Franco Gallina
# Franco Gallina

Franco Gallina (1 January 1945 – 5 July 2021) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward, most notably in the Serie A and the North American Soccer League.

## Career

Gallina played in the Serie D in 1962 with Casertana F.C. where he assisted in securing promotion after winning the Serie D title. The following season he was signed by Genoa C.F.C. of the Serie A, but failed to make an appearance. In 1964, he played in the Serie C with Virtus Entella, and later with Cesena F.C. He returned to his former club Genoa where he played in the Serie B. After two seasons with Genoa he played in the Serie A with Lanerossi Vicenza, and made his debut on 17 November 1968 against A.C. Milan.

In 1969, he returned to Serie C to play with Internapoli Football Club. He played abroad in 1971 with Montreal Olympique in the North American Soccer League. In his debut season with Montreal he was named to the NASL Second Team. The next season he played in the Mexican Primera División with Atlante F.C. In 1973, he played in the National Soccer League with Montreal Cantalia where he served as a player-coach. In 1974, he played with league rivals Toronto Italia once more in a capacity of a player-coach. The following season he played with Montreal Castors.

He died on 5 July 2021.

