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Marco Tardelli, Giancarlo Antognoni, Antonio Cabrini and Fulvio Collovati, former teammates of Paolo Rossi in the Mondale ’82 victory, are among those who brought Paolo Rossi’s coffin to Vicenza Cathedral for the funeral. Outside the choirs of the people chanting ‘Paolo, Paolo …’.
Many people wanted to say goodbye to the champion. FIGC President Gravina placed a blue shirt of the Italian national team with the number 20 on the coffin.
Antonio Cabrini was moved then greeted Paolo Rossi, his former teammate not only in the national team but also in Juventus: “I lost not only a friend, but a brother. How many emotions we share. They have upset our life. We have been part of a group., say “that group.” I thought we would walk together for a long time. I already miss you, I miss your jokes, your words of consolation, our fights and your smile – he continued – It is those like you that embellish friendship. I will not let you go. You will always be inside me, I promise to be close to Federica and your children, but you stay close to me ”.
“Paolo’s death hit me because I didn’t know anything about his illness and therefore it was lightning out of nowhere. He represented Italian football, he has no equal.” This is how Paolo Maldini remembers Paolo Rossi, before the funeral begins in the Cathedral of Vicenza. “Paolo Rossi was just him and I was lucky to play with him in Milan, he at the end of his career and I at a very young age, “added Maldini.
Paolo Rossi returned to Vicenza, the city that launched him into football that counts, for his last game. It is the blue and white heart, that of the ‘Lanerossi’ that he brought back to Serie A, it is back as strong as in the 70s. A love that never stopped between Pablito and the city of Palladio. The people of Vicenza showed it in the most difficult moment: lining up hundreds, thousands, to wait their turn, in the cold and until dark, to greet the light walnut coffin with the body of the 82 ‘World Champion in the mythical’ Menti ‘stadium. The city is in mourning, and so it will be today, as well as in Prato, which was Rossi’s birthplace, for the funeral of the footballer who made Italy happy.
By early afternoon yesterday there were already more than 1,500 people, in a row that has reached a kilometer in length, to access the lawn of the ‘Menti’, where the funeral home has been installed. By the end of the night, the estimate had reached 3,500-4,000. “He came to Vicenza almost like a stranger – said Antonio, an elderly fan – to the point that the national sports newspapers had included him among the affiliates. But it didn’t take long for him to earn his place in the team and become a protagonist ”.
“He looked like a high school student, he was so young – Mr Giovanni recalled, who saw him having breakfast in the bar downstairs in the 70s – and even then he was always smiling and happy.” The coffin was placed at the exit of the changing rooms, under the central gallery. He was immediately overwhelmed by flowers and red and white shirts. with the number 9. In the morning, however, numerous white banners with the words ‘Rossi Gol’ appeared in the city, a reminder of an old slogan that appeared on ‘Menti’ in the 1976-1977 season, in Serie B , when the replay of the then unknown Paolo Rossi led the Venetian team to Serie A. Posters that were hung on windows, on balconies, on trees.
Among the many who came to Vicenza for the last farewell, Marco Tardelli, who spent a lot of time in front of the coffin with Federica Cappelletti, Rossi’s wife, and their two daughters, and Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli. “For me he is a friend, a sincere friend: I can’t find the words, I haven’t accepted him yet,” said the former Italian coach. Who then, commenting on the line of people outside the stadium, added: “It is the testimony of how Paolo lived his profession, and people come to greet Paolo, not the footballer. Like few others in the world, he has managed to recover from always difficult moments by remembering the values of friendship. He was never a character, he became one because in football he did what he did. As a person he has always been of great humanity and sensitivity ”.
In Vicenza they are already thinking of dedicating the avenue that leads to the stadium to him. Before the funeral home was inaugurated, Rossi’s first wife, Simonetta Rizzato, had also arrived with their son Alessandro. The Lega Serie A and all the clubs will remember and pay tribute to Paolo Rossi through a series of initiatives on the occasion of the next round of the championship.
The players will go out onto the pitch with mourning on their arms and before the kickoff of each game, a minute of meditation will be observed, at the end of which a historical audio will be broadcast that will recall the exploits of the former striker in the 1982 World Cup.
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