Alberto Suppici
Uruguayan footballer and manager (1898–1981)
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Alberto Horacio Suppici (20 November 1898 – 21 June 1981) was a Uruguayan footballer and coach who won the first ever FIFA World Cup, leading the Uruguay team in the 1930 tournament on home soil. Suppici is known as el Profesor (the Professor).[citation needed]
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alberto Horacio Suppici | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 June 1981 (aged 82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left half | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1915–1923 | Nacional | 143 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1928–1932 | Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1935 | Central Español | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1938 | Montevideo Wanderers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1935–1941 | Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | Peñarol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biography
On 22 April 1917, Suppici founded the football club Plaza Colonia in Colonia del Sacramento, his hometown. The club's 12 000-capacity home ground has been named Estadio Profesor Alberto Suppici in his honour.[citation needed]
As technical director of Uruguay, Suppici coached the side to third in the 1929 South American Championship,[citation needed] the precursor to the modern Copa América.
At the inaugural FIFA World Cup in his home nation of Uruguay, Suppici dropped goalkeeper Andrés Mazali, who had won a gold medal in the 1928 Olympic final, from the national team after he was caught breaking curfew and failing to arrive at the team hotel in time in Montevideo prior to the tournament. Suppici led the side to victory in the final over Argentina at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, masterminding a second-half comeback from 2–1 down to win 4–2 in front of 93,000 people.[1] Suppici's technical staff at the tournament included Pedro Arispe,[citation needed] Ernesto Figoli, Luis Greco and Pedro Olivieri. He is the youngest ever coach to win the World Cup, aged only 31.[2]
Honours
Manager
Domestic
- Peñarol
International
Uruguay
- FIFA World Cup: 1930
- Copa América runner-up: 1939; third place: 1929, 1937
| Years | Coach | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928–1932 | Alberto Suppici | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 50.00 |  1928 Copa Lipton – Runners-up  1929 Copa Newton – Champions 1929 Copa Lipton – Champions  1929 South American Championship – Third Place 1930 FIFA World Cup – Champions 1931 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up 1932 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up |
| 1935–1941 | Alberto Suppici (2nd time) | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 47 | 46 | 45.83 | 1935 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1936 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1936 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions 1937 South American Championship – Third Place 1937 Copa Newton – Runners-up 1937 Copa Lipton – Runners-up 1938 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1938 Copa Héctor Gómez – Runners-up 1939 South American Championship – Runners-up 1940 Taça Rio Branca – Champions 1940 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions 1940 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1941 South American Championship – Runners-up |