Time seems to stop in front of a Cagliari hero of the Scudetto. Mario Brugnera, the brains of that team, is now 78 years old, with a sporty physique and a very clear memory. «I don't play football anymore but I keep myself in good physical condition with a few games of tennis». He was born in Venice on 26 February 1946. «I am very attached to Venice Lido. My brothers still live." It was there that his career began in the early sixties. «I played for the youth team with Nettuno Venezia. In 1963 a Fiorentina manager wanted me to wear the purple shirt at all costs and showed up at my mother's house with a pack of banknotes to convince her to let me transfer. We were nine children. My mother thought about it for a fraction of a second and then replied "if one leaves it won't be the end of the world".
Florence's adventure at the court of the future national coach Valcareggi is an important one: «I made my debut in Serie A, in those years we won the Mitroga Cup and the Italian Cup, beating Catanzaro in the final at the Olimpico. I was a striker and I had a good feeling for goals." In this period he was given the nickname Piccolo Di Stefano. In the 1966/1967 season he scored 13 goals. In 1968 they moved to Sardinia, to Cagliari together with Enrico Albertosi. «It was a new adventure that allowed me to grow as a man and as a footballer. In the first season we took second place and laid the foundations for the Scudetto of the Seventies." Brugnera remained in Cagliari until 1974, making 149 appearances and scoring 19 goals. Then a parenthesis in Bologna before immediately returning to Cagliari. The call of the Island is too strong. «From my second experience in Cagliari I especially remember the promotion from B to A. I was the only survivor of Cagliari from the scudetto and I acted as mother hen to young hopefuls like Piras and Virdis. The coach was that great man Mario Tiddia, for him I was a coach on the pitch."
He remained in Cagliari until 1982. In the following season he closed his career in Serie C with Carbonia who in those years systematically participated in the professional championships. «I have gained a lot of satisfaction and made many friends», he continues. «I still feel my ex-comrades and I am particularly close to some, like Poli. The 2-2 in Turin against Juve was unforgettable and practically allowed us to win the title. During the interval we were trailing due to an own goal by Nicolai, Scopigno entered the locker room and said «Very good Communard, I've never seen such a beautiful goal». We all burst out laughing. After the break we entered the pitch in the second half more energized than ever. Everyone knows the ending."

Excellent class and technique, but there is another characteristic that makes Brugnera unique: «I can say that I played and won playing as a striker, then as a midfielder and finally as a defender. At the moment I haven't found this peculiarity in any other player."
In the mid-eighties Brugnera decided to make all his expertise available to children by directing many football schools in Cagliari and the surrounding area: «I went to the Gigi Riva football school, then to Nuraminis, Barrali and the school. The warmth they give you in the villages is unparalleled." Brugnera has been at Atletico Cagliari since 2014: «We have 280 kids who love playing football. Our greatest satisfaction is to make them grow, have fun and teach the principles of sport. In the first team (Promotion) there are many young people who have played throughout the youth sector with us. Factor that rewards you for the efforts made. My greatest wish is that the new administration of Cagliari gives us the authorization to open the "Mario Brugnera" sports center. It would be a nice gift that the new mayor Massimo Zedda could give to the entire club and its members."

Brugnera has one regret: «Not having had space in the national team, unfortunately in my role there were sacred monsters of football like Mazzola and Rivera, carving out a place for myself was practically impossible. Speaking of Rivera, for me he was number one overall." And the best Sardinian player ever? «I'll name two names, Zola in the role of midfielder and Matteoli in the role of midfielder».

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