Gigi Riva

Luigi "Gigi" Riva, born on 7 November 1944 and died on 22 January 2024, was an Italian professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest strikers of all time, and the journalist Gianni Brera nicknamed him "Rombo di Tuono", meaning Roar of Thunder. Apart from his debut season with Legnano he spent his whole career at Cagliari, helping the club win promotion to Serie A in 1964 and lead it to its only Serie A title in 1969 to 1970. With Italy he won the 1968 European Championship, was runner-up at the 1970 World Cup and also played in 1974, scoring 35 goals in 42 appearances, which makes him Italy's all-time leading goalscorer. After retiring in 1976 he served briefly as Cagliari president and later as team manager of the Italy national team from 1988 until 2013.