With the big money in Italian football coming from northern business families like the Morattis and the Angellis and being poured into clubs such as Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, it’s these teams that have dominated the Serie A for much of its history. There have been exceptions however – take the curious case of Cagliari Calcio for example. If one looks at a map of Italy, they’ll see that it’s shaped like a boot kicking a ball away. The “ball” is the island of Sardinia – known mostly for hot weather and tuna, and home of one of Italian footballs underdogs, Cagliari Calcio.

 

Despite being a yo-yo team fleeting between Italy’s top two divisions, they bucked the trend by winning the Serie A in 1970, which led to their more presitigeous rivals viewing them with comtempt and accusing the club of attracting top players with mafia money, and being an penal conlony of thieves and shepherds. At this time, Cagliari were still fairly new to the Serie A having been promoted in 1964. They finished 6th in 1964/65 and the following season, much to the disgust of Juventus, Cagliari acquired none other than the top striker in Italy: Luigi Riva.

 

In 1967, Cagliari played a season in America’s United Soccer Assocation branded as the Chicago Mustangs. A legendary Chicago Tribune sportswriter called them and one of their opponents Athletic Bilbao “The Cagliaris” and “The Bilbaos”, apparently oblivious to non-American team naming conventions. The league was a failed experiment and Cagliari’s roster of players returned to Sardinia the following year. Meanwhile, thanks to the backing of club president Efisio Corrias, Cagliari continued to make progress by signing national side goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi and by 1968/69 they had elevated themselves to becoming favorates to win the league, finishing as runners-up both in the Serie A and the Coppa Italia. Luigi “Gigi” Riva was the leagues top scorer the following season with 21 goals, literally half of Cagliari’s goalscoring output. The club were unbeaten at home and lost on two occasions all season, against Palermo and Inter.

 

On April 12 at home to Bari, Cagliari claimed the title and the island of Sardinia rejoiced, gloating at the failure of the traditional heavy hitters. “We have given Sardinians something of which they can be proud,” Said Riva. Cagliari’s manager claimed that it was the “first honest title” in a not-so-subtle dig to the giants from Turin and Milan whose financial status gave them an overbearing influence on the league. By then, the club was hugely popular with the locals. Fans would arrive by mid-morning to guarantee a good view of games and even the carabinieri allowed two handcuffed escaped criminals to watch the title match before carting them off to jail. The sale of radios and televisions went through the roof and so the authorities had to install more electricity pylons ASAP to cope with demand. Six spots on the Italian national team at the 1970 World Cup were filled by Cagliari players – Albertosi, Riva, Cera, Domeghini, Niccolai and Gori all made the trip to Mexico. Four of these played in the final against Brazil.

 

Despite a good start to the 1970/71 season including a famous 3-1 away win against the mighty Inter Milan, Cagliari fell to 7th. They reached the last 16 in the European Cup, but struggled as Gigi Riva was sidelined with a serious injury. He returned the following season with another 21 goal haul, but there was not to be a repeat of 1970. Despite Juventus trying to coax Riva away again, he remained loyal to the Sardinian club to the point where he straight up refused to board a plane to Turin when a deal was made in which he was to be exchanged for a record breaking sum and several Juventus players and today, his name is still revered across the island. Cagliari’s title was indeed a historic one – the first time a club south of Rome had ever won it - and in the words of coach Scopigno, “One title at Cagliari is worth ten elsewhere.” In the clubs 95 year existence, it remains their only piece of silverware. 

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Achievements:
Serie A – Champions x1, Runners Up x1
Serie B- Runners-up x1
Coppa Italia – Winners x1

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Star player: Luigi Riva dob 7 November 1944, pob Leggiuno, Italy, nickname: Rombo di Tuono (Roar of Thunder)

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With composure and an eye for goal, bravery, a powerful left foot shot, Herculean physique, outstanding aerial ability, and speed, and a penchant for spectacular diving headers and bicycle kicks, Riva takes his place as one of the greatest strikers of all time, an icon of Cagliari and one of the most revered names in Italian sport. As a youngster, Riva had a difficult and tragic start to life. He was born into poverty in a small town in Lombardy. His mother stayed at home while his father fleeted between numerous casual jobs including hairdresser, tailor and then in a factory where he died in a work accident when Gigi was 9. His mother then had to find a job and worked as a maid, sending Riva to a strict Catholic boarding school for three years. She too died soon after. It was then up to Gigi to look after his two younger sisters. One of them died from leukimia, the other was left paralysed after an accident. At his first club Laverno, Riva made three dollars a win, and it was here that he relaised he could make a living from football.  He was spotted by Cagliari, who at the time where in Serie B, when he was 19 and he remained fiercely loyal to the club for his entire career. He turned down riches beyond his wildest dreams when offers came his way from Italy’s big clubs which is remarkable given his background of poverty, and something that is completely unheard of today. Riva debuted for Italy in 1965 but he was controversially omitted from their 1966 squad but was a member of their 1968 European Championship winning side and 1970 World Cup finalist team – he scored the winner in the so-called “Game of the Century” against West Germany. With 35 goals in 42 matches for the Azzurri, he remains to this day, Italy’s all time highest goal scorer. He first became the Serie A’s top scorer in the 1966/67 season with 18 goals, which led Cagliari to start building a potentially title winning side around him. They achieved this in 1970, Riva leading the frontline and scoring several decisive goals. With Cagliari struggling by the mid 1970’s, Riva remained loyal. Due to injury problems, Riva retired in 1976 but went on to continue living in Cagliari and form a football academy bearing his name. He was a managing staff member of the Italian national team from 1988 to 2013, playing a role in their 2006 World Cup win. He continues to reside on the island of Sardinia.