Football mourns Comunardo Nicolai, an iconic figure in Italian football also thanks to his nickname of “king of own goals”. The story of his name is peculiar.
Football is crying Communard Nicholasformer footballer and coach capable of leaving an indelible mark on our football. Protagonist of the historic Cagliari championship in the 1969/70 season, he also went down in history as the “king of own goals”. Fatal for him at 77 years of age was an illness while he was in hospital. A character from another time who dedicated his entire life to his passion for sport. The story of his name is very particular.
The curious origin of the name Comunardo
Comunardo was called that because his father, who had passed on to him his passion for football, having been a goalkeeper for Livorno, was a staunch anti-fascist. Hence the reference to the Paris Commune, or rather the socialist-inspired government that was established in the transalpine capital in 1871. Apparently his mother, a Christian Democrat and Catholic, never digested that name and for this reason she always called her son Silviano.
Why Comunardo Niccolai was considered the king of own goals
Comunardo Niccolai was nicknamed in his career as the “king of own goals”. Not so much for the quantity of them, since he had scored 6 and therefore 2 less than Ferri and Baresi, but for the spectacular nature of them. Like the one in a Juve-Cagliari in 1970, when he anticipated Zigoni, transforming a cross from Furino into an unfortunate situation for the Sardinians. A true and rough defender, Niccolai, who in an interview reported by the AIC declared: “I remember the own goals, one in Catanzaro in the 300th match refereed by Concetto Lo Bello, one in Perugia, one against Roma and one in Florence. At Franchi I wasn’t to blame because the goalkeeper, instead of saving, lowered his arm and the ball bounced back at me. On the other hand, my interventions were often a bit reckless and it happened that I arrived on the ball uncoordinated. It seemed like I scored 10 a season… Luckily I also scored 4 real goals. I would like to be remembered for the ’70 World Cup, for the championship in Cagliari or for my career as a coach, but in the end the important thing is to be remembered”.
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Niccolai’s career and the legendary Scudetto with Cagliari
And in fact Niccolai, also called “agony” for his very lean physique, was a top-level defender who achieved numerous successes in his career. His name is associated above all with Cagliari (he also played with Torres, Chicago Mustangs, Perugia and Prato), with whom he won the exceptional scudetto in 1970, playing there for 12 seasons. He also played all the way through the national teams, culminating in his move to the senior team. With the Azzurri, he won silver at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
