riva.

Silvio Piola died in Gattinara on 4 October 1996, aged 83.

Silvio Piola was considered to be a modern and well-rounded player during his time, as he used his physical attributes, intelligence, and control to play with his back to goal, and lay off the ball for teammates in order to provide them with assists.

Silvio Piola particularly excelled as a centre-forward, however; his speed, positional sense, offensive movement, and opportunism enabled him to lose his markers with his attacking runs and receive his team-mates' deliveries or pounce on loose balls in the area.

Silvio Piola was known for his powerful and accurate finishing ability with his head and both feet, from any position on the pitch, which made him a prolific goalscorer throughout his career.

Unlike his legendary international team-mate, club rival, and friend Giuseppe Meazza with whom he was often compared, Silvio Piola was much more reserved both on and off the pitch, and he preferred to score through efficiency and pragmatism rather than flamboyance.

On top of his playing ability and prolific goalscoring, Silvio Piola stood out for his longevity throughout his career.