The Sicilian port city of Messina has been at the forefront of the world’s most notable events. It served as the catalyst to the First Punic War between Rome...
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Classic Calcio Kits: Juventus 1990-94
Shirt: Juventus (home) Season: 1990-94 Manufacturer: Kappa Sponsor: Upim/Danone Worn by: Roberto Baggio, Salvatore Schillaci, Dino Baggio, Thomas Häßler, Jurgen Kohler, Pierluigi Casiraghi, Gianluca Vialli, Andreas Möller, David Platt,...
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Italy’s déjà vu: How Azeglio Vicini’s Azzurri failed to qualify for Euro 92
Many among the 70,000 crowd gathered in the San Siro released an involuntary gasp as Spanish referee Antonio Lahoz blew a shrill, long note from his whistle. As the...
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Reporting for duty: When Serie A’s superstars did national service
“The next young player who says he does not want to play for England should be ordered to ring the parents of a soldier who has died serving his...
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Roberto Baggio’s redemption: A story of two World Cup penalties
According to Buddha’s teachings, “it is not prayer, not grace and not sacrifice that brings redemption, but only knowledge. The knowledge lies within the power of the individual”. It...
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TGU Interview: Rick Hough talks calcio with Matteo Fontana during Italy’s years of lead
On 12 December 1969, an explosion ripped through the foyer of the Banca Nazionale dell’Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana in Milan. Seventeen people were killed and 88 more were injured....
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Success in Sardinia: Allegri and the Cagliari years
Massimiliano Allegri has arguably been Italy’s most successful coach of the last decade. During this time, he has compiled an enviable CV, winning the Scudetto at AC Milan in...
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Azzurri: The story behind Italy’s nickname and colours
Words fail us. When it comes to love or grief, they can never fully articulate how we feel inside. How can the word ‘love’ really convey what we mean...
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A vanished dream: the story behind Paolo Maldini’s bitter Milan farewell
It has become a familiar image in Calcio. The camera pans to the stand and picks out a legend of the club. But they are not there just to...
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Un maiale non può allenare: Carlo Ancelotti’s troubled time at Juventus
It was the final day of the 1999/00 Serie A season and as torrential rain and wind battered the Renato Curi stadium, Carlo Ancelotti and his Juventus side were...
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