Inter vs Real Madrid (1981-86)

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Inter is preparing to face Real Madrid again in the Champions League. Many memorable clashes between the two teams, starting with the final of 1964 and the double semifinal of 1966 and 1967. I cannot remember them, as I was born in 1968: I remember well the four clasges between 1981 and 1986, in all the three cups.

That of 1981 was the semifinal of the first European Cup that I remember for Inter: I still remember it better than the one won in 2010. The final was going to be in Paris, and with my father we fantasized about going there. The hopes diminished after the first leg, lost 2-0: the best chance was in the final by 17-year-old defender named Beppe Bergomi. My father consoled me by saying that the comeback was not impossible: their defense was not unbeatable

We got to the second leg: if I'm not mistaken, I was in what is now the second orange deck, more towards the south terrace. I remember a game played on offense, but after the first half ended 0-0 the hopes of making a comeback had diminished. Then, around the 10th of the second half, Bini scored: I remember him cheering against the gate, towards the north terrace. Bini was one of the players I loved most and I still think he is the strongest player who has never played for the national team, at least in the almost 50 years that I can remember (of course, then the chances of playing for the national team were much less at that time). I therefore believed until the end that I would at least reach extra time, but I was disappointed: that goal was the only one.

The two teams met again two years later, in the quarter-finals of what was Inter's second and last participation in the Cup Winners' Cup, until its abolition in 1999. This time the first leg was at home. It was the first year with two foreign players: the second of Inter was the second striker Juary, a player I liked and always defended, but was not up to being one of the two foreigners of a big team. Today he would be a good third or fourth striker. In that match he had the opportunity to give his best contribution of the season: he scored the 2-0 goal, after Altobelli's first advantage, but the goal was unjustly disallowed. It then ended 1-1. We also got off to a good start in the return, taking the lead, but in the end we lost 2-1.

Another two years passed: Inter reached the Uefa Cup semi-finals by eliminating two German teams in a row, first Hamburg and then Cologne and found Real. Still home match first: I don't remember much, I remember much more than the previous two rounds, especially the one with Cologne, played in the flood. It still ended 2-0, so we thought it was the right time. Instead in the second leg, around the 30th, on 1-0 for Real, Bergomi collapsed to the ground. The videos showed that he had been hit by a marble thrown from the stands, but the referee did not notice it (and in any case we couldn't have taken for granted to be assigned a 3-0 victory, like in the Italianleague). It ended 3-0, and the result of the field was confirmed: TV evidence was not allowed.

The following year we were back in the Uefa Cup and in the third round we thought we had got rid of Real: in the first leg they lost 5-1. Instead they won 4-0 in the second leg. and we found them again in the semifinals. First leg home: it was a rainy evening, I was between the north terrace and the deck above the main grandstand, therefore on the boundary between the current green and red sectors of the second deck. A few minutes from the end we were 2-0, then we conceded a goal, so I thought "it's going to be bad again". In injury time, however, we scored 3-1, it seems to me on an own goal, so we got to the second leg with reasonable hopes that it was the right time. Instead we found ourselves without strikers (Rummenigge was missing and Altobelli was hurt during the match, or vice versa) and we lost 5-1 in extra time.

We met Real Madrid 13 years later, in the 1998-99 Champions League, and we won at San Siro. But now I was in Rome.

Inter - Real Madrid (1981-86)

L'Inter si prepara ad affrontare di nuovo il Real Madrid in Champions League. Tante sfide memorabili tra le due squadre, a cominciare dalla finale del 1964 e dalla doppia semifinale di 1966 e 1967. Di quelle non posso avere memoria, essendo nato nel 1968: ricordo bene invece le quattro sfide tra il 1981 e il 1986, in tutte e tre le coppe.

Quella del 1981 fu la semifinale della prima Coppa dei Campioni che ricordi per l'Inter: la ricordo tuttora meglio di quella vinta nel 2010. La finale sarebbe stata a Parigi, e con mio padre fantasticavamo di andarci. Le speranze diminuirono dopo la partita d'andata, persa 2-0: la migliore occasione l'aveva avuta nel finale un difensore di 17 anni di nome Beppe Bergomi. Mio padre mi consolò dicendo che la rimonta non era impossibile: non erano dei mostri in difesa.

