GIANNI RIVERA, conversazione col calciatore più importante che l’Italia abbia mai avuto

"In a barren, even vicious, football, with too many doubts about doping and high prizes that distort the truth, RIVERA is the only one who brings a sense of poetry to this sport." This is the incredible motivation with which Gianni Rivera was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1969, recognizing the best European footballer. Already in 1963, at just 19 years old, he had ranked second in this ranking, behind the historic Russian national team goalkeeper Lev Yashin. Gianni is also the first Italian in the ranking of the best footballers of the 20th century published in 2000 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics... But, beyond these and many other important accolades, Gianni Rivera is someone who has always fought to help others, starting with his own teammates, from the players who were treated and traded by teams like cattle, to the young players exploited today by middlemen. He never wanted a middleman. Rivera was undoubtedly one of the most intelligent players the world has ever seen. He always supported Padre Eligio and Mondo X, which rehabilitated drug addicts, regardless of the criticism or ironic jokes some people made. He was never afraid to speak out and denounce the corruption he saw, even if it was the referee par excellence: Lo Bello. And he paid the price. Matches of suspension, relay at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, those of the historic 4-3 Italy-Germany semifinal, where he scored the winning goal, and despite this, coach Valcareggi left him on the bench in the final against Brazil, making Pelé happy, who thus had an easy ride. The same Pelé who included him in his ranking of the world's best footballers. Gipo Viani, technical director of AC Milan who acquired him from Alessandria, said that Rivera was born old. Too wise for his 16 years. More than wisdom, it's a form of awareness that makes him serenely confident in his own abilities and beliefs. For me, Gianni was an anchor I could cling to during the dark moments when, at 9 years old, I found myself stuck in a seminar. He was my idol, and I still remember the happiness when, with the radio hidden under my pillow, I learned that AC Milan had won the European Cup in 1963, beating Benfica 2-1. Knowing how much I admired him, someone offered to buy his autograph for 500 lire. I struggled to scrape together that amount, and that autograph was like my trophy. I never questioned whether it was true or not. It helped me. Today, many years later... I contacted Rivera asking for an interview. Laura Marconi, his wife, answered. Call after call, we became friends, and I found myself at their house, able to document the conversation with Rivera with my camera. There's a hard and fast rule: never get to know your idols, they'll disappoint you. Gianni broke this saying, too. He amazed me with his wit, but especially when he said that, for example, during that 1963 Milan-Benfica match or other victorious occasions, he hadn't been emotional. Perhaps only a little when he scored the goal in the most important match in the history of football, Italy-Germany 4-3. We talked about many things, including his love story with Laura and his speech on Porta a Porta when he shocked Vespa by saying he had no intention of getting vaccinated. This video shows the full, one-shot (without cuts) version of our conversation... Strange, you never used the word "interview," but always "conversation." Yes, because it was a conversation full of warmth and laughter, which continued during the lunch Laura prepared for us. Finally, Gianni and Laura walked me to the car, parked on the Lungotevere. Meeting such a delightful couple makes you realize that it is beautiful people who will save this earth, and that gives you the same sense of security that their autograph gave me when I was a lost child in the seminary where, due to a heart problem, I wasn't even allowed to play football with my friends... I, who dreamed of becoming like Rivera.