After World War I, Italian football kicked off again in October 1919. At this time, there was not a single Italian league, but a series of regional leagues instead. Torino, along with most other teams, lost many of its players in the conflict, but they showed positive steps toward recovery by finishing third in the Piedmont group behind Pro Vercelli and Juventus. By 1921, they had reached the semi-final round of northern Italy, on par with Legnano. This match went down in history as the longest official fixture ever played in Italy. The result after regular time was 1-1, so two extra time periods of 30 minutes each were needed. At the end of these, the score was still even. The referee decided to play another 30 minute extra time period, but after eight minutes of this both teams mutually agreed that they were too exhausted to continue.

 

Four siblings, the Martin brothers (Pietro, Cesare, Dario and Edmondo), started to play for Torino in the early 1920’s. This tradition was not uncommon in Italy at the time, and Martin II was the most talented of the quartet, making 359 appearances for the club. In April 1922, Torinos manager Vittorio Pozzo resigned from the club for family and personal reasons, to be replaced by Francesco Mosso, one of another set of four brothers who had represented Torino earlier. 

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Torinos first success coincided with their presidency of Count Marone Cizano, who in 1925 brought the Argentine Julio Libonatti to Tornio. Libonatti was the first foreign-born player to represent the Italian national team, and he was accompanied by Adolfo Baloncieri. The pair made an immediate impact, scoring 38 of the teams 67 goals and helping Torino to a second place finish in their group, behind Bologna. The following year, Gino Rossetti joined Torino from Spezia, giving birth to what became known as “the trio of wonders” together with Libonatti and Baloncieri. The trio, and the club, were enriched further with the clever tactics of new coach Tony Cargnelli. A year later, the team moved in to the newly inaugurated Stadio Filadelphia, christening the famous ground with a 4-0 win over Fortitudo Roma.

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Torino won their first Scudetto on July 10, 1927. This was the first season of the nation-wide Divisione Nazionale. However the title was revoked four months later due to alleged bribery by a Torino doctor and a Juventus player during the Derby di Torino a few months prior. The Milanese newspaper Lo Sport published the news in favour of Torino, and the Juventus player involved, Luigi Allemandi, was banned for life, although he was later pardoned. Torino reconfirmed their right to the Scudetto the following season, becoming champions with some astounding scorelines such as 11-0 wins over Brescia and Napoli and a 14-0 destruction of Reggiana. The “trio of wonders” scored 89 goals between them that season. To celebrate, Torino embarked on a tour of South America, however their results on the tour weren’t particularly good. Shortly after their return to Italy, Count Cizano resigned, citing the anguish from the cancellation of their 1927 title as the blame.

Achievements: Italian Football Championship – Champions x1 Runners up x1
                        Piedmont League – Champions x1 Third place x1

Star player: Adolfo Baloncieri DOB 27 July 1897, Alessandria, Italy

Considered to rank among the likes of Giuseppe Meazza and Valentino Mazzola as one of the greatest Italian playmakers ever, Baloncieri played most notably for Torino, where he won two titles (although one was revoked). He captained Italy in three Olympic Games and won the Central European International Cup. In addition, he is the highest scoring midfielder in the history of the Italian national team. Baloncieri discovered his love of football as a young boy living in Argentina, before returning to Italy and joining Alessandria. WWI interrupted his career, during he served on the front as a gunner. After the war, he became one of Italy’s greatest footballers and was knighted by the Crown of Italy. Quick, talented, elegant and creative, Baloncieri usually played as an offensive playmaker. He later became a manager, and took charge of AC Milan, Napoli, Sampsoria, Roma and Palermo among others.