by Italian footballer Luigi Riva, who has died aged 79, was his country’s top scorer with 35 goals in 42 international appearances between 1965 and 1974. A quick and lethal striker, he built his reputation by taking advantage of limited opportunities . available to attackers who were facing the strict defensive measures of coaches in the Italian domestic league.
Just under six feet tall, with a saturnine gaze, blocky build and a devastating combination of speed and shot power, “Gigi” Riva scored the only goal in the 1968 European Championship final, leading Italy to victory over Highly rated Yugoslavia. in Rome. Two years later in Mexico City he scored in Italy’s stunning 4-3 extra-time win over West Germany in the World Cup semi-final, before making much less of an impact when he and his team-mates were on the 4-1 victory in the final by the great player Pelé. Brazil.
But Riva is fondly remembered as the star of the Sardinian club team which, under coach Manlio Scopigno, known as “the philosopher”, won the Italian first division championship in 1969-70. Just six years after guiding Cagliari to promotion from the second tier, Riva has not been unlocked catenaccio (the formation of door bolts) to score the goals that took them to the Serie A title from northern giants Turin and Milan.
The depth of that Sardinian affection could be seen at his funeral, which was held in the city where he had seen out his playing career despite lucrative offers from Juventus and other clubs, and where he lived for the rest of his life. Around 30,000 people – almost double the current capacity of the club’s stadium – gathered in Cagliari outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria, waving flags, banners and scarves in the club’s dark red and blue colors. such a distinction.
The presence of defender Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, two heroes of the Italian teams of the 21st century, welcomed Riva’s role later in life. Between 1988 and 2013 he served as the Azzurri’s team manager, his role seemingly more iconic than practical, alongside head coaches including Arrigo Sacchi, Cesare Maldini, Dino Zoff, Giovanni Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi. An elegant, chain-smoking statesman, Riva was with Lippi when Italy beat France to win the 2006 final in Berlin.
Born in Leggiuno, a small town in Varese, close to Lake Maggiore and the Swiss border, he was the youngest of four children of Edis and Ugo Riva. His father, who worked as a tailor and barber before taking a factory job, died in an accident at work when Luigi was nine years old, leaving Edis to take up employment as a maid to support her son and three daughters, Lucia, Candida and Fausta. . When Edis also died, Luigi was sent to a Catholic boarding school for three years before returning home to work in a factory, while playing football for Lavegno Mombello’s youth team, scoring 63 goals in two seasons.
In 1962 he joined Legnano, a club in the third division. After one season with them he moved up a league when Cagliari offered a transfer fee of 37m lire (worth around £25,000, or around £650,000 today). In 13 seasons and 374 games with the Sardinian club he scored 204 goals, some with powerful headers but most with his amazing left foot, and was given the nickname in his honor by journalist Gianni Brera. Rhombus for her (Thunderclap). He won his first international cap in 1965, aged 20, becoming the first Cagliari player to receive such recognition.
During his best years he was very famous in the annual competition for the Ballon d’Or, an award for the best footballer in Europe. He finished second in 1969, behind compatriot Gianni Rivera, the golden boy of AC Milan’s midfield, and third the following year, behind West Germany’s Gerd Müller and England’s Bobby Moore.
Three months after Brazil’s victory in Mexico in 1970, Riva’s right leg was broken in an attack by an Austrian defender during a qualifying match for the European championship in Vienna. He returned to break Giuseppe Meazza’s record of 33 international goals and play a part in Italy’s first away win over England at Wembley in 1973. But when Italy were in the 1974 World Cup final in West Germany he was able to regain his former level, making his final appearance for the Azzurri as they exited in the group stage.
After leg injuries sustained in a fight with an AC Milan defender in 1976, after several unsuccessful attempts to come back, he formally retired two years later, at the age of 33. He founded a football school which his name and spent a short term as president of Cagliari.
He is survived by Gianna Tofanari, his former partner, with whom he remained on friendly terms after their separation, his sons Nicola and Mauro, and five grandchildren.
• Luigi Riva, footballer, born 7 November 1944; he died 22 January 2024
