The countdown of football fans has already started for the two events of “Serie A – Operation Nostalgia”, the initiative that brings some of the old glories of Italian football back to the stadiums. There are two dates to mark on the calendar: Saturday 8 June at the Arechi Stadium in Salerno and Sunday 7 July at the Piola Stadium in Novara. «Knowing that to date more than 13 thousand people have already purchased tickets for the Salerno rally on Saturday 8 June is truly wonderful. There will be bedlam, the usual rally bedlam”, the organizers wrote on Facebook. For years, the “Operation Nostalgia” initiative has filled stadiums across Italy, bringing some of the most beloved faces of Italian football back onto the pitch. The two events scheduled for 2024 appear to be no exception, with several top players of past Serie A seasons who have already confirmed their presence.
The Salerno rally
A total of 36 players will participate in the meeting on Saturday 8 June at the Arechi Stadium in Salerno. Here is the complete list: Francesco Totti, Javier Zanetti, David Trezeguet, Diego Milito, Andrea Barzagli, Antonio Di Natale, Aldair, Ernesto Chevanton, Nicola Ventola, Alessandro Lucarelli, Luigi Di Biagio, Fabio Galante, Stefano Fiore, Antonio Chimenti, Vincent Candela, David Di Michele, Giampiero Maini, Arturo Di Napoli, David Pizarro, Dario Marcolin, Mauro Bressan, Ighli Vannucchi, Cesar, Giacomo Tedesco, Marco Amelia, Antonio Filippini, Guerino Gottardi, Max Tonetto, Gigi Orlandini, Gigi Garzya, Davide Moscardelli , Giancarlo Pantano, Alberto Savino, Luca Altomare, Vittorio Tosto, Luca Fusco.
The Novara rally
The gathering on Sunday 7 July at the Piola Stadium in Novara will also see 36 former Serie A champions take to the field. Here is the list of players who have confirmed their presence: Andriy Shevchenko, Diego Milito, Dario Hubner, Antonio Di Natale, Nelson Dida, Sebastien Frey, Damiano Tommasi, David Pizarro, Diego Fuser, Michele Padovano, Nicola Amoruso, Filippo Maniero, Sergio Pellissier, Pasquale Luiso, Andrea Caracciolo, Luigi Apolloni, Massimo Marazzina, Giorgos Karagounis, Sergio Volpi, Nicola Legrottaglie, Cristian Zaccardo, Max Tonetto, Ze Maria, Angelo Carbone, Marco Amelia, Mauro Bressan, Enrico Annoni, Cristian Zenoni, Mark Iuliano, Paolo De Ceglie, Raffaele Rubino, Fabio Rossitto.
Baggio’s return?
However, there is also a surprise that could await the fans of the Operation Nostalgia rallies in Salerno and Novara. This is the presence of Roberto Baggio, considered by many to be the best Italian footballer of all time. Through some posts published on social media, the organizers of the event suggested his possible participation. “No. No. No and still no. It is not. It’s not a mirage. It’s Roberto Baggio”, we read in a post. May this really be a good time to review The Divine Pigtail on a football pitch?