Si arrivò al ritorno: se non sbaglio, ero in quello che oggi è il secondo anello arancione, più verso la curva sud. Ricordo una partita giocata all'attacco, ma dopo il primo tempo finito 0-0 le speranze di rimontare erano diminuite. Poi, intorno al 10' del secondo tempo segnò Bini: lo ricordo esultare contro la cancellata, verso la curva nord. Bini era tra i giocatori che amavo di più e tuttora lo ritengo il più forte che non abbia mai giocato in nazionale, almeno nei quasi 50 anni che posso ricordare (certo, allora le possibilità di giocare in nazionale erano molte di meno). Credetti quindi fino alla fine di arrivare almeno ai supplementari, ma rimasi deluso: quel gol rimase l'unico.

Le due squadre si rincontrarono due anni dopo, nei quarti di finale di quella che fu la seconda e ultima partecipazione dell'Inter alla Coppa delle Coppe, fino alla sua abolizione nel 1999. Stavolta la partita d'andata era in casa. Era il primo anno con due stranieri: il secondo dell'Inter era la seconda punta Juary, giocatore che mi era simpatico e che difendevo sempre, ma non era all'altezza di essere uno dei due stranieri di una big. Oggi sarebbe una buona terza o quarta punta. In quella partita ebbe l'opportunità di dare il suo miglior contributo della stagione: segnò infatti il gol del 2-0, dopo il primo vantaggio di Altobelli, ma il gol fu ingiustamente annullato. Finì poi 1-1. Anche al ritorno partimmo bene, andando in vantaggio, ma alla fine perdemmo 2-1.

Passarono altri due anni: l'Inter arrivò alle semifinali di Coppa Uefa eliminando due squadre tedesche di fila, prima l'Amburgo e poi il Colonia e ritrovò il Real. Ancora partita d'andata in casa: non ricordo molto, ricordo molto di più dei due turni precedenti, soprattutto quello col Colonia, giocato sotto il diluvio. Finì comunque 2-0, per cui pensavamo fosse la volta buona. Invece al ritorno, intorno al 30', sull'1-0 per il Real, Bergomi si accasciò al suolo. I filmati dimostrarono che era stato colpito da una biglia lanciata dalle tribune, ma l'arbitro non se n'era accorto (e in ogni caso la vittoria a tavolino non  sarebbe stata scontata come nel campionato italiano). Fini 3-0, e il risultato del campo fu confermato: non furono ammesse le prove televisive.

L'anno dopo eravamo di nuovo in Coppa Uefa e al terzo turno pensavamo di esserci liberati del Real: all'andata aveva perso 5-1. Invece al ritorno vinse 4-0 e ce lo ritrovammo ancora in semifinale. Andata in casa: era una serata piovosa, ero tra la curva nord e l'anello sopra la tribuna principale, al confine quindi tra gli attuali settori verde e rosso del secondo anello. A pochi minuti dalla fine eravamo 2-0, poi prendemmo un gol, per cui pensavo "anche stavolta si mette male". Nel recupero invece segnammo il 3-1, mi sembra su autogol, quindi arrivammo al ritorno con discrete speranze che fosse la volta buona. Invece ci trovammo senza attaccanti (mancava Rummenigge e Altobelli si fece male nel corso della partita, o viceversa) e perdemmo 5-1 ai supplementari.

Ritrovammo il Real 13 anni dopo, nella Champions League 1998-99, e a San Siro vincemmo. Ma ormai io ero a Roma.

Italian Football Season 1979-80

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The 40th anniversary of Inter's 12th scudetto, the first I can remember (the previous one was in 1971, when I was 3 years old), is in these days. It was also the first season, and perhaps the only one, in which I went to see all the matches, even if we didn't have a season ticket yet, we started buying it the following year.

