It is well known that Italians are superstitious people. Each of us has their own superstitious gestures and good luck rituals that we practice before an exam, a job interview or a football match. And in this regard, did you know that Italian footballers are also very superstitious? Experience and skill are not enough, too the best they need luck on their side. We tell you how professional coaches and footballers invoke luck on the pitch.
The religious
There are those who entrust the fate of a game in the hands of the gods. Giovanni trapattoni was caught by the cameras, in a match during the world cup in Korea, as he poured holy water under the bench. Yes, you read that correctly! He brought a small bottle of holy water with him. And when the game immediately took a bad turn after a goal, Trap opened the bottle hidden in his jacket pocket and invoked providence. But, unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect. The colleague Antonio Conte was framed while shelling a rosary during the match. We also count among the religious Marco Tardelli who, in the 1982 final against Germany, took the field with the image of a saint hidden in the shin guard. And speaking of santini, in the Napoli stadium the tunnel leading to the camp is lined with images of saints of every creed.
Habitual footballers, coaches and presidents
Zambrotta he once said that his superstitious rite was that of put on the right shoe first and then the left one. A former Fiorentina coach, Bruno Pesaola always listened to the same record before every game. In addition to helping him relax, he believed it was a good omen. Once he forgot it at home and, it is said, he went back 500 kilometers to get it. Romeo Anconetani, former president of Pisa Calcio, had another strange custom that he put into practice before the decisive games. He used to sprinkle salt on the field. And it is said that he once shed 26 kilos. A little too many ?!
What oddities!
Gennaro Gattuso, former AC Milan footballer and coach is famous for his determination and the ability to infuse energy and energy in his teammates. During the 2006 World Cup, which saw him raise the most prestigious cup in the world, unleashed a very particular ritual which, given the results, brought him well. Before each match, in fact, he took out moments of privacy during which, closed in the bathroom and sitting on the toilet, he was reading some pages of Dostoevsky. Pippo Inzaghiinstead, she goes to the bathroom three times in ten minutes. And before every game ate a pack of Plasmon. Not whole, however, he always left them two. I wonder why! And the opponents of number 17 could not be missing. Cellino, when he was president of Cagliari, he had row 17 removed from the grandstand, establishing 16bis.
Footballers and coaches obsessed with clothing
Then there are players who pay close attention to what to wear and also how to wear it. Gigi Riva played exclusively with the number 11. He refused any other shirt, convinced that that number suited him well. And he was right. The only time he couldn't wear it, during the Italy-Portugal match back in 1967, he broke his leg. Daniele De Rossi, after a confrontation with an opponent, who tore his sleeve, he decided to play with one long and one short sleeve.
Galliani he always wore the same yellow tie. While Constantine Rozzi he never separated from his lucky charms: the red socks. In his honor, the Ascoli players wore them during the match following his death. Walter Mazzarri used to take off his jacket at the beginning of the game and remained on the sidelines only with his shirt, braving the cold and bad weather. On the contrary, however, Renzo Ulivieri never took off his coat. Once he even wore it with 35 ° C.
