01 November 1897
Some days stick out more than others in the memories of sports fans. On the one hand, you remember the moments of great victories and wonderful celebrations. Unfortunately, on the other, you also get days when you feel like you've lost someone close to you. A feeling that can persist even 28 years later.
Bianconeri fans everywhere will recognise this when they recall the untimely death of Gaetano Scirea on 3 September 1989. Almost three decades have passed but the feeling of profound loss hasn't gone away - as if the tragedy occurred just a month ago.
We all remember that Sunday in September well. Too well, in fact. Scirea had been sent on a scouting mission to Poland to watch Juventus' next opponent in the UEFA Cup, Gornik Zabrze. Sadly the heavy rain that day caused an accident on the roads that cost Gaetano's life.
Italian football lost a World Cup winner and the sport as a whole one of its finest representatives, but most importantly we all lost a great man. A footballer with infinite class who was strong and kind at the same time, Scirea almost naturally took on the mantle of fair play and the healthy sporting values.
We all lost something that day, Gai, but one thing is for certain: the Bianconeri world, united in grief today, has not forgotten you and never will.
