Autographed Ball, Hellas Verona Scudetto, 1984/85
Autographed Ball, Hellas Verona Scudetto, 1984/85
An heirloom that recounts one of the most exciting pages of Italian football: the ball autographed by the protagonists of the historic Scudetto won by Hellas Verona in the 1984/85 season. A legendary feat, conquered with passion, teamwork and determination, which has entered the history of sport by right.
This ball is more than an object: it is the symbol of a dream realised, now proudly kept in the Museo Nicolis collection.
On 12 May 1985, with one day to spare, Verona won the 1984/1985 Serie A football championship, thanks to a 1-1 draw in Bergamo at Atalanta: Elkjaer equalised Perico’s goal and the celebrations began. It was the only Scudetto won by Hellas Verona in its history, the only one obtained by a team from the Veneto and the only one won in the post-war period by a team from a city that was not a regional capital: the last had been Pro Vercelli in 1921-1922.
The protagonists:
Claudio Garella, Mauro Ferroni, Luciano Marangon, Roberto Tricella, Silvano Fontolan, Hans Peter Briegel, Piero Fanna, Domenico Volpati, Giuseppe “Nanu” Galdersi, Antonio Di Gennaro and Preben Elkjaer Larsen.
Volpati, often relegated to the full-back role to replace Ferroni, was a valuable pawn, while Bruni represented the “twelfth man” of that extraordinary team. Also fundamental was the contribution of Gigi Sacchetti, another silent but decisive protagonist. Completing the squad – very small by today’s standards – were Sergio Spuri, the second goalkeeper behind Garella, Fabio Marangon, Dario Donà, Antonio Terracciano and Francesco Turchetta.
Leading this extraordinary team was the charismatic Osvaldo Bagnoli, flanked by deputy Antonio Lonardi. The sports director was Emiliano Mascetti, while the club president was Tino Guidotti, a central figure in that historic feat.
Source: L’Arena
