Luciano Vassalo


Luciano Vassallo is a former Ethiopian footballer of Eritrean and Italian origin. He is known for his skill, and mostly for his volleys, free kicks and penalties. He played professionally with Saint-George SA along with his brother Italo.

Data

Luciano played for the Ethiopia national football team in the qualifying rounds for the 1962 FIFA World Cup. With his brother Italo, Luciano was part of the 1962 African Cup of Nations campaign when Ethiopia won their only trophy to date. Luciano, captain of the team, scored 2 goals in the semifinal against Tunisia and was tied for third highest scorer in the tournament, and was named player of the tournament, the only Ethiopian to claim that award. He was personally handed the trophy by His Highness Haile Selassie. In 2006, CAF began the selection for the best African footballer in the last fifty years. Luciano, along with legendary teammate and friend Mengistu Worku were selected in the group of the top 50 players, as the only Ethiopians, but were not selected in the final 30, where Roger Milla was named number one.
Many consider Vassalo to be the best Ethiopian footballer in history, after Mengistu Worku and Ydnekatchew Tessema. After retirement, he had a short stint in coaching, with the then Dire Dawa Cotton FC.

Data & Biography

Luciano Vassallo was born in 1935 Asmara from an Eritrean girl and an Italian military soldier.
When young he played in local teams like the "GS Asmara", that was an Ethiopian team because Eritrea was annexed to Ethiopia. In the 1960s he played in the Cotton FC of Dire Dawa, where he won the Ethiopian Championship in 1960, 1962, 1963 and 1965.
Then he played in the Saint-George SA of Addis Abeba and won the Ethiopian championships of 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1971.
As a football player he was in the following teams:
Later, Luciano played for the Ethiopia national football team in the qualifying rounds for the 1962 FIFA World Cup.
With his brother Italo, Luciano was also part of the 1962 African Cup of Nations campaign when Ethiopia won their only trophy to date. He played at FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. Luciano, captain of the team, scored 2 goals in the semifinal against Tunisia and was tied for third highest scorer in the tournament, and was named player of the tournament, the only Ethiopian to claim that award.
He was personally handed the trophy by His Highness Haile Selassie. In 2006, CAF began the selection for the best African footballer in the last fifty years. Luciano, along with legendary teammate and friend Mengistu Worku were selected in the group of the top 50 players, as the only Ethiopians, but were not selected in the final 30, where Roger Milla was named number one.
Many consider Vassalo to be the best Ethiopian footballer in history, after Mengistu Worku and Ydnekatchew Tessema. After retirement, he had a short stint in coaching, with the then Dire Dawa Cotton FC.
Successively to the African tournament he played in the famous Saint-George SA of the Ethiopian capital, with his brother Italo. He then went to study as team coach in the "Coverciano national football school". Indeed, after retirement from active footballer, he had a short stint in coaching, with the Dire Dawa's Cotton FC. In 1969–1970 he was even coach of the Ethiopian national team.
Indeed, as a football coach he worked in:
Luciano Vassalo in the 1970s was jailed by the dictator Mengistu's soldiers, and accused of being a "mulatto" spy of the western colonialists. But he was able to escape to Italy.
When took refuge in Italy, in 1978 he obtained the Italian citizenship and owned a mechanic car shop. Later he founded in Ostia a school for young footballers: the Olimpia Ostia. After some years living in Rome, he even published a book in 2000 about his life, titled Mamma ecco I soldi.
In 2006, CAF began the selection for the best African footballer in the last fifty years. Luciano, along with legendary teammate and friend Mengistu Worku were selected in the group of the top 50 players, as the only Ethiopians, but were not selected in the final 30, where Roger Milla was named number one. Luciano Vassalo -because he played football when his native Eritrea was part of Ethiopia- is always defined as an "Ethiopian footballer", but lately he is also being reconsidered by Eritrean sport authorities as an "Eritrean with Italian roots" football player & coach.
Actually he is retired and lives in Rome.