Full name Giacomo Poselli Name Giacomo Poselli Died Italy | Place of death Italy Years Team | |
Date of birth (1922-07-22)22 July 1922 Date of death 30 August 2007 (aged 85) | ||
Place of birth Thessaloniki, Greece | ||
Giacomo Poselli (Albanian: Xhakom Pozelli; born 22 July 1922 in Thessaloniki, Greece) was an Albanian football player who was later naturalised as an Albanian citizen during his time with Flamurtari Vlorë, becoming the first foreign–born player to play for the Albania national team.
Career
Born in Thessaloniki, Greece into an Italian family, he moved to Albania in 1932 with his family. His father was a building contractor, he obtained important building contracts in Gjirokastra and Vlorë. Giacomo then went on to play for Flamurtari Vlorë before becoming a naturalized Albanian citizen in order to compete in the 1946 Balkan Cup, which Albania won. Totally, has made 8 appearances for Albania, but only 7 are considered official games.
His brother in law, Giuseppe Terrusi, Italo-Albanian bank director in Vlorë, was arrested in retaliation in 1945 under the order of Enver Hoxha, who had previously been a friend of his sister, Aurelia Poselli. Giuseppe Terrusi (Aurelia's husband ), innocent, died in prison of Burrel in 1952. The family Poselli / Terrusi returned to Italy as refugees in 1949.
His true identity was hidden and masked by the Communist Party, who led the public to believe that he was indeed Albanian–born and was often referred to as Buzeli and Poselli. In December 2012, his story was reinstated into the Albanian Football Association museum.
The true family history Poselli / Terrusi was narrated in the book by Aldo Renato Terrusi: "Ritorno al Paese delle Aquile". The book was translated into Albanian under the title: "Brenga ime shqiptare".