Annibale Frossi was a former Italian forward of the 1970's, mostly known for his 6 year stint with Inter Milan. The Italian was prominent at the time for wearing correctional glasses while playing, as he suffered from myopia when he was a child. Frossi had also made an impact as a manager, as he was one of the masterminds behind the Defensive catenaccio style of football. let us now look back at his years as a footballer, both at club and international level.
Club career
Annibale Frossi began his professional football career with Udinese, where he spent 2 years. The next phase of his career was largely in Serie B, playing for the likes of with Padova, Bari, and L’Aquila.
It was in 1936 that he finally got his big move, as the Italian was signed by Ambrosiana Inter ( now Inter Milan). He eventually made his Inter debut on 21st June 1936, in the Mitropa Cup. Frossi was called up for the 1936 Summer Olympics soon after, where he went on to put a magnificent display that'll be mentioned later in this article.
The years that followed were his most successful as a player, as he won the Scudetto twice (1938 and 1940) , and a Coppa Italia (1939) with the Nerazzurri. His scoring stats were impressive as well, with the Italian finding the net on 49 occasions in 147 games for Inter. 40 of those came in the league as well in 125 appearances. He eventually left the club in 1942 after 6 years.
Frossi was also an active part of the game during World War II, with the Italian playing for Italian side Pro Patria at the time. His final club was Como in 1945, before ultimately retiring from the game.
Player profile
One of the primary aspects that made Frossi such a dangerous player was his immense pace both with and without the ball. This made a serious goalscoring threat, and it even made him capable of playing at centre-forward during certain occasions.
The Italian however wasn't the most technically brilliant player, and his Myopic condition diminished his true potential when it came to his aerial abilities in the game.
Despite those setbacks, Frossi's excellence when it came to shooting the ball and his tactical intelligence made him a highly dependable player of his side.
International career
Frossi's time with the Italian national side is a short yet memorable one. He only earned 5 caps for the national side between 1936 and 1937, scoring 8 goals during that period. The Italian was called up by the national team manager Vittorio Pozzo for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he made his international debut.
He went on to score in his debut against the United States, which ended in a 3-1 win for Italy. Frossi was instrumental in leading Italy to glory, as he scored in all four matches in the competition including the final. The former Italian forward finished the tournament as top scorer with an impressive 7 goals.
Despite those heroics, Frossi only made one more appearance for the Italian national side. He also scored in that match, as Italy beat Hungary 2-0. He went on to make one more national team appearance, although that was for the Italian B-side, in a 3-2 victory over Austria on 21st March 1937.
Legacy
Frassi was an essential part of both Inter and Italian national sides, winning major silverware with both sides. His contributions towards the catenaccio tactic makes him an eternal part of football coaching history as well. His influence in the beautiful game will forever live on.
