Paying 500 lire in 1942 (about 300,000 Euros today) won AC Milan a contract with Andrea Bonomi, a midfielder who in the last three years of his long tenure with the Rossoneri would end up wearing the captain’s armband. Bonomi “Ciapin” (his nickname), stayed with Milan for 10 seasons, winning their fourth Seria A championship Scudetto in Milan’s history, in 1951. Playing at the Tricolore, the midfielder, also as a fullback when required, got them a win in the 1951 Latin Cup trophy competition, the precursor trophy for the Champions Cup.
It seemed his destiny as a player was written in the stars. As the story goes, when he was only 6 years old, Bonomi fell into the Adda river, only to be saved by a 10 year old future football legend by the name of Valentino Mazzola. Mazzola unfortunately faced tragedy of his own many years later. The Superga plane crash claimed his life, and wiped out the entire Torino football team, which at the time represented a major section of Azzurri players.
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