Gigi Riva

Luigi Riva (7 November 1944 – 22 January 2024) was an Italian football player. He played for Italy national team.

Gigi Riva

Riva with Italy in 1968
Personal information
Full name	Luigi Riva[1]
Date of birth	(1944-11-07)7 November 1944
Place of birth	Leggiuno, Italy
Date of death	22 January 2024(2024-01-22) (aged 79)
Place of death	Cagliari, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s)	Forward, Striker
Youth career
1961–1962	Laveno Mombello
1962	Legnano
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1963	Legnano	23	(6)
1963–1976	Cagliari	315	(164)
Total		338	(170)
International career
1965–1974	Italy	42	(35)
Managerial career
1988–2013	Italy (technical director)
Medal record Representing  Italy Men's football FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1970 Mexico UEFA European Championship Winner 1968 Italy
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Death

On 21 January 2024, Riva was hospitalized at the San Michele Hospital in Cagliari, Italy because of acute coronary syndrome.^[3][4] He died of a heart attack the next day at the age of 79.^[5][6]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[2]

Club	Season	League			Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Legnano	1962–63	Serie C	23	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	6
Cagliari	1963–64	Serie B	26	8	2	0	0	0	0	0	28	8
	1964–65	Serie A	32	9	4	3	0	0	0	0	36	12
	1965–66	Serie A	34	11	3	0	0	0	0	0	37	11
	1966–67	Serie A	23	18	3	0	1	1	0	0	27	19
	1967–68	Serie A	26	13	1	0	4	3	0	0	31	16
	1968–69	Serie A	29	20	6	8	2	0	0	0	37	28
	1969–70	Serie A	28	21	6	5	0	0	2	1	36	27
	1970–71	Serie A	13	8	5	5	4	2	3	3	25	18
	1971–72	Serie A	30	21	4	3	0	0	0	0	34	24
	1972–73	Serie A	26	12	6	8	0	0	1	0	33	20
	1973–74	Serie A	25	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	26	15
	1974–75	Serie A	8	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	9	3
	1975–76	Serie A	15	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	6
	Total		315	164	42	33	11	6	6	4	374	207
Career total			338	170	42	33	11	6	6	4	397	213

International

See also: List of international goals scored by Gigi Riva

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Italy	1965	1	0
	1966	1	0
	1967	4	6
	1968	2	2
	1969	6	8
	1970	10	6
	1971	3	2
	1972	6	4
	1973	7	7
	1974	2	0
Total		42	35

Honours

Cagliari^[7]

• Serie A: 1969–70

Italy^[7]

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1970
• UEFA European Championship: 1968

Individual

• Serie A top scorer: 1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70^[8]
• Ballon d'Or: runner-up: 1969; third place: 1970^[9]
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1968^[10]
• World Soccer's 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time: 1999^[11]
• Golden Foot "Football Legends": 2005^[12]
• Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011^[13]
• Inducted into the Walk of Fame of Italian sport: 2015^[14][15]
• Inducted into the Cagliari Hall of Fame^[16]
• Cagliari Greatest All-time Starting XI^[16]

Orders

• 

  3rd Class / Commander: Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991^[17]

• 

  2nd Class / Grand Officer: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana:2000^[18]

• 

  CONI: Golden Star of Sports Merit: 2006^[19]

• 

  CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2016^[20]