Achille Piccini played as a central defender or defensive midfielder. He was born and raised in Carrara, where he played his first seasons as a regular in the Prima Divisione. In 1933 he moved to Prato, and made his début in Serie A the following year for Fiorentina. He remained with the Tuscan club until 1938, and then went to Naples, Lucca, and finally Bari, where he made his last appearances in Serie A in 1941. In total he played 83 times in Serie A, scoring two goals. During the war he returned to his native Carrara and competed in Serie C. He closed his career in the 1945-46 season with US Anconitana as player-coach. Piccini made his début with the national team in the encounter with the United States at the Olympics in 1936. A foul by Piccini prompted the German referee to send him off, but he refused to leave. At one point, six Italian players surrounded him and clamped their hands over his mouth. The referee gave up and Piccini was allowed to finish the game and played all subsequent matches, including the final against Austria. The same year he was fielded against Czechoslovakia for a total of five appearances in the national A team, and two more with the national B team. In 1947 he started a short-lived coaching career with Serie C clubs Catania, AS Drepanum and, finally, his home team Carrarese.
Italy