The first match was against Pescara, who had arrived in Serie A after a playoff with Monza, my home town's team. The victory, it seems to me for 2-0, seemed obvious, but the peculiarity was that all the other matches were draws, so we found ourselves alone on top of the standings. At the second match we also drew and we were caught, but at the fourth we were alone again.
Of course, of the 15 games (then the league was with 16 teams), I don't remember many. After Pescara (of which I have a very vague memory), the first in order of time is the derby, also because it was perhaps the first I saw, perhaps the second: when I was a child my father did not take me to big matches. It was autumn, I think November, a rainy day. I saw the match crushed against an access stairway to the first deck, in what is now the orange sector (the seats and their colours would be introduced in 1990). It was 2-0, with two goals from Beccalossi, one goal per half.

Then came the 4-0 against Juventus, which was not in a good moment, but such a result was beyond all expectations. Altobelli scored a hat-trick, at the end of the season with 15 goals he was the second scorer, so little was scored then. In the group that went to the stadium with us there were two Messinesi, father and son, who attacked him throughout his career, only to miss him when he was no longer there: his fault was to have taken the place to Sicilian Anastasi. The 4-0 was repeated a few years later, and I remember that match a little better.

Spring came, and in the meantime, football betting had also broken out. Inter had taken off and with 8 matches to go we had 8 points ahead (with 2 points per win), but we were slowing down. I remember a game against a small town team, which we risked to lose: it ended 1-1 with a draw in the last minutes. We lived it as a stage closer to the Scudetto, we thought that if we had lost it wouldn't have changed much, but there was some fear.

This led to the third last of the season, against AS Roma, a team that fought to avoid relegation. The points on the second, Juve, were 6, so 1 was enough for the championship. As with most matches, we were in the first deck, under the north terrace (today the green sector), where Inter attacked in the second half. Roma took the lead 2-0, then Inter recovered a goal, but 5 minutes from the end it was still 2-1. The stopper Mozzini, who had never scored in that season (and who was also the only one in that team to have already won a league title, with Torino four years earlier), shot from the edge of the area in the low left corner: goal ! 2-2! I remember the hug with my father: I thought this time it was true, it was also up to us to win a championship, after Juve many times (3 in the 5 seasons I had followed up to then) and AC Milan the year before.

There was still a home match, and it is also the one I remember best. The opponent was Ascoli, but what mattered was not the game, but the pre-game. The team went around the field with a flag that covered them all (in the picture). Then they lost the match, it seems to me 4-2, but nobody cared. Anastasi scored too. Ascoli closed that season in fourth place: today he would have gone to the Champions' League, but then Italy only had three places in the cups, so it stayed out. The level of Italian football had gone down a lot with autarky (that was the second and last all-Italian championship), and there is even someone who misses it.

Source: Sky Sport

The year after Inter arrived in the semifinal in the Champions Cup, and it is the edition that I remember best, even better than the one won in 2010.

Campionato di calcio 1979-80

Ricorre in questi giorni il 40° anniversario del 12° scudetto dell'Inter, il primo di cui abbia memoria (il precedente era stato nel 1971, quando avevo 3 anni). Fu anche la prima stagione, e forse anche l'unica, in cui andai a vedere tutte le partite, anche se non avevamo ancora l'abbonamento, cominciammo a farlo l'anno dopo.

La prima partita fu contro il Pescara, che era arrivato in serie A dopo uno spareggio con il Monza, la squadra della mia città. La vittoria, mi sembra per 2-0, sembrò scontata, ma la particolarità fu che tutte le altre partite finirono pari, quindi ci ritrovammo soli in testa alla classifica. Alla seconda pareggiammo anche noi e fummo raggiunti, ma alla quarta tornammo in testa da soli.

Naturalmente, delle 15 partite (allora il campionato era a 16 squadre) non sono molte quelle che ricordo. Dopo il Pescara (di cui ho un ricordo molto vago), la prima in ordine cronologico è il derby, anche perché forse era il primo che vedevo, forse il secondo: quand'ero piccolo mio padre non mi portava alle partite di cartello. Era autunno, credo novembre, una giornata piovosa. Vidi la partita schiacciato contro una scala di accesso al primo anello, in quello che oggi è il settore arancione (i seggiolini e i relativi colori sarebbero stati introdotti nel 1990). Fu 2-0, con doppietta di Beccalossi, un gol per tempo.

