Remembering Italy's EURO 1968 winner Castano
Friday, January 6, 2023
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Former Juventus and Italy defender Ernesto Castano, who won the European Championship title with the Azzurri in 1968, has died at the age of 83.
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A Balsamese trainee, Castano joined Juventus in 1958 after playing with Legnano and Triestina in Serie B. He spent 12 seasons in Turin, winning three Italian championships and as many Italian Cups, and also wore the captain's armband.
Castano won the first of seven Italian caps against Hungary in November 1959. Called up for Italy’s squad in the 1968 European Championship, he played in the quarter-final and semi-final against Bulgaria and the USSR respectively, as well as in the drawn first match of the final against Yugoslavia, missing the replay which gave the Azzurri the title on home soil.
‘Painful loss’
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has asked that a minute's silence be observed for Castano at league matches scheduled for the weekend. FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said that Castano’s passing was a “painful loss for Italian football".
“He modernised the role of central defender, and was one of the main figures for Italy in 1968 when the passion for football in the country was rekindled. We will always be grateful to him for this. Castano – forever an Azzurro."