Known as Cochi, Lucidio Sentimenti was born in the summer of 1920 in Bomporto, near Modena. He came from a family whose footballing fame rivaled that of another legendary dynasty, the Ceveninis. It`s said it all started with a letter: “I`m almost fifteen, working as a cobbler`s apprentice for fifteen lire a week. I want to play. Any position is fine. Even goalkeeper.” Lucidio was a Juventus fan and a great admirer of legendary keeper Combi. He possessed athletic qualities suitable for any role, including a good shot, although his stature wasn`t exceptional. At that time, however, nobody paid much attention to height for keepers. Thus, at just sixteen, he found himself at Modena in Serie B, without a fixed role – sometimes goalkeeper, other times forward. He astonished everyone, scoring twenty-two goals in two seasons, becoming one of the team`s top scorers.
Arrival at Juventus
Juventus was looking for a reliable goalkeeper. In the previous season, 1941, five different keepers had alternated – a record: Goffi, Peruchetti, Ceresoli, Micheloni, and for one Sunday, a certain Bulgheri, who was never seen or heard from again. Cochi had already played about fifty Serie A matches when he debuted for Juventus in Venice. The fullbacks were Foni and Varglien II, and his brother, Vittorio (Sentimenti III), who had arrived a year earlier, also played. After conceding five goals in a derby, he was temporarily sidelined, but a few Sundays later, he was back between the posts, where he remained for another four seasons.
Playing Style and Recognition
He earned caps for the Italian national team. In May 1947, against Hungary, he was the only player from outside the legendary Grande Torino squad. Gianni Brera described him as a cold determinist, possessing a cunning astuteness. His most famous athletic move was the feet-first save, an intervention that seemed desperate but was calculated to the millisecond and, according to some, borderline legal. He was also very skilled with high balls; it was surprising to see him reach them with such confidence, blocking or punching the ball away decisively despite his short stature. Between the posts, he was agile and had a firm grip. He didn`t need to fly; he had a great sense of position and excellent reflexes. Sometimes he trusted his judgment too much and conceded odd goals from long shots.
Later Career and Penalty Expertise
Cochi Sentimenti defended the Juventus goal during seasons dominated by the Grande Torino team. In 1949, at twenty-nine, he was sold to Lazio, where he found a second youth. He also regained his place in the national team and had the honor of playing his last international match in 1953 against the formidable Grande Ungheria. He even started saving penalties, something he hadn`t managed before, as if an unwritten rule was punishing him for the confidence he had in taking them. He became a specialist, almost on par with the legendary Bepi Moro. In February 1954, precisely on a penalty, he got a small revenge against Juventus: in Turin, he saved a shot from Boniperti from the spot, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Juventus lost that championship by just one point, to Inter.
He played until he was thirty-nine, ending his career with Vicenza, never winning a major trophy as a player. Despite having already hung up his boots, he returned to the field for a brief period to defend the goal of Torino, who, deep in the relegation zone, suddenly found themselves without goalkeepers.
Memorable Moments and Family Legacy
One day, he was asked which goal had caused him the most pain. He said that many years earlier, when he was still at Modena in Serie A, he had taken a penalty against his older brother, Arnaldo Sentimenti II, the goalkeeper for Napoli, and scored. That, he said, was the goal that had caused him the most regret.
He shared a specific memory: “Here`s a good memory. 1946, in Turin: Juventus vs. Bologna. Juventus won 1-0. At one point, Gritti of Bologna, playing on the left wing, hit a very powerful shot. I was positioned correctly at the near post, but Parola intervened and deflected it with his thigh. Poor guy, he did his best to save me. So I suddenly found myself at the wrong post, a bit off the line, with the ball heading towards the far top corner, behind me. I jumped back, gritting my teeth and closing my eyes, stretching out as long as I could, and slapped at it. Just when I thought I was beaten, I hit something. I thought: Must be a player. I fell to the ground, heard a shout, opened my eyes, and saw the ball had gone out for a corner. I had knocked it away from the top corner; the shout was for that. They even took a great photo, which I still have. Yes, I felt strong, I felt like a lion; I was the master of my posts and my area. I had a long and accurate goal kick, and I wasn`t afraid to come out. I would dive with my feet first, never my face or arms, because with your feet you get there sooner. In fact, I beat a lot of forwards to the ball precisely because of this. And I never had accidents, also because of this.”
The goalkeeper who took penalties was perhaps the first, and everyone was surprised. Later, he would have excellent imitators, but nobody managed to play regularly, or in a real league match, wearing a forward`s shirt.
Sentimenti Family of Footballers
Lucidio Sentimenti was the fourth of five sons in a family from Bomporto known for their love of football. His parents had nine children in total. The eldest son, Ennio, reached Serie C. Arnaldo, born in 1914 (Sentimenti II), was a goalkeeper who played sixteen Serie A seasons for Napoli. Ciccio (Sentimenti III) played as a midfielder for Juventus until 1949. The youngest was Sentimenti V, who played for Modena, Bari, Lazio, Udinese, and Parma.
How could five out of five brothers play football at such high levels? Lucidio explained that it was due to a great, enormous passion for the game. As for whether their children followed suit, he found it incredible that only his own son played for a few years, reaching Serie C at most, while his nephews barely even attempted the sport.
Goalkeeper as Sweeper and Coaching Career
Sentimenti`s era predated the widespread use of a libero (sweeper). This meant the goalkeeper`s role was often more demanding and delicate. Lucidio confirmed this: he effectively had to act as the sweeper, coming out of his goal area with his feet perhaps ten times a match, sometimes even venturing outside the penalty box to intercept opposing forwards who had beaten their markers. This also meant that when his team attacked, the goalkeeper`s position was one of waiting at the edge of the area, always ready to intervene. Overall, the role might have been more challenging, primarily because keepers touched the ball much more often.
After retiring from playing, Lucidio Sentimenti transitioned into coaching. He spent nearly thirty years working for Juventus`s youth sector after earning his first-category coaching license. He also had long spells as the first team`s goalkeeper coach and served as assistant manager under Rabitti and later Vycpálek. He stated he never regretted not pursuing coaching experience elsewhere.
Anecdotes from the Pitch
He shared a couple of notable anecdotes from his playing career. The first: In the early 1950s, a Lazio-Milan match ended 1-1. Milan took the lead via an own goal by his brother and teammate, Sentimenti III. Sentimenti V (also playing for Lazio) equalized from a penalty. A few minutes from the end, Lucidio saved a penalty for Milan. The next day, many newspapers featured headlines like “Lazio-Milan: All Done in the Family.”
The second: Lucidio held a rather curious record as the only goalkeeper in Italy to have played two league matches out of goal, specifically as a right-winger. In the first instance (1947-48 season, Juventus-Atalanta 2-0), he even scored a goal!
When asked how he felt returning to goal after playing forward, he said he undoubtedly had more fun in goal and was happy to return to his original position, despite some coaches seeing him as better suited to playing upfront.