Arrivò poi il 4-0 contro la Juventus, che non era in un buon momento, ma un risultato del genere era comunque oltre ogni aspettativa. Altobelli segnò una tripletta, alla fine del campionato con 15 gol fu il secondo marcatore, tanto si segnava poco allora. Nel gruppo che veniva allo stadio con noi c'erano due messinesi, padre e figlio, che lo attaccarono per tutta la carriera, salvo poi rimpiangerlo quando non ci sarebbe stato più: la sua colpa era aver toto il posto al siciliano Anastasi. Il 4-0 si ripeté qualche anno dopo, e quella partita la ricordo un po' meglio.

Arrivò la primavera, e nel frattempo era scoppiato anche il calcio scommesse. L'Inter aveva preso il largo e a 8 giornate dalla fine aveva 8 punti di vantaggio (con 2 punti per vittoria), ma stava rallentando. Ricordo una partita contro una provinciale, che rischiammo di perdere: finì 1-1 con pareggio negli ultimi minuti. La vivemmo come una tappa di avvicinamento allo scudetto, pensavamo che se avessimo perso non sarebbe cambiato molto, ma qualche timore c'era.

Si arrivò così alla terzultima di campionato, contro la Roma, squadra che lottava per la salvezza. I punti sulla seconda, la Juve, erano 6, quindi ne bastava 1 per lo scudetto. Come per la maggior parte delle partite, eravamo nel primo anello, sotto la curva nord (oggi settore verde), dove l'Inter attaccava nel secondo tempo. La Roma andò in vantaggio 2-0, poi l'Inter recuperò un gol, ma a 5 minuti dalla fine era ancora 2-1. Lo stopper Mozzini, che in quel campionato non aveva mai segnato (e che era anche l'unico in quella squadra ad aver già vinto uno scudetto, col Torino quattro anni prima), tirò dal limite dell'area nell'angolo sinistro basso: gol! 2-2! Ricordo l'abbraccio con mio padre: pensavo che stavolta era vero, era toccato anche a noi vincere uno scudetto, dopo la Juve tante volte (3 nei 5 campionati che avevo seguito fino ad allora) e il Milan l'anno prima.

C'era ancora una partita in casa, ed è anche quella che mi ricordo meglio. L'avversario era l'Ascoli, ma quello che contava non era la partita, ma il pre-partita. La squadra fece il giro del campo con un bandierone che li copriva tutti (nella foto). Poi persero la partita, mi sembra 4-2, ma non importava a nessuno. Segnò anche Anastasi. L'Ascoli chiuse quel campionato al quarto posto: oggi sarebbe andato in Champions' League, ma allora l'Italia ava solo tre posti nelle coppe, quindi rimase fuori. Il livello del calcio italiano si era abbassato molto con l'autarchia (quello fu il secondo e ultimo campionato tutto italiano), e dire che c'è qualcuno che la rimpiange.

L'anno dopo l'Inter arrivò in semifinale in Coppa dei Campioni, ed è l'edizione che ricordo meglio, anche meglio di quella vinta nel 2010.

Fonte: Sky Sport

Football matches of Italian National team (1980-2000)

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This summer I will go to two matches of the European Football Championship: Italy-Switzerland on 17 June and Italy-Wales on 21. I had also applied for the inaugural game, but I lost the draw. So I will come back to watch a match of our national football team after 20 years and one of the ECH after 40.

My first game of the national team was Italy-Spain of the 1980 ECH (it was 12 June, the same day of next year's the inaugural match, but I only know this because I checked). I remember that my father and I arrived in San Siro quite late, a few minutes before the kick off. The lineups were announced, and the Spaniards were almost all unknown. I had heard that their manager was following a renewal policy and would exclude the "senators", but it had gone far beyond expectations.

We were in the second and then last deck (the third would be added in 1990), in one of the curves, I think the South one, however behind the goal where Spain shot in the first half. It was a 0-0, not particularly exciting. However, we went closer to losing than to winning: the only episode I remember was a post hit on a free kick by a Gomez.

The next day I found out why the names of the Spaniards said nothing to me: the speaker had read the lineup with real names and at the time almost all Spaniards were known by nicknames! That Gomez who hit a post on a free kick post was actually better known as Juanito (and the following year, in Inter-Real Madrid, I ended up knowing him very well ...). Italy then beat England 1-0, made another 0-0 with Belgium (after 90 minutes of siege) and qualified for the final for 3rd place, which lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia.

