Italy soccer great Gigi Riva is to
have heart surgery after being hospitalised after suffering a
minor heart attack Sunday, sources said Monday.
Riva, 79, record Italy goalscorer with 35 strikes and spearhead
of Cagliari's 1970 scudetto winning team, is not in a serious
condition, sources at Cagliari's Brotzu Hospital said.
Riva, now Cagliari's honorary president, should make a full
recovery after a minor and routine procedure, they said.
"The operation is not particularly complicated", they said.
Considered to be one of the best players of his generation, as
well as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Riva enjoyed a
remarkable scoring record for Cagliari, thanks to his composure
in front of goal, powerful left foot and aerial ability.
His speed, strength and eye for goal led the great Italian
journalist Gianni Brera to nickname him "Rombo di Tuono" (Roar
of Thunder).
At international level, Riva won the 1968 European Championship
and was runner-up at the 1970 World Cup behind Pelè's great
Brazil side; he also took part in the 1974 World Cup.
With 35 goals in 42 appearances in official competitions between
1965 and 1974, he is Italy's all-time leading goalscorer.
After retiring in 1976, Riva briefly served as the president of
Cagliari during the 1986-87 season, and was later a senior
managing official of the national side from 1988 until 2013.
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