Bologna & Torino- South American Tour, 1929

Just 3 weeks after the decisive play off match that closed the 1928-29 Italian season, champions Bologna and runners up Torino were in South America on tour. The 2 squads sailed together from Genoa on the Conte Rosso.
The 2 sides had shared 205 goals during the domestic league season, Torino's Trio of Wonders (Rossetti, Libonatti and Baloncieri) scoring 89 between them. 
Following such an arduous season it is perhaps unsurprising that neither side was spectacular on tour. In fact one Torino historian went as far as to describe the excursion as a 'celebratory holiday'. 
 Bologna bolstered their ranks with guests:

Bologna- Gianni, Monzeglio, Gasperi, Genovesi, Baldi, Pitto, Martelli, Schiavio, Busini , Muzzioli (Bologna); Compiani, Tansini (Milan); Dugoni (Modena) Ferrari,  Banchero (Alessandria), Magnozzi (Livorno) , Costantino ( Bari).

I don't know the composition of the Torino squad, but among the tourists was  Roma's Rudolfo Volk, a future Capocannoniere.

Torino's Libonatti faced both his former club (Newell's Old Boys) and his former national team (Argentina).

25.07.29	Carioca Select	3	1	Bologna
28.07.29	Paulista Select	6	4	Bologna
30. 07.29	Corinthians	6	1	Bologna
10.08.29	Uruguay	0	1	Bologna
15.08.29	Argentina	3	1	Bologna
18.08.29	Argentina B	0	0	Bologna
21.08.29	Newell's Old Boys	2	1	Bologna
24.08.29	Huracan	2	1	Bologna
25.08.29	Argentina del Sud	1	2	Bologna
27.08.29	Boca Juniors	1	0	Bologna
30.08.29	Estudiantes de La Plata	3	3	Bologna
01.09.29	Santa Fè	3	0	Bologna
08.09.29	Palestra Italia	4	4	Bologna
10.09.29	Carioca Select	1	3	Bologna
14.09.29	Paulista Select	3	1	Bologna

P	W	D	L	F	A
15	3	3	9	23	38

28.07.29	Argentina	1	0	Torino
03.08.29	Argentina B	1	1	Torino
04.08.29	Argentina	4	1	Torino
08.08.29	Estudiantes de La Plata	5	0	Torino
10.08.29	Independiente	1	2	Torino
15.08.29	Rosario League	2	4	Torino
18.08.29	Newell's Old Boys	2	0	Torino
25.08.29	Uruguay	5	1	Torino
31.08.29	Peñarol	1	1	Torino
07.09.29	Carioca Select	6	0	Torino
10.09.29	Carioca Select	2	1	Torino
13.09.29	Palestra Italia	0	0	Torino
14.09.29	Paulista Select	6	1	Torino

P	W	D	L	F	A
13	2	3	8	12	36

Torino: High scoring seasons 1927-29

Supporters of Torino saw plenty of goals over the seasons 1927-28 and 1928-29.

1927-28

Torino won the Divisione Nazionale Group A championship and the final round.
Their record was:
Played:  34. goals for: 111. goals against: 37. goal difference +74. average goals per game = 3.2

Julio Libonatti (Capocannoniere)
35 goals in 32 games
Adolfo Baloncieri 
31 goals in 34 games
Gino Rossetti
23 goals in 33 games

Torino scored 5 or more goals in 5 of their 34 matches:
20.11.27: Reggiana 3 Torino 8
  4.12.27: Torino 11 Brescia 0
    5.2.28: Torino 14  Reggiana 0
    4.3.28: Torino 11 Napoli 0
  15.7.28: Torino 5 Genoa 1

 Baloncieri, Libonatti, Rossetti

1928-29 Torino won Divisione Nazionale Group A and lost to Bologna in the national championship play off.

Their record was:
Played:  30. goals for: 115. goals against: 31. goal difference +84. average goals per game = 3.8

Gino Rossetti 36 goals in 30 games (Capocannoniere)
Julio Libonatti 24 goals in 25 games
Luciano Vezzani 21 goals in 25 games

Torino scored 5 or more goals in 10 of their 30 matches:
  30.9.28: Torino 8 La Dominante 1
  7.10.28:  Novara 1 Torino 7
21.10.28: Torino 12 Triestina 0
28.10.28: Modena 1 Torino 5
 1 .11.28: Torino 7  Legnano 0
18.11.28: Torino 6 Alessandria 1
16.12.28: Torino 9 Prato 1
    6.1.29:  Torino 7 Atalanta 0
  10.2.29: Torino 5 Novara 0
  31.3.29: Torino 10 Livorno 1

Vezzani

Coupe Internationale européenne

In terms of international competition at both national and club level, central Europe was very forward thinking. The  Coupe Internationale européenne was another of Hugo Meisl's contributions to the development of the game, and can be seen as a genuine  forerunner of the UEFA European Nations Cup.
In it's favour it was a credible competition that featured some of the strongest nations in continental football. On the negative side the home and away league format meant that the competition took three years to complete. In this, the first edition, begun in 1927 and completed in 1930, the last two matches were separated by 7 months!

Vittorio Pozzo began his second spell as Italy's manager in 1929, so the trophy was the first he won (followed by a further success in the Coupe Internationale européenne, an Olympic Gold Medal and two World Cup wins) . The trophy, made of Bohemian crystal, was dropped and smashed, but Pozzo  always carried a fragment of it with him.

Final Table

                    P  W  T  L   F  A  Pts   
1   Italy           8  5  1  2  21-15   11  
2   Austria         8  5  0  3  17-10   10  
2   Czechoslovakia  8  4  2  2  17-10   10  
4   Hungary         8  4  1  3  20-23    9  
5   Switzerland     8  0  0  8  11-28    0  

Libonatti and Gino Rossetti, both of Torino, were the competition's joint top scorers, with six goals each.

Oriundi-Julio Libonatti

Julio Libonatti was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1901. He played for Newell's Old Boys from 1919 to 1926, scoring 78 goals in 141 appearances. He also made 15 appearances for Argentina, scoring 8 goals.

In 1926 Libonatti became the first recorded trans-Atlantic transfer when he moved to Torino in Italy. 

It was the policy in Mussolini's Italy that people of Italian extraction 'returning' to Italy automatically had dual citizenship.

Consequently Libonatti was able to make his Italy debut in 1926. He won 17 caps and scored 15 goals.

In the 1927-28 season he was Capocannoniere- the top scorer in Serie A. His total of 35 goals that season has only been bettered once.