Gigi Riva's granddaughter graduated from Cagliari with a thesis on her grandfather. The title recalls the career choices of Rombo di Tuono, beloved by Sardinians in part because he rejected the advances of Serie A's most highly regarded clubs to stay in Sardinia: "Not everything has a price: marketing between ethics, legend, and integrity."
Virginia Alma Riva—daughter of Riva's eldest son, Nicola—presented her work today in Communication Sciences at the University of Cagliari. During the discussion, the student showed a short video in which her grandfather spoke about his connection with Sardinia.
"A mature work," Professor Giuseppe Melis, one of the speakers, explained on social media, "lucid, capable of restoring marketing to its noblest function: that of culture and values, capable of connecting identity, responsibility, and ethical narrative."
The thesis, the professor continues, explores marketing "as a symbolic language and cultural device, analyzes the figure of Gigi Riva as an example of coherence and integrity, and delves into the educational experience of the Gigi Riva Football School as a space for transmitting values to new generations."
Great appreciation. But also a great deal of emotion. Especially during the screening of the video. "I too, I confess, struggled to contain my emotion," the teacher continues. "Virginia was excellent, like everyone else, but in that moment the emotional component became palpable for everyone. For me, it was also an opportunity to repay my grandfather, for the joy he gave me as a footballer, of course, but above all for the example he set as a man."
And again: "An example that takes nothing away from Virginia, nor from her beautiful family, but rather is renewed and passed on. As happens with authentic values: they don't impose themselves, but are embodied. In a time when we're tempted to think everything has a price, this day reminded us all that something endures. And that it's worth preserving."
(Unioneonline)