Diego Armando Maradona passed away on 25 November. In recent days there has been an incessant succession of testimonies in memory of the Argentine champion. Journalists, writers, coaches and former coaches, footballers and former footballers, football managers and former football managers, competed to see who knew Diego Armando Maradona better, through the story of a thousand anecdotes. Everyone felt entitled to speak. Everyone used sweet words, everyone expressed benevolent judgments, everyone already missed the Argentine champion. Which, then, all were absolutely sincere it is doubtful, since, at least some, they made substantially different judgments when Diego was still alive.
But here we will not go into sterile and, at the moment, out of place controversy.
There is nothing to add to what they have said and written about Diego Maradona, unrivaled champion on the pitch. The aspect that we want to highlight about the Argentine champion is to understand how and why he became a'icon. What made it so unique, beyond its infinite footballing qualities, in the eyes of the Argentine people and that of the city that has adopted it sportingly, namely Naples?
For illustrious Neapolitan writers and beyond, Maradona represented the man of social redemption, of the one who gave face and voice to those who had never had face and voice before. The one who fought the arrogance of power, be it FIFA, Juventus or the United States. Which clashed head-on against power, also paying a high price. Not only, therefore, a phenomenon on the pitch, but also a charismatic figure outside the pitch, with its evocative power, which had its roots in the deepest soul of its fans. He had brought out all his pride, a pride to throw in the face of the powerful on duty. Like all men, kissed by talent or not, he had his weaknesses. Those weaknesses, those frequent falls in his private life, made him more human and for this, or even for this, even more loved.
A human painting, as well as sporty, so articulated, with a thousand facets, with a thousand intermediate shades between white and black, brought to mind, let's say by analogy, as in Italy, there is a champion of man, a champion even in his proverbial confidentiality, a former champion in the field, who has become a symbol, not only of a city, but of an entire region.
His name is Luigi Riva, for all Gigi and his region is Sardinia.
He married Cagliari and Sardinia in 1963 and since then no one has divided him.
Un Continental who fell in love with a wonderful island. Forever.
Gigi Riva was born in Leggiuno, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, on 7 November 1944 and has just turned 76 years old. A man from the north. The great journalist Gianni Brera nicknamed him Rumbling of thunder by the power of his shot.
“He coined it on 25 October 1970. Cagliari, the Italian champion, won at San Siro with Inter 1-3. On the Guerin Sportivo Gianni Brera wrote: «Cagliari immediately slipped and humiliated Inter at San Siro. Over 70 thousand spectators: Riva deserved them, here nicknamed Rombo di Tuono ».
That day when Brera nicknamed it Thunderclap - La Nuova Sardegna
Just as Diego Maradona was the one who led Napoli to the victory of their only 2 league titles, Riva was the spearhead of Cagliari who, in 1970, became Italian Champion. The first, and only time, for the Sardinian company, exactly 50 years ago. After half a century he is still the untouchable and indisputable hero of that triumph.
Gigi Riva, like Diego Maradona, only kicked with his left, he used his right to walk. Great at stunt and strong at aerial play, he was one of the strongest strikers in the world in the early 35s. He was the top scorer in the Italian league three times. Even today he holds the record for scoring with the blue shirt of the Italian national team: XNUMX goals.
Gigi Riva, like Diego Maradona, has resisted the millionaire flattery of the great clubs of the north.
Gigi Riva, like Diego Maradona, said no to Juventus, the club that most of all tried him.
Gigi Riva, like Diego Maradona, has become the symbol of a wonderful land, but not rich. In the 70s, many Sardinians left their land to go to work in the north. Turin. Milan, Genoa formed the famous industrial triangle, which offered work and hope to many Italians, especially from our south. Riva, for these workers, represented their great revenge. Nobody managed to snatch him from the Sardinians, Cagliari, Sardinia. "Gigi is ours alone", they thought and they were right.
For Gigi Riva there is only Cagliari, as for Diego Maradona there was only Naples.
On 9 February 2005, before the match of the Italian national team against Russia, played at the Sant'Elia stadium in Cagliari, the Sardinian club officially withdrew forever la magica jersey number 11, the one worn throughout his career in rossoblù by Rombo di tuono.
Since 2019 Gigi Riva has become Honorary President of Cagliari.
The writer Julius Angioni, recalling the world fame of the great left wing, tells how, in an exotic and distant country, by registering in a hotel, the concierge is unable to decipher the word Cagliari, until he makes the connection: “Ah, Cag-liari, Gigi Riva!”.
There are men and champions who, despite having married a jersey, a city or an entire region, belong to everyone, they are a universal heritage.
Gigi Riva as Maradona. The last emperor, of Cagliari and Sardinia, is a world heritage of football.
