“Happy Birthday, Gigi!”, writes the Cagliari, but the social greetings also come from the profile of the Italian national team: “Happy birthday to Gigi Riva who turns 79 today! 42 appearances and 35 goals for the Azzurri; European Champion 1968; Hall of Fame of Italian Football”. It's a special day for Gigi Riva, legend of our football and performs 79 years and who wrote the history of Cagliari and the national team and who still has the best striker ever in the blue shirt.
The Sardinian club goes back several years, when “Thunderclap” arrived in 1963 from Legnano. “The board members just didn’t want to know: 37 and a half million for a 19-year-old from Serie C? Too much. General manager Andrea Arrica, however, was stubborn: he bet on the qualities of that young man with his eyes closed. He trusted his instinct and the judgment of his scouts. And history proved him right. That boy, Riva from Leggiuno, in the province of Varese, soon became Gigi Riva, the strongest Italian striker of all time. A legend, simply. On and off the pitch.”, writes Cagliari.
“He was reluctant to move to an unknown Island: he transformed himself into a people's leader, a symbol of that Land – the red and blue club continues to tell us -. He found a new family in all the Sardinians who welcomed him with open arms as one of them from day one. He never betrayed them. He was an incorruptible leader, deaf to all the lucrative proposals of the Northern squadrons. A bomber of warrior lineage, he put his head where others were afraid to put their foot”.
“With the other red and blue corsairs he brought a historic Scudetto to the Island. Rombo di Tuono, Gianni Brera nicknamed him, to evoke the power of a lightning-fast left foot. He remains the best Italian scorer ever: 35 goals in 42 games, an exceptional average. A hero beyond the confines of time, the passing of the years strengthens the legend: today we celebrate his 79th birthday. A chent'annos, Gigi!”.
Also from the League of Serie A they arrive “so good luck” for Rombo di Tuono. The website of the top-flight clubs writes: “Happy birthday Gigi Riva, European champion in 1968 and vice-world champion in 1970 with the Italian national team. 'Rombo di Tuono' holds the scoring record with 35 goals scored in 42 appearances. The Cagliari flag, with whom he scored 156 goals in 289 appearances in Serie A, winning the championship in the 1969-70 season, turns 79 today”.
Article published on November 7, 2023 - 13:27
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