Born in Buenos Aires on September 5, 1937, Antonio Valentin Angelillo made his debut with the Argentine soccer team Boca Juniors in 1956 and was in the national team - with 11 appearances and as many goals, some of which won Argentina the victory in the America's Cup in 1957 - until 1960, the year in which he was recruited, being of Italian origin, by the Azzurri (the Italian National Team).

While playing for the Italian National Team, he recorded two presences and one goal between 1960 and 1962, and picked up the well-known nickname "dirty-faced angel", coined for him and for his compatriots Humberto Maschio and Omar Sivori by a masseur who, always seeing them with earthstained faces after exhausting training sessions, baptized them as "cara sucia", dirty face. 

In the summer of 1957, Angelillo joins Inter Team and immediately scores 16 goals. Inter owner Angelo Moratti immediately falls in love with him, conquered by a complete player who is able to play as a striker, as well as a midfielder and as a winger. In the 1958/59 season, comes his consecration: Angelillo establishes the record of 33 goals for an 18-team championship. Having moved to Rome Team from 1961 to 1965 and then to Milan Team from 1965 to 1966, he also plays for Lecco, Genoa and Angelana teams where he becomes a player-coach in the field. His coaching career begins with Angelana Team and continues into the early 1990's, when his great love, Inter Team, calls him back as an observer.

On October 13, 1965, for the Italo-English Friendship Trophy, MilanInter United, which sees the two soccer souls of Milan joined together in the field, plays a friendly match against Chelsea. On this occasion, Angelillo wears the jersey which will be one of the highlights of our next auction of sports memorabilia, in December.

Despite the usual rivalry, Angelillo is greeted with thunderous applause from his previous black-blue supporters. Different times, different fans, a different soccer. His is the first goal, assisted by Mariolino Corso. The match ends 2 to 1 for the representatives of the twin Milanese teams.
Vivid memories of Angelillo the athlete and the coach come to us from his family, who tell us of a somewhat superstitious man (but who isn't in soccer?), always emotionally involved in the field actions of his men. "We like to remember our father as a shy but at the same time outgoing person, able to open up to others in a way all his own, sometimes difficult to understand.

Within that green rectangle he expressed his talent, his passion and his dedication to the game of soccer with great spirit of sacrifice and always in a state of mind almost of slight embarrassment, deriving from a timidity which never really left him. 
Perhaps it was his timidity which prompted him to defend himself by at times showing energetic and excessively vehement reactions, but he was a sincere, spontaneous man, endowed with great humanity and a complex personality, a father and a husband who we miss and will miss every day of our lives. We will always be connected to him by a sincere feeling of love and esteem and by countless beautiful memories."

Together with the rare jersey with the crusader shield, the light blue jersey No. 10 and the red Lega jersey No. 6, the December 5 auction will boast a good selection of trophies, images and personal items that testify to the long and memorable sporting journey of Antonio Angelillo, "the dirty-faced angel".

ABOUT THE AUCTION