Franco Ossola junior, son of one of the fallen of the Grande Torino in Superga, on 4 May 1949, has an anecdote to start talking about his father: «My nephew Leonardo, 7 years old, born to my daughter Francesca, wrote this: “Today at the market a sir asked me if I was a Taurus. He told me he was a Granata fan and recited the names of the team of the time, including that of my great-grandfather. It’s really true: heroes are always immortal in the eyes of those who believe in them.” A smile: «he used – explains Franco jr – a phrase from Indro Montanelli». The child’s writing is on squared paper: an emotional “pinch” of his heart.
When did you start thinking about your father, whom you never met because you were born 8 months after the accident?
«From 20 years old. I used to experience strange situations. I met people who patted me on the shoulder and told me: “Franchino, I met your dad”. Or: “I played with your father”. But then there were my mother’s stories: those left their mark on me.”
She said this story always slipped away from her.
«I was “waterproofed”. Then I realized that it was important, not because Franco was my father, but because with his companions he had created the wonder of Grande Torino. From there everything was born, like an avalanche that grows bigger.”
Did Dad know she was on the way or was it not yet known news?
«He wasn’t sure, but he hoped so. She wanted a boy.”
Did it fill the void you felt?
«My mother remarried when I was six and a half years old. So there was a man in the house when I started school, a key stage in life. But my mother immediately made it clear: she would look after me and my sister Daniela.”
A mom-dad.
«Even in important decisions he had the last word. The stepfather always remained in a corner, but he did it so as not to offend my mother’s sensitivity.”
So the emptiness was there, but not so strong.
«I had a large family: there were even 12 or 13 of us in our house and this scenario smoothed out some rough edges. However, I was a solitary child: I stayed in a corner, played alone with toy soldiers, cut out figurines. I can’t say I missed Franco deeply. If anything, I felt it later, when I became aware of what my life with him could have been.”
At school everyone had a dad; she had a particular one.
«In middle school I had Roberto Franzoni in class: his father, a left winger like Franco, had been Italian champion with Torino in 1928. I told him: “My dad was a footballer”. And he said, “No, mine was.” We discovered that the two parents had won the championship with the same shirt.”
Dad’s story told by his mother.
«Even though she remarried, mother never put Franco on the back burner. One thing has always remained in my head: dad joined her despite the difficulties that I was told.”
Do you feel like remembering them?
«Dad was courageous first of all because at the age of 18 he came to Turin alone. Then because the family in Varese didn’t want him to marry Piera. Grandma Angelina had already arranged her sentimental destiny, even though she was her son-in-law: grandfather Giovanni had married her for the second time after being widowed. When Franco got married in 1944, no one came from Varese and my mother suffered from this.”
Has anything changed over time?
«Certain situations were mended by my grandfather: he had moderated his rigidity. Even Uncle Aldo, the Ignis basketball player, helped break things up.”
Did he imagine his father in the flesh at his side?
“Yes. And I wanted to protect him: I thought of hugging him and cheering him up for what had happened to him. But I never dreamed of it, except once, when the “Novel of the Great Turin” came out. It was a flash: we were among people, he was in a double-breasted suit and well-groomed. He came towards me, put a hand on my shoulder and said: “Well done Franco”. Yes, he spoke to me. I only met him that once, yet I tried again often…”.
Please tell me.
«When I was young I was in a group that held seances. We never found Dad; but my sister Daniela, who also died young in a tragic way, did. When her father passed away, she was 4 and a half years old: we met her thanks to a medium.”
Why is Turin still a myth today?
«Especially because it was made up of normal people. An anecdote by Giampaolo Ormezzano proves it: he was a boy and went to the cinema with his friends. They found themselves alongside Valentino Mazzola. Giampaolo stared at him to make sure it was him. At a certain point Valentino told him: “Try to watch the film”…».
The message is clear: I am like those you meet on the street.
“Exact. The humanity of those boys left a strong legacy of affection at a time when people needed it.”
How was your relationship with your uncles?
«Warm at first. Then, as I was saying, above all Aldo created the foundations for the change. In 1970 Turin hosted the Universiade, I ran and he played basketball. We met again and never lost sight of each other again. However, we rarely met and with Luigi, the other uncle, a Serie A footballer, almost never. Maybe they too had difficulty approaching a particular situation.”
Photos to think about dad: they look like Tom Thumb’s pebbles.
«I made three albums because the images help. Especially those in black and white: they better convey the human reality of the person.”
Chance of being a professional player?
«I had passion and desire, but I was fearful. I practiced athletics at a good level and played football, also for Torino but with unconvincing results. I took advantage of my speed to… avoid contact. At 19 years old, Albese in Serie C looked for me. I had played a championship in the first category in Carmagnola: “Come on, come to us”, they told me. But first I had to free myself from military service: in the army I embraced athletics thanks to the Air Force team.”
If dad hadn’t died, maybe she would have been a footballer.
«Who knows, my life would certainly have been different. Franco would have ended up at Inter, also to get closer to Varese: I would have frequented other places, I wouldn’t have met my wife Zina, who is also involved in athletics as a middle-distance runner.”
Did he pass on to his daughters what he didn’t get from his father?
«I gave it my all. But Cristina, unfortunately, left 3 years ago. Here now, with me and Zina, is her daughter. Francesca has two sons, one plays in Cenisio. I hope I have left something in their soul and in their head.”
Is there a project to cement the memory of that Bull?
«It’s 75 years since the tragedy: anyone who remembers the Grande Torino is getting older. But the oral tradition continues. I’ve met 12-13 year olds who want to know the club’s past: it’s the eternal magic of an unrepeatable team.”
