Monza’s maiden day in the Serie A didn’t quite go as planned for Giovanni Stroppa’s Biancorossi as they were beat by Torino at the U-Power Stadium on Saturday night. Still, the home fans distinguished themselves for displaying a classy banner that was saluted with applauses even by the visitor Granata supporters.
Right before Torino would score their second of the night, the Monza fans unveiled a banner honoring former Serie A player and long-time coach Luigi “Gigi” Radice who passed away in 2018.
It read “Gigi Radice…this is your game!” as the name of Radice means a great deal to both the Monza and Torino faithful. Born close to Monza, Radice enjoyed a decent career as a player mostly wearing the jersey of Milan.
After retiring, his first managerial experience was right in Monza, where he spent five seasons between 1966 and 1971 and where he also had his last job as a coach in 1997 – leading the Biancorossi to a promotion from Serie C1 to Serie B.
But it’s in Turin that Radice collected his most remarkable success as he was in charge when Torino surprisingly claimed a Scudetto title in the 1975/76 Serie A campaign. That was the first time the Granata came on top since the Superga tragedy, and the last time they claimed the Italian title so far.
When the Monza supporters unveiled their banner, the Torino fans promptly answered with a round of applause as the whole U-Power Stadium joined the celebration of a great character in the world of calcio.