| Giuseppe Bruscolotti | |
| Fullname: | Giuseppe Bruscolotti |
| Birth Date: | 1 June 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Sassano, Campania, Italy |
| Height: | 1.81m |
| Position: | Right-back |
| Years1: | 1970–1972 |
| Years2: | 1972–1988 |
| Clubs1: | Sorrento[1] |
| Clubs2: | Napoli[2] |
| Caps1: | 60 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Caps2: | 387 |
| Goals2: | 9 |
| Totalcaps: | 447 |
| Totalgoals: | 10 |
Giuseppe Bruscolotti (born 1 June 1951) is a former Italian footballer who played as a right-back. He is mostly remembered for his lengthy spell with S.S.C. Napoli, where he served as the club's captain and contributed to the team's first ever Serie A title in 1987. Throughout his career, he was referred to as "Pal e fierr" ("iron pole") by the fans, due to his physical strength.[3]
Born in Sassano, Campania, Bruscolotti began his career with Sorrento in 1970. He immediately helped the club to Serie B promotion, winning the Serie C1 title during the 1970–71 season, and was a part of a defence which only conceded 12 goals in the league; the following season, however, the club were immediately relegated to Serie C once again, after finishing in second-last place in the league.[4]
Bruscolotti subsequently moved to S.S.C. Napoli in 1972, where he spent most of his career, making over 500 appearances for the team during his sixteen seasons in Naples; he made his Serie A debut with Napoli during the 1972–73 season, in a 1–0 win over Ternana on 24 September 1972. Bruscolotti became a symbol and a legend of the club, and played a key role in helping Napoli to their first ever Serie A title in 1987; he was also the team's captain from 1978 until 1984, when he handed over the armband to Diego Maradona.[5] He retired at the age of 37 in 1988;[3] [6] he holds the record for most Serie A appearances for Napoli (387), and has made the second most appearances in all league competitions for the club.[7] He also made 96 appearances for Napoli in the Coppa Italia, and 28 in European competitions. Bruscolotti also scored 11 goals for Napoli throughout his career; one of his most notable goals came in a 1–0 home victory over Anderlecht in the return leg of the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, although Napoli were eliminated by the eventual champions on aggregate.[6] His most important goal for the club came in the second leg of the 1976 Anglo-Italian League Cup final, which saw Napoli triumph over Southampton.[8] In addition to these titles, Bruscolotti also won two Coppa Italia titles with Napoli.[3] [6] [9] [10]
A tenacious, imposing, and powerful full-back, Bruscolotti was known in particular for his physical strength and balance, as well as his excellent man-marking ability, leadership, and his hard-tackling style of play.[3] [6] Although he was notorious for his aggressive challenges, he was also praised throughout his career for his fair-play attitude.[11]
Sorrento[4]
Napoli