Manlio Scopigno, coach of the Cagliari Of Riva’s Teeth he was surprised to see him, in Worldvision play in the World Cup Mexico 70. We, more modestly, would have been satisfied to see him more often at Lungobisenzioin the sad autumn of 1977In the Prato who, after a dream promotion from Serie D, was struggling in the higher league. He, Communard Nicholasdied this morning at the hospital in Pistoia at the age of 77 years oldhad arrived in November, together with other thirty-year-olds with a rather glorious past and a present full of ailments. He formed the central defensive pair with Franco Battisodoex Bologna. A few years earlier, we teenagers played with their stickers.
The Panini sticker of Niccolai 1970-71
Niccolai collected 4 appearancesin Prato coached by Graziano Landoni, then he left the field forever to become a coach (many blue youth) and entrepreneur between sports and catering. His “Red Wood” in Capostrada di Pistoia, where the Porrettana ramps begin, was the landing place for playing soccer e soccer con pizza to follow for every company of enthusiasts. On the walls, some Photo of Comunardo in Cagliari of the 1970 championship, with Riva, Albertosi, Cera. And in NationalItaly-Sweden 1-0: half an hour, injury, he goes out and Rosé who enters forever. Communard, silent and introverted, he sent the Red Wood forward with discretion, never claiming the front row. The only concession, he answered to the journalists who called him when someone (Richard Ferrias he recalls Ligabue in a song, then the same Franco Baresi), broke the record for which Comunardo had entered the football legend: that of own goalsHe scored six, almost all of them to Albertosi and some spectacular and above all inopportune as in Juventus-Cagliari 2-2 the year of the scudetto. And a ne he tried in Catanzaro the following year when, out of anger over a penalty that wasn’t actually awarded, he shot hard at Cagliari’s goal and Brugnera saved with his hands, inspiring a good penalty himself – that was it – which cost the draw. His exit from the scene in these days full of own goal at the European Championships (and Calafiori a Vertonghen) has the flavour of avoiding yet another reenactment of his exploits. Or maybe it’s the consecration definitive of the man who placed his own brand name to the specialty and meets many champions who – despite themselves – pay homage to him by finding the courage to imitate him.
