Meazza (left) - the superstar of his day. (Allsport)

By Gianni Pintus, PA International

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When the likes of Zidane, Del Piero and Rivaldo sit down to discuss new sponsorship deals at the end of the World Cup the name of Giuseppe Meazza will not feature prominently.

But many years ago the Italian legend became one of the first to tread the lucrative path which so many of the world's top players follow.

And David Beckham may be interested to know that when Meazza's thick, wavy hair made him the 'face' of an Argentine hair cream company, he did not respond by shaving his head.

But becoming the first-ever player to market a product was just one of the accomplishments in the late striker's phenomenal career.

For all the zeros on the contracts of modern players, sporting greats often emerge from the most humble of backgrounds, and such was the case of Italy's favourite footballing son.

In a country where calcio is the lifeblood, and some of the world's greatest players have been born, the prolific Meazza is still without equal.

Luigi Riva, Renzo de Vecchi, Luigi Cevenini, Angelo Schiavo, Gianni Rivera, Franco Baresi, Dino Zoff and Roberto Baggio all have seats at the top table in European football lore.

But none are more popular in the history of the Italian game than the boy who grew up selling fruit and veg at market with his mother.

Born on August 23, 1910, in Milan and raised by his mother after his father was killed in the First World War, Meazza made his debut for Ambrosiana Internazionale (now Inter Milan) as a 17-year-old.

At 19 the little forward was making his first of 53 appearances for Italy and winning the 1930 scudetto, the first of the professional era, a success repeated in 1934.

That year also saw Meazza play an integral part in Italy's first World Cup triumph, and in 1938 he helped them retain the trophy by renewing his unbeatable partnership with Schiavo.

"It was a dream to win the 1934 World Cup but the win in 1938 was the icing on the cake," said Meazza.

"I like to win anything and everything, all in one night."

As his fame grew Meazza even drew comparisons with Mussolini, who honoured the player with a medal of sporting merit.

One journalist wrote: "This Meazza has something in common with il duce (Mussolini) because of the love and adoration of the Italian people towards him. He is a true idol."

After one game against Belgium in Brussels the Italian fans chanted simply: "Beppe, Beppe you are my life."

Although Meazza's move from Inter to Juventus during the second World War was not without its share of acrimony, the Inter fans were willing to forgive their hero.

By his retirement in 1947 the impressive statistics of 261 goals in 444 Serie A games, 363 of them for Inter, and 33 goals for Italy gave an idea of Meazza's awesome ability.

Even an unsuccessful attempt at management could not tarnish his remarkable playing record.

And when Meazza died in 1979 his name became a second title for Inter's world famous San Siro stadium.