While Olbia Calcio reflects on what to do when he grows up Daniele Ragatzu awaits a nod of consideration from white society. The Quartese striker is certainly one of the strongest players that Olbia football has ever seen.
Having joined the whites via Cagliari in the 2016/17 championship, apart from a return period to the rossoblù, Daniele wore the white shirt for seven championships, always in Serie C, scoring 90 goals. Olbia’s strongest goalscorer, second only to Gian Luca Siazzu who scored 100 goals with the white shirt.
Two immense footballers with similar characteristics, not only because of the goals scored with the white shirt, but united by a great love for this uniform; both speak of a strong passion that comes from the depths of the soul and never goes away, a second skin, a tailor-made jacket that will remain like this for a lifetime.
Siazzu still gets emotional when he talks about Olbia and his goals, Ragatzu lives Olbia and his Olbia-ness as if he had always been born and lived with the island of Tavolara before his eyes. Wearing a shirt, feeling it on you, being enchanted, involved and connected to a city that has always recognized its champions and has never forgotten anyone. They represent those “flags” together with footballers such as Marongiu (Pelè), Piero and Gustavo Giagnoni, Bagatti, Caocci, Moro and Petta, icons of Olbia football and Olbia by birth or by will.
But on the threshold of a championship that will mark one hundred and twenty years of Olbia’s existence, what happens to city football?
At this stage we know the teams are starting to organize themselves for the next championship and Olbia will have to start walking again on the pitches of Serie D but for now there is no signal from the club. A silence that scares not only the fans but also many players who are waiting for a response from the white management.
But nothing at all. Only a few rumors – perhaps even more than one rumor – that would see the entry of new members ready to take over the technical management of the team, leaving the mess of debts accrued over the last eight years to the Swiss of Swiss Pro Promotion who hold the 70% of the share capital of an “empty box” or rather, full of debt. Yet, in all this chaos, in a climate of indecision and uncertainty there are still those waiting for Olbia.
Daniele Ragatzu waits, like a boyfriend at his girlfriend’s door, waiting for a sign that can still guarantee him that number ten shirt to breathe the breeze of the Gallura sea in the coming years too. Indeed, there is no shortage of requests for the striker from Quarto, several Serie C clubs and some from Serie B have knocked on Danielino’s door but he lives this situation with the passion of someone who would not want to be “left behind”.
He is still waiting but time is running out and despite himself he will have to make a decision, everyone’s hope is that the white management will dissolve its reservations, communicate what it “wants to do when it grows up” and among its choices there will still be that number 10 shirt on the shoulders of Daniele Ragatzu.
