He wouldn't talk, he said. But he decided to do it. Because «my brother (Mauro) and I wanted to thank all the people who have been close to us in these days». Nicola, son of Gigi Riva, speaks at the closing of the funeral in the Basilica of Bonaria, in Cagliari. To respect protocol, list the institutions first.
But the recipients of his heartfelt "thank you" are «the people who came to the funeral home. Yesterday they remained there in the cold until late at night. My brother and I tried to shake hands with each of them and it was really exciting to see so many children or people my age who had never met him."
His voice breaks a little when he says that people said «"he was a great man" and not just "he was a great footballer"».
Nicola and Mauro discovered that they had the same feeling «when people cried and offered us condolences: I felt like offering them to them, because not only our father passed away, but a family member of many Sardinians, I believe, and of many people who loved him. They were his people, the ones who when he arrived here at 18 years old gave him a family that he didn't have."
Nicola Riva can hear them beyond the door, but his speech is accompanied by long applause from the crowd outside.
«In recent years dad», Riva said again, «had locked himself in the house, he didn't go out much. He no longer went to his restaurant, he didn't go out and about. He was someone who always did the same things", he says almost smiling. «Selfishly», he added, «we were happy because we enjoyed it as a father and as a grandfather with our daughters. With all my heart I hope that now dad can see his mom again in heaven, the person he loved most in life. On Monday he left as he wanted, because no one convinced him, he was hombre vertical until the end and also on Monday he decided what he wanted to do."
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)