When and how the nickname “Rombo di Tuono” was born
Gigi Riva liked it a lot, also because a giant like Gianni Brera gave it to him. History and interpretations
Thunderclap . Everyone knows Gigi Riva by this nickname, not only in Italy, so much so that L'Equipe remembered him with the title "Riva, and the thunder fell silent".
But when and how did that nickname arise?
There is a precise date, 25 October 1970. That day Cagliari with the scudetto on their chest dominated Inter at San Siro, winning 3-1 with a brace, coincidentally, by Gigi Riva .
And Gianni Brera decides to leave that nickname to history. The next day, in Guerin Sportivo, he wrote: « Cagliari immediately overtook and humiliated Inter at San Siro. Over 70 thousand spectators: Riva, who here nicknamed Thunderclap, deserved it ."
Many interpretations have been given to that nickname that Riva liked so much, also because it was a giant of sports journalism who gave it to him.
That devastating left foot, that power he managed to transmit to the ball when he kicked it, the constant threat to the opposing defense when he advanced with his statuesque physique. «An energy that is suddenly unleashed, which cannot but be followed by the downpour, the storm, the outburst and, in short, the release of the ball which finally ends up in the net», said Riva, recounting the explanation given to him by the journalist .
A very apt comparison, probably also due to the expression (“Rombo di Tuono” in fact) used by another great Sardinian, Grazia Deledda, in her novel “Cenere” . Which Brera, a man of great culture, certainly knew. «The shadow thickened, the wind screamed louder and louder, with a continuous rumble of thunder» , wrote Deledda. Many think that Brera was also inspired by that image splendidly described by the Nobel Prize winner, even if the person concerned has never confirmed it.
Another interpretation has it that the nickname is linked to the noise that accompanied the actions of Riva all'Amsicora . An initial silence that when he took the ball became an ever-increasing buzz as Riva approached the opponent's area, and then burst into a roar when he shot and scored. A rumble of thunder indeed .
(Unioneonline/L)
