Italian defender Comunardo Niccolai, the king of own goals, dies

Communard Nicholas,known as the king of own goals, died on Tuesday in Pistoia at the age of 77. He spent many of his days explaining why he always scored goals in the wrong goal. His own. An exaggerated reputation, like all prejudices.. Communard scored six own goals,two less, just to mention it, that Richard Ferri,But his were works of art, not just mistakes. Headers into the corner that not even Zamora could stop.

Comunardo Niccolai, who won the Scudetto with Cagliari in 1970, was an outstanding defender, the kind that forwards would rather avoid. He also had his weaknesses, though: he always had to bandage his ankles before playing. The one time he forgot to do so, he suffered a serious injury. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong day for this: Italy-Sweden, the debut at the 1970 World Cup. He came on Rosé and Niccolai never played again. He missed the “match of the century” against Germany and the final against Skin.

Niccolai, originally from Uzzano in Pistoiastruggled to make his way in the world of football, where the best do not always succeed. However, he ended up winning trophies in the most unlikely team. That CagliariAgainst all odds, he won everything. Because a Scudetto in Sardinia was worth at least three Champions Leagues elsewhere. There was a whole system to navigate, including the referees.

With his face that showed experience and never surprised by anything, Niccolai was a bastion for those in front. At the limit, it was he who decided when and how a goal was conceded. A guarantee for the attackers, a nightmare for the goalkeepers, even if they were called Ricky Albertosi.

But here too legend is mixed in, even exaggerated. The Sardinian defence was practically impenetrable. In the year of the Scudetto they only conceded 11 goals. A record. Niccolai had a secure place in the team. A defender as strong as him was not easy to find. In addition, he added elegance, a quality not sought after in the stoppers from then on. It is not known if he was courted by the big teams, probably yes, but he stayed at Cagliari, as did Rivaexcept in the final phase of his career, when he played in lower leagues.

Niccolai’s death comes a few months after that of Riva’s TeethIn January, Niccolai recalled Riva: “We had always known each other. We even did our military service together at the Cecchignola in Rome. How many pranks we got up to. The best years of our lives.” Both, in different ways, knew how to score goals.