The second match I watched was precisely against Czechoslovakia, also in San Siro, which in the meantime had been dedicated to Giuseppe Meazza. It was the first match (at least the first official) after the 1982 World Cup, therefore the first as world champions. So I would have said it was September, instead I read that it was 13th November. I was with my father and his group of friends with whom we went to watch Inter, we were very high, in what is now the second orange deck (at the time without colour and without seats), near the left goal.

It was a rainy day, even if luckily it had stopped raining, or almost: the stadium was still uncovered. It was a far from memorable game: I remember the heavy field and the difficulties in controlling the ball. Italy went ahead twice and was caught twice. So it ended 2-2 and we understood that the magic of the World Cup was over. Neither team qualified for the 8-team finals: Romania passed.

I went back to watch the national team 18 years later, right against Romania. It was 7 October, 2000, but here too I had to check, otherwise I wouldn't even have been sure of the year . My fiancée (now wife) lived far away: that week we met in Milan and we took the opportunity to go to the 2002 World Cup qualifying match. There are not many matches we have watched together: there was on 5-5-2002, but I do not know if I'll ever write about that ...

We were in the second orange deck, to the left. The game was certainly more enjoyable than the other two: Italy started immediately offensively and soon went ahead with a nice goal by Inzaghi. Shortly afterwards they doubled, and the game could be considered over: Romania was never dangerous. The third goal also arrived, I would have said in the second half, instead it was at the end of the first.

That was the last game of the A National. In 2012, in Frankfurt, I went to see an old timers' match between Italy and Germany, won by Italy on penalties. But I'll talk about that again.

Partite della Nazionale italiana di calcio (1980-2000)

Quest'estate andrò a vedere due partite degli Europei di calcio: Italia-Svizzera il 17 giugno e Italia-Galles il 21. Avevo fatto domanda anche per la partita inaugurale, ma ho perso il sorteggio. Tornerò quindi a vedere una partita della Nazionale di calcio dopo 20 anni e una degli Europei dopo 40.

La mia prima partita della Nazionale fu Italia-Spagna degli Europei 1980 (era il 12 giugno, lo stesso giorno della partita inaugurale dell'anno prossimo, ma questo lo so solo perché ho controllato). Ricordo che io e mio padre arrivammo a San Siro piuttosto tardi, pochi minuti prima dell'inizio. Annunciarono le formazioni, e gli spagnoli erano quasi tutti sconosciuti. Avevo sentito che il loro allenatore stava seguendo una politica di rinnovamento e avrebbe escluso i "senatori", ma era andato ben oltre le aspettative.

Eravamo nel secondo e allora ultimo anello (il terzo sarebbe stato aggiunto nel 1990), in una delle curve, credo la sud, comunque dietro la porta in cui nel primo tempo attaccava la Spagna. Fu uno 0-0  non particolarmente emozionante. Andammo comunque più vicini a perdere che a vincere: l'unico episodio che ricordo fu un palo su punizione di tale Gomez.

Il giorno dopo scoprii perché i nomi degli spagnoli non mi dicevano niente: lo speaker aveva letto la formazione coi nomi veri e all'epoca quasi tutti gli spagnoli erano noti con soprannomi! Quel Gomez del palo su punizione era in realtà meglio noto come Juanito (e l'anno dopo, in Inter-Real Madrid, finii col conoscerlo molto bene…). L'Italia poi batté 1-0 l'Inghilterra, fece un altro 0-0 col Belgio (dopo 90 minuti di assedio) e si qualificò per la finale per il 3° posto, che perse ai rigori con la Cecoslovacchia.

La seconda partiti che vidi fu proprio contro la Cecoslovacchia, sempre a San Siro, che nel frattempo era stato dedicato a Giuseppe Meazza. Era la prima partita (almeno ufficiale) dopo i Mondiali 1982, quindi la prima da campioni del mondo. Avrei quindi detto che era settembre, invece leggo che era il 13 novembre. Ero con mio padre e il suo gruppo di amici con cui andavamo a vedere l'Inter, eravamo molto in alto, in quello che adesso è il secondo anello arancione (all'epoca senza colore e senza seggiolini), vicino alla porta sinistra.

