Gigi Riva

Gigi Riva
	Riva with Italy in 1968
Personal information
Full name	Luigi Riva
Date of birth	7 November 1944
Place of birth	Leggiuno, Italy
Date of death	22 January 2024 (aged 79)
Place of death	Cagliari, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Centre-forward
Youth career
1961–1962	Laveno Mombello
1962	Legnano
Senior career*
Years	Team
1962–1963	Legnano
1963–1976	Cagliari
Total
International career
1965–1974	Italy
Managerial career
1988–2013	Italy (Team manager)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Italy
UEFA European Championship
FIFA World Cup
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Luigi "Gigi" Riva (Italian: [luˈiːdʒi ˈriːva]; 7 November 1944 – 22 January 2024) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Considered to be one of the best players of his generation, as well as one of the greatest strikers of all time,^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] Riva enjoyed a remarkable scoring record for Cagliari, thanks to his composure in front of goal, powerful left foot and aerial ability; his speed, strength and eye for goal led the Italian journalist Gianni Brera to nickname him "Rombo di Tuono" (Roar of Thunder).^[4]^[5] Aside from his debut season with Legnano, Riva remained with the Sardinian club for his entire career: he helped Cagliari achieve promotion to the Italian top-flight for the first time in 1964, and later led the club to their only Serie A title in 1969–70.^[4]^[7]

At international level, Riva won the 1968 UEFA European Championship and was runner-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup with the Italy national team; he also took part at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. With 35 goals in 42 appearances (in all official competitions) between 1965 and 1974, he is Italy's all-time leading goalscorer.^[4]

After retiring in 1976, Riva briefly served as the president of Cagliari during the 1986–87 season,^[8] and was later the team manager and director of the Italy national team from 1988 until 2013.^[9]^[10]

^ "Riva Sig. Luigi" [Riva Mr. Luigi]. Quirinale (in Italian). Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
^ Cite error: The named reference enciclopediadelcalcio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ D'Ascoli, Mario (7 January 2009). "Maldini: ecco la super squadra con i più grandi calciatori italiani di tutti i tempi". Quotidiano.net (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Riva, the Italian roar of thunder". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference storiedicalcio.altervista.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Riva's most celebrated goals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Gigi Riva – FIFA Profile". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
^ Cite error: The named reference president was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Addio di Gigi Riva alla nazionale "Lascio perché non ce la faccio più"" (in Italian). L'Unione Sarda. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
^ Enrico Gaviano (4 November 2014). "I 70 anni di Gigi Riva, la leggenda che cerca l'oblio" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

[1] "Riva Sig. Luigi" [Riva Mr. Luigi]. Quirinale (in Italian). Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

[enciclopediadelcalcio-2] Cite error: The named reference enciclopediadelcalcio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] D'Ascoli, Mario (7 January 2009). "Maldini: ecco la super squadra con i più grandi calciatori italiani di tutti i tempi". Quotidiano.net (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.

[Riva,_the_Italian_roar_of_thunder-4] "Riva, the Italian roar of thunder". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

[storiedicalcio.altervista.org-5] Cite error: The named reference storiedicalcio.altervista.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Riva's_most_celebrated_goals-6] Cite error: The named reference Riva's most celebrated goals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Gigi_Riva_-_FIFA_Profile-7] "Gigi Riva – FIFA Profile". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

[president-8] Cite error: The named reference president was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[unionesarda.it-1-9] "Addio di Gigi Riva alla nazionale "Lascio perché non ce la faccio più"" (in Italian). L'Unione Sarda. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

[I_70_anni_di_Gigi_Riva,_la_leggenda-10] Enrico Gaviano (4 November 2014). "I 70 anni di Gigi Riva, la leggenda che cerca l'oblio" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

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