Luigi Burlando was a football midfielder and also a water polo player. Orphaned by his mother when he was very young, Burlando took care of his two brothers and also maintained the home. As a footballer he played all of his career in his hometown, first with Andrea Doria and later with Genoa CFC, playing 242 matches in the Italian league while winning two Italian titles with Genoa in 1923-24. He won also two water polo titles with Andrea Doria in 1921-22. Burlando competed in football at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. In total he earned 19 international caps, with one goal against Belgium in a friendly in Milano. In the 1930s he collaborated with Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo, to help win the 1938 World Cup.