Golden Great: Gianni Rivera

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Bambino d’Oro - Golden Boy

Every Serie A club has what is known in Italy as a Un Bandiera - a player who symbolises that club. At Milan that player is Gianni Rivera. A graceful and elegant inside forward, Rivera became known as the Golden Boy. He wore the No 10 shirt from 1961 to 1979 and the 501 appearances he made for the Rossoneri remain a club record.

Rivera helped Milan win three Serie A titles, two European Cups, two Italian Cups and the Cup-Winners’ Cup. In every poll to determine Italy’s greatest player, Rivera heads the list ahead of names such as Silvio Piola, Luigi Riva and Paolo Rossi. The son of a railwayman, Rivera joined local club Alessandria and made his Serie A debut at the tender age of 16. Even at that age Rivera looked special and some of Italy’s most respected journalists started to rave about the graceful youngster.

Giorgio Bocca eloquently wrote: "His neck is like that of a swan. His eyes and tuft belong to a rare and precious bird. When he is in full flow, he reminds me of a heron." Gianni Mottana commented: "He doesn’t touch the ball. He brushes it. He even seems to float over the ground when he runs."

In 1960, a year after his debut, he was sold to Milan for £65,000. Giuseppe Viani, one of Milan’s managers and the man who travelled to Alessandria to sign the player, was so enamoured with Rivera that he christened him ‘Bambino d’Oro’ - Golden Boy. The name would stick for the rest of Rivera’s days.

With his vision and superb passing ability, Rivera was the creative heart of Nereo Rocco’s team and at the beginning he formed a brilliant understanding with Brazilian striker Jose Altafini. In the 1963 European Cup final at Wembley Altafini scored Milan’s goals in their 2-1 win over Benfica, but it was Rivera who made both. Benfica made the mistake of giving the Italian genius too much space and Rivera ended up orchestrating the midfield.

By the age of 19, Rivera had won both Lo Scudetto and the European Cup. Not only that, Rocco had built his entire team around this exciting footballer blessed with film star looks. Rivera’s heyday was arguably the late 60s. In 1968 he won both Lo Scudetto and the Cup-Winners’ Cup. In 1969 he inspired Milan to win their second European Cup, hammering Ajax in Madrid. Rivera set up two of Milan’s four goals that night. The Dutch team boasted an exciting forward called Johan Cruyff but in 1969 Rivera was the master, proved when he won the European Footballer of the Year award - the first Italian player to do so.

Yet Rivera very nearly joined Juventus. The Bianconeri spotted him playing in a youth tournament in Turin. Claiming Rivera may have lacked the physique appropriate for top-class football, Juve offered Alessandria around £2,500 for the player - an amount that annoyed Alessandria Coach Franco Pedroni. "When they offered us that figure I was very angry," he recalled.

"I valued Rivera much, much higher. I spoke to my brother-in-law and he contacted Milan, telling Viani that here, at Alessandria, we had a phenomenon. "He came and was sceptical at first, but then he said ‘Don’t tell anyone but I’m going to recommend him. He’s a great champion’. And that’s how Rivera became a Milan player and not a Juventus one."

During the 70s Rivera continued to inspire a less talented Milan side. They did win a bad-tempered and controversial Cup-Winners’ Cup final against Leeds in 1973 and they reached the final of the same tournament the following year. Milan were favourites to retain the trophy since their opponents were rank outsiders from East Germany, FC Magdeburg. But Rivera had a poor game and Milan lost 1-0.

However, in 1979 Rivera ended his Milan career on a high note, winning Lo Scudetto for a third time. The Rossoneri were surprise winners in a decade dominated by Giovanni Trapattoni’s Juventus and they won the 1978-79 championship with a match to spare.
When he retired from football, to concentrate on a career in politics, Milan were never the same. The club fell into immediate decline, culminating in two relegations to Serie B.
Indeed, the tifosi had to wait for nearly 10 years before they had another great side to cheer.

Rivera’s Azzurri blues

It remains one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the national team - Gianni Rivera failing to repeat his Milan form for Italy. The Milan genius was a member of the Italian sides eliminated in the first round of both the 1966 and 1974 World Cups. Considering his length of service for the Rossoneri, the 60 appearances he made for the Azzurri is quite a low figure. The reason he failed to win more caps was because of Sandro Mazzola, the No 10 at Inter.

Mazzola seized his chance during the 1968 European Championships in Italy. The Azzurri faced Yugoslavia in the final. Rivera played in the first match which ended 1-1, but was injured for the replay. Mazzola came in, played well and Italy won 2-0.
Since that night in Rome, Rivera’s role in the national team was never secure. Feruccio Valcareggi was a fan of Mazzola’s, but a player of Rivera’s immense talent could not be ignored. So for the 1970 World Cup, Valcareggi dreamed up the ‘staffetta’ - the relay. Mazzola would play one half, Rivera the other.

It sounded fair in theory, but in practice it never really worked. In the first three games in Mexico - and despite Italy scoring just one goal - Rivera hardly played. Clearly upset, he threatened to return home and it took a heart-to-heart with Rocco to change his mind.

Just as well, too. Rivera, as a second-half substitute, inspired victories against Mexico in the quarter-final and West Germany in the semi-final. It was Rivera’s winning extra-time goal in a sensational 4-3 win over the German side that booked Italy’s place in the final.
But against Brazil there was more disappointment. Mazzola was Italy’s best player and Rivera, humiliatingly, came on for Roberto Boninsegna with only six minutes to spare with Italy already 3-1 down.

Rivera’s last appearance for his country was during the 1974 World Cup. Their first round elimination prompted a mammoth purge. Ironically both Rivera and Mazzola, rivals for so many years, were axed at the same time.

GIANNI RIVERA
Born: Alessandria, 18/8/43
Clubs: Alessandria 1958-60 (26 apps, 6 goals) Milan 1960-79 (501 apps, 122
goals)
Serie A debut: Alessandria-Inter, 2/6/59 (1-1)
Last Serie A match: Lazio-Milan, 13/5/79 (1-1)
Honours: 3 Serie A titles (1962, 68, 79); 4 Coppa Italia (1957, 72, 73, 77); 2 European Cups (1963, 69); 1 Intercontinental Cup (1969); 2 Cup Winners' Cup (1968, 73); European Championship (1968); European Footballer of the Year (1969)
International caps 60
International goals 14
Debut Belgium 1-3 Italy, 13/5/62
Last cap Italy 1-1 Argentina, 19/6/74

Happy birthday to our golden "BOY".

Happy b'day to Rivera and Rosatto

........legend

A classic Legend,he is my father's Favourite player who happens to be rossonero fan since late 60's

respect to our great legend and a happy birthday