In the long gray line that represents the Cagliari 2021-2022 season, one of the few flashes comes from Giorgio Altare. He was the ugly duckling of the company, who arrived after a year as a protagonist with Olbia in Serie C, destined to make the last defense reserve and then, in January, to pack up for a half-season of apprenticeship among the cadets . Instead the cuirassiere from Bergamo became one of the surprise protagonists of the championship, with the beauty of 19 appearances and a goal that, in Salerno, had lengthened the hopes of salvation of the rossoblù patrol, until the definitive shipwreck in the Venetian lagoon.

Canzi sent me

The now former Olbia coach was ready to bet on it. In Aritzo, after the usual friendly match between cousins, Canzi had no doubts: «He is a great worker with ample room for improvement. He will be able to carve out his space ». Words that seemed to get lost on the return trip, because Altare didn't seem to convince Semplici too much first (three out of three benches) and then Mazzarri, who had given him his debut in Serie A at the end of the match against Venice. And a clumsy exit from Altare had given the lagoon the 1-1 goal in recovery. Those five minutes seemed to be the tombstone of the defender's hopes, who grew up in the Milan youth academy and arrived in Sardinia in the intertwining of Cagliari and Genoa, as a counterpart to the Griffin to be able to free Maran, still under contract with president Giulini. Who immediately believed in Altar, sending him first to Olbia and then bringing him back to Cagliari.

The turning point

How sad Venice is, Altare might have thought. Never again used by Mazzarri for the entire first round and ready to go in B in the January transfer market. But in the first game of 2022, after the Christmas break, Cagliari, last in the class with only 10 points, shows up at the "Ferraris", against Sampdoria, in full emergency: Caceres and Godin purged, Ceppitelli in the pits, as the long-term resident Walukiewicz, and the newcomer Goldaniga immediately positive at Covid. Mazzarri thinks about using Faragò as a central third, then decides to rely on an unprecedented trio, with Carboni, the newly acquired Lovato and, surprisingly, Altare himself. Who, three months after the patatrac with Venice, takes Cagliari. Because since that afternoon, the former Olbia defender no longer comes out, only skipping the match against Atalanta for Covid.

Future

But the exploit of Altare was not enough. Above all, that winning header against Salernitana at Arechi was not enough, the first of Agostini's lightning management: minute 99, Cagliari is practically in B and Altare takes him back by the hair scoring his first goal in A, celebrated in anger and tears of joy. For what could have been and was not, because the rossoblùs have fallen into B. And he, fresh from contract renewal until 2026, could be one of the milestones for next season among the cadets. In a defense that will lose several pieces (Ceppitelli and Lovato above all), the '98 class is ready to restart. Three or four does not matter. It will only matter to forget a nightmare season and bring Cagliari back to A.

Alberto Masu

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