Francesco Morini, 77 years old, a former player of Sampdoria and Juve, where he also covered managerial roles for 15 years, first as sports director and then as team manager: 26 years with the Juventus colors on him, died. He was nicknamed Ciccio, but above all “Morgan” because of his “pirate” ability to steal the ball from his opponents. With the Sampdoria he played from 1963 to 1969, winning a Serie B championship. Then moving to the Bianconeri, where he played until 1980, winning 5 league titles, an Italian cup and the first Uefa Cup in Juventus history, also winning the shirt 11 times. of the national team. He was a pillar of Boniperti’s Juventus, with the regret of the 1973 Champions Cup lost to Cruyff’s Ajax.
He had challenged the best strikers of the time on the pitch, such as Boninsegna and Gigi Riva who had declared about him: «He is the worst defender I have come across. By bad I mean that he is gritty, that he is ruthless in competition, not that he is unfair. That’s what a true modern defender must be like. Play with your whole body to keep from getting through. I tried them all, no one gave me so much trouble, in the long run I had to give up ». Historical derbies with Toro in the years of the last grenade championship and his head to head with Ciccio Graziani and Paolo Pulici.