Torino FC

Founding and Early Years

Torino FC was founded on 3 December 1906, from the merger of Football Club Torinese with a breakaway group from Juventus, driven by Swiss businessman Alfred Dick. Nicknamed "il Toro" (The Bull) and "I Granata" (The Maroons), after the maroon colour of their shirt, the club's colours are traditionally linked to a blood-red handkerchief worn in tribute to the Duke of the Abruzzi following Turin's liberation in 1706, though this origin remains a legend rather than a confirmed fact.

Club Evolution

Torino played at the legendary Stadio Filadelfia (1926-1958), the stage for the Grande Torino era, before passing through several stadiums and renamings: Stadio Comunale, later Vittorio Pozzo, the Stadio delle Alpi built for the 1990 World Cup, and today's Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, so named since 2016 in tribute to the team lost at Superga.

The Superga Disaster

On 4 May 1949, the aircraft carrying the Torino squad home from a friendly match in Lisbon crashed into the Basilica di Superga, near Turin, in thick fog. All 31 people on board died, including the entire squad of the legendary "Grande Torino," reigning five-time Italian champions at the time, along with technical director Ernő Egri Erbstein and coach Leslie Lievesley. Captain Valentino Mazzola, regarded as one of the greatest Italian players of all time, was among the victims. The disaster remains one of the most significant tragedies in football history and continues to sit at the heart of the club's identity.

Great Managers and Iconic Players

Under Ernő Egri Erbstein, the Grande Torino won five Scudetti in the 1940s, led by captain Valentino Mazzola. Later, Luigi Radice brought the title back in 1975-76, while Emiliano Mondonico led the club to the 1991 Mitropa Cup and a 1991-92 UEFA Cup final. Giuseppe "Gigi" Meroni, the flamboyant winger of the 1960s, and Paolo Pulici, the club's all-time top scorer, are among Torino's other great names.

Major Achievements

Torino have won seven Italian league titles (1927-28, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1975-76), five Coppa Italia titles, and one Mitropa Cup (1991), the club's sole international trophy.

The Club Today

Led by Ignazio Abate since July 2026 and chaired by Urbano Cairo since 2005, Torino finished 12th in Serie A in 2025-26, a historic club that remains a pillar of football in Turin and in Italy.