Romeo Benetti (Italian pronunciation: [roˈmɛːo beˈnetti]; born 20 October 1945) is an Italian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. A tenacious player, Benetti played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, winning titles with A.C. Milan, Juventus and Roma. At international level, he represented the Italy national football team on 55 occasions between 1971 and 1980, and took part at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups, as well as UEFA Euro 1980, achieving fourth-place finishes in the latter two tournaments.
After winning the 1967–68 Serie B title with Palermo, Benetti started his Serie A career in 1968 with Juventus, making 24 appearances and scoring a goal during his first season with the club. However, he did not remain at the club for long, and he joined Sampdoria on loan during the next season. His breakthrough came in the 1970–71 Serie A season, after joining A.C. Milan in 1970, helping the club to three consecutive second-place finishes in the league between 1970 and 1973. During his time at the club, he won the 1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup, as well as two Coppa Italia trophies during the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, later being named the club's captain, inheriting the armband from teammate Gianni Rivera. He also scored a memorable long-range goal in the Milan Derby against rivals Inter in March 1973.
In 1976, he returned to Juventus and won the 1976–77 and 1977–78 Serie A titles, as well as the 1976–77 UEFA Cup, and the Coppa Italia during the 1978–79 season. As his career came to an end he transferred to Roma in 1979, where he remained until 1981, winning two more consecutive Coppa Italia titles before retiring.

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