Italian football is in mourning: the great champion, remembered for a very bizarre reason, has suddenly passed away

Italian football is in mourning for the death of Comunardo Niccolai: the former Cagliari and national team defender was 77 years old

Communard Nicholasformer Italian football defender and coach, passed away a few hours ago at the age of 77. The former champion of Cagliari and the Italian national team was fatally ill while he was hospitalized in Pistoia. He is remembered for his great skills as a stopper, but also for his particular and unfortunate propensity for scoring own goals.

Born in Uzzano in December 1946, Comunardo Niccolai began playing football in the Montecatini youth team. He then made his professional debut in the 1963-1964 season, when he moved to Sardinia to wear the Torres jersey. The following summer he was purchased by Cagliariwith whom he began a long and successful history that lasted until 1976, except for a brief interlude in the United States with the Chicago Mustangs.

With the red and blue jersey he became a true flag and was among the protagonists of the historic championship won in the 1969-1970 season. The performances of that season convinced the then technical commissioner of the Italian national team Valcareggi, to call up Niccolai for the World Cup in Mexico and even fielded him as a starter in the debut match. That tournament saw Italy defeated in the final, but the defender returned home with 3 prestigious appearances for the Azzurri.

He ended his career with Prato in 1978 and, although he was a great defender, he was remembered above all for his recurring and unfortunate propensity for own goalsHe collected 6 in Serie A, some of which were truly daring and decisive, so much so that he is still considered today as the greatest Italian “own-goal scorer”, despite being later surpassed in numbers by Ferri and Baresi, who collected 8.

After hanging up his boots he never abandoned the world of football. In fact, he was trainer of the youth and women’s team of the national team, and then, always for the Azzurri, to do theobserver.

Niccolai died in the last few hours at the hospital in Pistoiawhere he had been hospitalized for a sickness sudden. An illness also caused his death. Countless messages of condolence have already appeared on the web to remember the great champion.