Era una giornata piovosa, anche se per fortuna aveva smesso di piovere, o quasi: lo stadio era ancora scoperto. Fu una partita tutt'altro che memorabile: ricordo il terreno pesante e le difficoltà nel controllare la palla. L'Italia andò due volte in vantaggio e per due volte fu raggiunta. Finì quindi 2-2 e capimmo che la magia del Mondiale era finita. Nessuna delle due squadre si qualificò per la fase finale a 8: passò la Romania.

Tornai a vedere la Nazionale 18 anni dopo, proprio contro la Romania. Era il 7 ottobre 2000, ma anche qui ho dovuto controllare, altrimenti non sarei stato sicuro nemmeno dell'anno. Io e la mia fidanzata (oggi moglie) vivevamo lontani: quella settimana c'eravamo incontrati a Milano e avevamo colto l'occasione per andare a vedere la partita delle qualificazioni ai Mondiali 2002. Non sono molte le partite che abbiamo visto insieme: ce n'è stata una il 5-5-2002, ma non so se di quella scriverò mai… 

Eravamo nel secondo anello arancione, verso sinistra. La partita fu sicuramente più piacevole delle altre due: l'Italia partì subito all'arrembaggio e andò presto in vantaggio con un bel gol di Inzaghi. Poco dopo raddoppiò, e la partita si poteva considerare finita: Romania mai pericolosa. Arrivò anche il terzo gol, avrei detto nel secondo tempo, invece fu alla fine del primo.

Quella fu l'ultima partita della Nazionale A. Nel 2012, a Francoforte, andai a vedere una partita di vecchie glorie tra Italia e Germania, vinta dall'Italia ai rigori. Ma di quella parlerò un'altra volta.

McDonald's Basketball Open (1989)

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NBA is heading to the All Star Game. Now it has even a dedicated TV channel: if it had been there when I was a boy I would have watched it from morning to night, now I will use very little. I have seen live two matches between NBA teams: Phoenix Suns-New Jersey Nets in Milan in the 80s and Brooklyn Nets-Toronto Raptors in New York in 2015. This time I do not mean to talk about these, but about a tournament between an NBA team and three European ones, in 1989.

The tournament was co-organized by NBA and FIBA ​​and sponsored by McDonald's. It was a quadrangle between Denver Nuggets, Jugoplastika Split and two other teams, which I verified were Barcelona and Olimpia Milan (I admit, this time I broke the rule I gave myself when I started writing, to base stories on my memory without checking) . It took place in Rome, the city I was visiting for the first time, not imagining in the least that eight years later I would live there. On that occasion I also saw the Pope, for my first and only time.

Arrived at Palaeur (today Palalottomatica) I immediately noticed the difference with the San Siro Palasport, which I remembered well: even though it was bigger, you could see much better, since there was no cycling track. My place was, it seems to me, in the second of three decks, near a basket. A few lines before I saw Julius Erving, the legendary Doctor J, in evening suit, as a guest of honor (he had retired two years before).

The Denver Nuggets entered the field: we saw some good plays, but it was a bit disappointing, because the starters (the stars were English and Davis) stayed little on the field and for the most part time we saw players we had never heard of, who anyway worked hard, fighting for a place in the team. But then it started the second game, that of Jugoplastika, and there I was enchanted, especially by Radja and Kukoc, but also by the rest of the team. The audience also incited them more than the Americans. Then for us they were all Yugoslav players, later we had to learn painfully, that Radja and Kukoc were Croats, the center Savic Bosnian (and ethnically Serbian), other Serbian.

Two days later there was the final: it was supposed to be a game without history, then it was unthinkable that a European team, een without Americans, could beat an NBA team. A few years earlier I had seen a mixed team of mid-level NBA players (apart from the star Moses Malone) giving 19 points to Olimpia Milano, then sponsored by Billy. Instead Jugoplastika challenghed until 2-3 minutes to the end, sometimes even went ahead. There was the deafening cry "Ju-go-pla-sti-ka, Ju-go-pla-sti-ka". I never thought I would hear an Italian audience heat up so much for a foreign team: something similar would be seen the following year at the soccer World Cup, for Cameroon. The Dalmatians also paid a shorter bench than the Nuggets: on 40 minutes, instead of 48, being able to keep Radja and Kukoc always on the field, maybe they would have won.

