How Football Fell for Guccini: From Sarri to Pistoiese

His friendship with the coach now at Atalanta, Nicolussi Caviglia, his big fan, and the story of Luis Silvio Danuello at Pistoiese. His strange relationship with football.

Let's be honest: Guccini never really cared much for football. Football, however, has always cared a great deal for Guccini. One of the Modenese singer-songwriter's biggest fans was Maurizio Sarri. Both "bears" – one from Valdarno, the other from Pavana – both masters, one of the ball and the other of words. Sarri, who grew up listening to his songs, never hid his immense admiration for the artist. One of the first things he did off the pitch after signing with Juventus (a team the Maestro had always supported, albeit lukewarmly) was to arrange a meeting with his childhood idol. The two met thanks to journalist Marino Bartoletti, who organised a dinner filled with wine, anecdotes, and songs. "Sarri didn't want to leave, then he remembered that pre-season training would start in a couple of weeks," Bartoletti revealed the next day. The journalist also recounted Guccini's great curiosity about Cristiano Ronaldo: "Guccini asking Sarri about Ronaldo, Sarri asking Guccini about Bertoncelli (the one from L’Avvelenata). Guccini asking Sarri who he saw as favourites for the league title, and Sarri asking Guccini whether, when he composes, the lyrics or the music come first ('What is born is always an idea, dear Maurizio')."

Guccini and Footballers

His words and poetry have also captivated today's footballers, such as Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, who has confessed in numerous interviews that one of his dreams was to attend a Guccini concert: "I used to listen to him as a child in the car with my dad when we went skiing, and I fell in love with his music. Unfortunately, I've never seen him live, only on YouTube: Cyrano, Quello che non..., Farewell, Incontro, La locomotiva are my favourites. What I like about him is that the things he said back then are still valid today and will be in a hundred years." There's even a player who changed his shirt number for him: Paolo Faragò, a full-back who moved from Cagliari to Bologna in 2021. His first choice at the club was to take the number 43, the street number of the famous Via Paolo Fabbri: "For about three years now, I've become a super passionate fan of Guccini. For the last two years, I've practically only listened to his music. That's why I thought it would be a nice idea to come to Bologna and choose the number 43 shirt, in honour of that street number."

Guccini and Pistoiese

Guccini's football passion, however, was never limited to the usual big clubs, especially when provincial teams were involved. This was the case during the 1980-81 season, with the historic Pistoiese side in Serie A: a team that seemed to have stepped straight out of one of his songs – working-class, romantic, and capable of dreaming big. Guccini was particularly fascinated by the story of Luis Silvio Danuello, a Brazilian midfielder who arrived in Italy with huge expectations. A victim of an incredible tactical and linguistic misunderstanding, he was mistakenly deployed as a central striker, ending his spell in the top flight with just six appearances and no goals. It was a surreal adventure that concluded at the tables of a Pistoia bar, where the Brazilian found himself serving customers before returning to his homeland.

This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it

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