Alberto Suppici

Alberto Suppici
Personal information
Full name	Alberto Horacio Suppici
Date of birth	20 November 1898
Place of birth	Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Date of death	21 June 1981 (aged 82)
Place of death	Montevideo, Uruguay
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Left half
Senior career*
Years	Team
1915–1923	Nacional
Managerial career
1928–1932	Uruguay
1935	Central Español
1938	Montevideo Wanderers
1935–1941	Uruguay
1945	Peñarol
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Uruguay (as a manager)
FIFA World Cup
South American Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alberto Horacio Suppici (20 November 1898 – 21 June 1981) was a Uruguayan footballer and coach who won the first ever FIFA World Cup, leading the Uruguay team in the 1930 tournament on home soil. Suppici is known as el Profesor (the Professor).^[1] His cousin was the professional driver Héctor Suppici Sedes.

Biography

On 22 April 1917, Suppici founded the football club Plaza Colonia in Colonia del Sacramento, his hometown. The club's 12 000-capacity home ground has been named Estadio Profesor Alberto Suppici in his honour.^[1]

As technical director of Uruguay, Suppici coached the side to third in the 1929 South American Championship,^{[citation needed]} the precursor to the modern Copa América.

At the inaugural FIFA World Cup in his home nation of Uruguay, Suppici dropped goalkeeper Andrés Mazali, who had won a gold medal in the 1928 Olympic final, from the national team after he was caught breaking curfew and failing to arrive at the team hotel in time in Montevideo prior to the tournament. Suppici led the side to victory in the final over Argentina at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, masterminding a second-half comeback from 2 to 1 down to win 4–2 in front of 93,000 people.^[2] Suppici's technical staff at the tournament included Pedro Arispe,^{[citation needed]} Ernesto Figoli, Luis Greco and Pedro Olivieri. He is the youngest ever coach to win a World Cup, aged only 31.^[3]

Honours

Manager

Domestic

Peñarol

Uruguayan Primera División: 1945

International

Uruguay

FIFA World Cup: 1930
Copa América runner-up: 1941; third place: 1929, 1937

Years	Coach	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %	Tournaments
1928–1932	Alberto Suppici	12	6	2	4	24	16	50.00	1928 Copa Lipton – Runners-up 1929 Copa Newton – Champions 1929 Copa Lipton – Champions 1929 South American Championship – Third Place 1930 FIFA World Cup – Champions 1931 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up 1932 Taça Rio Branco – Runners-up
1935–1941	Alberto Suppici (2nd time)	24	11	1	12	47	46	45.83	1935 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1936 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1936 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions 1937 South American Championship – Third Place 1937 Copa Newton – Runners-up 1937 Copa Lipton – Runners-up 1938 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1938 Copa Héctor Gómez – Runners-up 1939 South American Championship – Runners-up 1940 Taça Rio Branca – Champions 1940 Copa Héctor Gómez – Champions 1940 Copa Juan Mignaburu – Runners-up 1941 South American Championship – Runners-up