That fantastic team dominated in Europe again for a couple of years. And then, as Italian singer Edoardo Bennato sang, the war came, that takes away all dreams….

McDonald's Open di basket (1989)

L'NBA va verso l'All Star Game. Adesso ha persino un canale TV dedicato: se ci fosse stato quand'ero ragazzo l'avrei guardato dalla mattina alla sera, adesso lo utilizzerò molto poco. Ho visto dal vivo due partite tra squadre NBA: Phoenix Suns-New Jersey Nets a Milano negli anni '80 e Brooklyn Nets-Toronto Raptors a New York nel 2015. Stavolta però non intendo parlare di queste, ma di un torneo tra una squadra NBA e tre europee, nel 1989.

Il torneo era co-organizzato da NBA e FIBA e sponsorizzato da McDonald's. Era un quadrangolare tra Denver Nuggets, Jugoplastika Spalato e altre due squadre che ho verificato essere Barcellona e Olimpia Milano (lo ammetto, stavolta ho violato la regola che mi sono dato quando ho cominciato a scrivere, quella di basarmi solo sulla mia memoria senza verificare).  Si svolgeva a Roma, città che visitavo per la prima volta, non immaginando minimamente che otto anni dopo ci sarei andato a vivere. In quell'occasione vidi anche il Papa, per la prima e tuttora unica volta.

Arrivato al Palaeur (oggi Palalottomatica) notai subito la differenza col Palasport di San Siro, che ricordavo bene: pur essendo anche più grande, si vedeva molto meglio, non essendoci la pista di ciclismo. Il mio posto era, mi sembra, nel secondo dei tre anelli, vicino a un canestro. Poche file davanti vidi lui, Julius Erving, il mitico Doctor J, in abito da sera, in qualità di ospite d'onore (si era ritirato due anni prima).

Scesero in campo i Denver Nuggets: si videro delle belle giocato, ma fu un po' deludente, perché i titolari (le stelle erano English e Davis) rimasero in campo poco e pe la maggior parte del tempo si videro giocatori mai sentiti, che comunque si impegnarono molto, essendo in lotta per il posto in squadra. Poi però arrivo la seconda partita, quella della Jugoplastika, e lì rimasi incantato, soprattutto da Radja e Kukoc, ma anche dal resto della squadra. Anche il pubblico li incitò più degli americani. Allora per noi erano tutti giocatori jugoslavi, poi dovemmo imparare dolorosamente, che Radja e Kukoc erano croati, il centro Savic bosniaco (e serbo di etnia), altri serbi.

Due giorni dopo ci fu la finale: doveva essere una partita scontata, allora era impensabile che una squadra europea, per di più senza americani, potesse battere una squadra NBA. Qualche anno prima avevo visto una squadra mista di giocatori NBA di medio livello (a parte la stella Moses Malone) dare 19 punti all'Olimpia Milano, allora sponsorizzata Billy. Invece la Jugoplastika rimase in partita fino a 2-3 minuti dalla fine, a tratti andò addirittura in vantaggio. Si sentiva l'urlo assordante "Ju-go-pla-sti-ka, Ju-go-pla-sti-ka". Non avrei mai pensato di sentire un pubblico italiano scaldarsi così tanto per una squadra straniera: qualcosa di simile si vide l'anno dopo, ai mondiali di calcio, per il Camerun. I dalmati pagarono anche sa panchina più corta rispetto ai Nuggets: su 40 minuti, invece di 48, potendo tenere Radja e Kukoc sempre in campo, magari avrebbero vinto.

Quella squadra fantastica dominò in Europa ancora per un paio d'anni. E poi arrivò la guerra, che tutti i sogni porta via…

My World Cup finals (post #100)

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For once I will talk about sports seen only on television. My 13th World Cup final, the third at daytime, is about to start. I tried to watch it live, but I was unlucky with the draw. I then thought back to 12 I've seen so far, from the age of 6 (now I'm 54, and I write it also to help me realize it).

