Blessed by God

VINICIUS Real Madrid's Brazilian ace Vinicius grew up in one of the most dangerous favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The family and the Catholic faith are his compass, as he confided to the newspaper Marca. He asks: «If someone made a film about your life, what title would you want?».
Answer: «Blessed by God». Favorite Bible passage: “Fear not therefore, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” SPIRITUAL

CSI In the penitentiary system it is foreseen that, in each institution, medical activities are carried out continuously, such as to prevent the onset of pathological forms, including those due to prolonged inertia. The most useful drug remains sport, and the Italian Sports Center deserves a sort of gold medal, because in the 2022-23 season it guaranteed 800 hours of practice in 3 prisons, with 32 instructors, 5 disciplines, and 1 community. WELCOME

SIMEONE Between Naples and Argentina, ever since Diego Armando Maradona drew a line, there has been a blood bond, which has been passed down from father to son. What better opportunity to make an Argentine Pope, who is also a football fan, feel the warmth of the city in the year of the Scudetto? The club took steps to do so, instructing striker Simeone, Francesco's compatriot, to give him a number 10 shirt, bearing his name. SYMBOLIC

TSUNODA The boy with bob hair and shorts, who shoveled mud between the houses of Faenza, wasn't just anyone. By profession he is a Formula One driver, one of the most elite and coveted professions in the world, and he comes from a very distant country: Japan. Thanks, therefore, to Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri champion. He did not shy away from his duty to lend a hand to those who became "his people" after the flood. GENEROUS

RANIERI “Fair play” is one of the values that inspires this column, and the pleasure is double if this quality is rewarded by victory. Then when the character (better to say "person") has espoused the aforementioned values for a lifetime, at 71 years of age, the satisfaction is even greater. I am referring to Claudio Ranieri, who, after having given the English title to a tiny team like Leicester, guided Cagliari into promotion to Serie A. EDUCATOR

CLERI The last promise that mother Stefania made, in 2014, to her son Elia Cleri, who died at 19 due to a serious disability, was to carry on the activity of the baskin "Vikings". This term means "integrated basketball", and promotes inclusion, allowing able-bodied and disabled people to play together. Well: within a few years, the team from Formignano (Pesaro) won the Italian Cup, in the "Final Four" of Monte di Procida in Campania. HEROIC

PRO RECCO Recco (Genoa), which has just 9 thousand inhabitants, is the largest water polo reality in the world. Pro Recco, in fact, has won 35 championships and 11 Champions Leagues, creating, with the Italian Cup, its sixth treble in twenty years. The proceeds from the home Champions League matches were donated to the Franciscan nuns of the Central African Republic in Maigaro, in the diocese of Bouar. Focaccia and solidarity! GLORIOUS

Carlo Nesti
NP August / September 2023