Riva fell ill at his home in Sardinia over the weekend and was taken to hospital for treatment for a suspected heart problem. On Monday, it was confirmed that this legend passed away after only a short time in the hospital.
Riva spent a year playing football at Legnano before becoming a legend at Cagliari, spending 13 years at the club located on the southern Italian island of Sardinia and winning a Serie A title (1969/70). He also won the title of top scorer in Italy’s top tournament three times with Cagliari and was runner-up at the Golden Ball in 1969, behind only fellow AC Milan legend Gianni Rivera.
In the Italian national team, Riva has established his name as a national hero. In 42 appearances for the Azzurri, he scored 35 goals to become the player with the most goals of all time, a record that no junior has been able to break to date. He helped the Blue Army win EURO 1968, scoring in the final when they defeated Yugoslavia 2-0. Two years later, Riva scored three goals in the World Cup as the Azzurri reached the final, where they were defeated 4-1 by Brazil.
The passing of the legendary Riva was only announced right while the Italian Super Cup final between Napoli and Inter was taking place in Riyadh, so the organizers did not have time to spend a minute of silence in his honor. Serie A clubs are expected to celebrate this practice before matches on the weekend.
