A new tribute arrives from Cagliari to Gigi Riva: it is the mural at the entrance to the Amsicora stadium, just a few meters from the goal of the first of the two goals against Bari that gave the Scudetto to the rossoblù in 1970.
The work was created by the artist Giorgio Casu and portrays Rombo di Tuono as he prepares one of his famous cannon shots.
The blessing of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella also came from Rome: «On the occasion of the inauguration, at the Amsicora Stadium in Cagliari, of the image depicting Gigi Riva - this was the message sent to the committee promoting the initiative - I appreciated the This is an opportunity to greet all the participants in this significant initiative. Gigi Riva chose to be Sardinian, to share the identity and human values of this land. Gigi Riva's intense relationship with Sardinia grew over time until he made it his home, not only choosing to play only in the Cagliari team for the entire period of his professional commitment, but deciding to continue living on the island even after the end of his sporting activity." «His role as a footballer in the Italian national team and subsequently as a manager when the Italian team won the 2006 World Cup was fundamental - continues Mattarella. Gigi Riva, in addition to being a great champion and an unforgettable protagonist of Italian football, represents an example of sporting loyalty, an extraordinary testimony for the new generations of how sport should be understood, of how "football played" can be an example of those values that are decisive in making an excellent player also a great man".
Gigi Riva was not present at the ceremony. There were his sons Nicola and Mauro and many teammates from 1970: Tomasini, Reginato, Greatti, Brugnera and Copparoni (then in the youth team). With them many who played with Riva, from Quagliozzi to Piras. The organizing committee started with the idea of a statue. But, due to bureaucratic problems, for now he has opted for a mural. The statue project, however, still remains standing.
(Unioneonline/ss)
