05 January 2023
Juventus today mourns the passing of Ernesto Castano.
The stalwart defender made 340 appearances for the club between 1958 and 1970, scoring three goals (all at the Stadio Comunale) and winning three league titles and three Coppa Italia crowns. He was also a member of the Italy squad that won the 1968 European Championship.
Ernesto Castano was born in Cinisello Balsamo, in the Province of Milan, on 2 May 1939. He made his Bianconeri debut aged just 19 after team-mate Rino Ferrario told the coach: “This kid is better than me. When are you going to pick him instead?”
CAPTAINCY
“Growing up in Brianza people would call me 'Parola' or 'Boniperti' depending on where I was playing, so you can imagine my delight when I joined Juventus and found one of them was my coach and the other my captain,” Castano commented. He certainly lived up to his promise. A fearless, imposing, pacy defender who could operate at full-back or as a sweeper, he exuded confidence. He was true captain's material - a role he would later take on. “I like to use my strength but I play fair. Maybe it's my slightly sullen look that makes people think I'm a tough guy.”
INJURIES
It was anything but plain sailing for Castano as he was sidelined for long spells multiple times. In 1969, Alberto Refrigeri summed up his injury travails in Hurrà Juventus as follows: “If ever there were a Nobel prize for bad luck, Tino Castano would be right up there as one of the prime candidates. Over the course of his ten-year career, he has undergone three painful meniscus operations – and we all know that removing a footballer's meniscus is like taking the bread off the table. The Italy sweeper now has to play with only one meniscus, yet despite all the adversity Tino has never given up. He has gritted his teeth and managed to overcome his incredible misfortune and remains an important player today at the age of 30, an example of all his team-mates.”
ERNESTO BETTER KNOWN AS TINO
“He is as quiet and calm with his family as he is fiery and combative on the pitch.” That's how Hurrà described Castano's private life in July 1963. There's a picture of him playing draughts with his brother Giuseppe – who also played in the Juventus youth academy – watched on by their mother. It is in that article where we discover that the nickname he was known by came from home: “My mother was the first to call me Tino.”
GOLDEN YEAR
For the first two Scudetto titles – in 1960 and 1961 – Castano was a youngster trying to hold down a regular spot into the team, but in 1967 he was a near ever-present. In December 1966, when Juve were chasing Inter, the defender told Hurrà: “I believe in the football Mr Herrera wants Juventus to play.” Before the final day of the season, when it seemed unlikely Juve could overtake the Nerazzurri, he told his team-mates they would win the Scudetto. He was made the butt of a few jokes but he turned out to be right as the Old Lady clinched one of her greatest league titles.
YOUTH COACH
The appendix to Castano's professional career came in the '70s, when he worked in the Juventus academy. He expressed an interest in coaching before hanging up his boots, aware of the difficulty of the task: “Coaching is a very hard in Italy but I think I have the patience needed to teach.” When he got the job, he set out his manifesto: “The kids must work hard but they need to have fun while training as well. Drills must be chosen carefully and alternated so they don't get bored.”
He would remain a Juventus fan for the rest of his life, his love for the colours as unerring as always.
Thanks for everything, Ernesto Castano!
