A Son of the Rock

Gigi Riva, Italy’s all-time top goalscorer, has died.

In all he scored 35 goals for the national team from 42 appearances.

But it was his club career that marked him out. After starting with a local side he moved to Sardinian club Cagliari, then in Serie B, where his goals helped them to promotion in 1964. More astonishingly he took Cagliari to the Scudetto in 1970, the club’s first (and only) Serie A title. Indeed, it was the first time a club from south of Rome had won the title.

His celebration of this goal in the 1970 World Cup semi-final perhaps inspired Marco Tardelli’s in the final in Spain 12 years later.

Luigi (Gigi) Riva: 7 /11/1944 – 22/1/2024. So it goes.