Cagliari in Rieti to remember Manlio Scopigno

Cagliari Calcio, along with board member Nicola Riva, attended the event held in the Rieti City Council chamber to celebrate Manlio Scopigno. The Cagliari coach, who won the 1970 championship, was born in Paularo, Friuli, on November 20, 1925, and soon moved with his family to Rieti. There, he grew up to become a memorable figure in the history of the Rossoblu and a major figure in Italian football.

The event marked the signing of a friendship pact between the Friulian and Lazio municipalities, in the presence of local authorities and the Scopigno family. Also joining the conversation from Cagliari were four former Rossoblù players who played a key role in the 1969/70 campaign: Adriano Reginato, Giuseppe Tomasini, Ricciotti Greatti, and Mario Brugnera.

Memories, anecdotes, and valuable insights commemorate the leadership of those fantastic young men who, in those years, built the golden age of Cagliari Calcio.

“He had an uncommon serenity, the ability to make players feel at ease and break any tension with a witty, sharp, and insightful quip,” said Nicola Riva in his speech. “My father had a wonderful relationship with him. Without Scopigno, I don’t know if he would have become the player he was, because the coach knew how to be a support system for everyone, with the right word or even one of those emblematic silences that made him famous. He linked his name to Cagliari and Cagliari, where he found his ideal fit, and with him that fantastic team. He knew how to understand the individual and assign responsibility to the collective; everyone knew they couldn’t deviate so as not to disappoint the coach and their teammates, and thus a perfect chemistry was created. Today we remember him on his 100th birthday, but he will always have a prominent place in our history. I’m delighted to be in Rieti for the occasion, and even more so that some of his players gathered in Sardinia to share this wonderful day.”