Alberto Piccinini (25 January 1923 â 14 April 1972) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. According to Guerin Sportivo, he was regarded as one of the first liberos when Gipo Viani, his coach at Salernitana, pulled him back to defence and assigned him to mark the opposition's number 9.
He later played for Juventus, Milan and Palermo, winning two Serie A titles with Juventus in 1949âÂÂ50 and 1951âÂÂ52.