José João Altafini (born July 24, 1938 in Piracicaba, Brazil) was a Brazilian-born Italian footballer. He is the joint-third highest scorer in Serie A history (along with Giuseppe Meazza) with 216 goals. July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Piracicaba is a city located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. ... This is a list of the top goalscorers of all-time in each countrys top football division. ... Serie A is the top division of the Italian Football League, the highest football league in Italy. ... Giuseppe Meazza (Milano, August 23, 1910 - August 21, 1979) was an Italian footballer playing, as a midfielder, for Inter in the 1930s scoring 243 goals in 361 games for the club. ...

Club Career

Altafini played for a number of Brazilian teams, including Palmeiras, before he began his career in Italy with AC Milan in 1958. He made his debut on September 21, 1958, and, in his first season, he played 32 games and scored 28 goals, winning the title along the way. His first league goal came on October 5 in a win against Bari. Milan won the title again in 1962, when Altafini was the league's joint top scorer with 22 goals in 33 games. Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football team from São Paulo, Brazil, founded on August 26, 1914 as Palestra Itália, but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942. ... AC Milan is an Italian football club. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... Location within Italy Bari is the second largest continental city of Southern Italy, with a population of 326,201 (2001) along 116 sq. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1965, Altafini joined Napoli, where he stayed until 1972. In 1972, Napoli ironically lost 2-0 in the final of the Coppa Italia to Altafini's previous club, Milan. 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... SSC Napoli was an Italian football club based in Naples. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) is a Italian footballs annual cup competition. ...

After his time at Napoli, he joined Juventus and lost another cup final in 1973. He did, however, win two more league titles: in 1973 and 1975. By the time he left Juventus in 1976, Altafini had played 459 games in Serie A and had scored 216 goals, although he had scored most of these in the early part of his career. In fact, he only scored 53 goals in his last 8 seasons in Italy, whereas he had scored 134 in his first 8. Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italys oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

He joined Chiasso and then Mendrisio Star (both in Switzerland) after leaving Italy and played for four more seasons before retiring at the age of 42.

International Career

Although born in Brazil, Altafini played his international football for Italy. His debut came against Israel on October 15, 1961, a game in which he also scored his first international goal. October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...