1974 West Germany - Netherlands 2-1: I had just started to follow football. The first national team match I had seen was the last friendly pre-World Cup against Austria (0-0). So I did not realize how much we hoped to win that World Cup: the elimination in the first round was therefore a disappointment for me, but not an incredible event. In the final my father was a fan of the Netherlands, I was for Germany. I do not know why, I've always been a bit attracted to that country. Not so much then, but after seeing it in the following years, I realized what a fantastic game it was and how the attention for the Netherlands at the time had made us forget that Germany was also very strong

1978 Argentina - Netherlands 3-1 (ET): this time my father and I agreed to cheer for the Netherlands, especially after the farce that had qualified Argentina (6-0 with Peru).The Netherlands equalized when we were losing our hopes, hopes that would die in extra time.

1982 Italy - West Germany 3-1: I'm in Scotland and I watch the game with my house mates, four Italians and one Frenchman. At the end we celebrate on the streets of Edinburgh: we are really many and some Scots are scared.

1986 Argentina - West Germany 3-2: we support Germany, both because it's European and because of the presence of an Inter player, Rummenigge (the presence of an Inter player will remain constant from 1982 until today). Germany completes the comeback with a few minutes to go, only to be later fooled by a player, Burruchaga, whom I had never heard of, despite having played against Inter in the Uefa Cup of the year before.

1990 West Germany - Argentina 1-0: no doubt about supporting Germany, both for the presence of Inter players, and for the way in which Argentina qualified, not only against Italy. Very boring match, resolved by a Brehme penalty in the final minutes. I had seen most of the matches with Gialappa's band fun commentary, but for the final I follow the RAI commentary. Only at the end I switch to Gialappa's to hear the final comment "Argentini do not take it that way: take it in your ass!.

1994 Brzsil - Italy 3-2 (PK): it is the World Cup that I lived with most misgivings. I was not so happy to support Italy because of my strong aversion for its manager. Over the years I have acknowledged some merits to Mr Sacchi, but I still consider him one of the most overrated people in sports' history, at least in Italian sports'. Then political events added up: after Berlusconi's government took advantage of the semi-final to approve a very controversial measure, I announce that in the final I would support  Brazil and I also consider watching the match in a Brazilian local. After the conclusion on penalty kicks of a match even more boring than the previous one, I do not have the courage to cheer: I remain a bit sad. I do not know how I would have felt if Italy had won.

1998 France - Brazil 3-0: this time I really watch it in a Brazilian restaurant, in Carpi (I'm there for work). Great collective disappointment, with Brazil never in the game. In the car I hear Gialappa's ask the French guest "How is it to win a World Cup abroad?" and I think about my days in 1982

2002 Brazil - Germany 2-0: first final in the afternoon. I'm happy for my idol Ronaldo's Brazil victory. I did not know I was going to hate him in less than two months.

2006 Italy - France 6-5 (PK): Italy reaches the final as a favorite. Everybody find resemblances with 1982, but I see more between France and Italy at that time: a manager generally considered an idiot, the first round passed painfully against an African team, before changing pace in the knock-out phase. We win, but this time, with two young children, I can not go to celebrate.

2010 Spain - Netherlands 1-0 (ET): I support the Netherlands, not only for Sneijder, but I'm happy that the match is decided by one of the players I admire the most: Iniesta.

2014 Germany - Argentina 1-0 (ET): I'm in Germany. I cheer for my host country, also for the curiosity to see the celebrations, my children for Argentina, for fear that the Germans will boast too much. I have some doubt comes when Palacio enters the field and gets also close to scoring. Germany wins and I can therefore see the celebrations, however smaller than they would have been in almost all countries, starting from Italy.

2018 France - Croatia 4-2: it's the first final I haven't seen in full. In fact, I see it started for about twenty minutes due to the coincidence with the Wimbledon final. I support Croatia for a variety of reasons, including the presence of an Inter player on the pitch and another on the bench, but with some embarrassment about the political connotation that some reactionaries and racists give to it. Perisic illudes, and it's also the 8th goal by an Inter player in a World Cup final, but then it ends as expected. Good match anyway, at least among the best three finals he has seen, perhaps more if one were able to admit that my youth's myths may be overcome.

Source: il Corriere del Pallone