05 April 2023
Sergio Gori passed away today at the age of 77. Born in Milan on 24 February 1946, Gori, known to most as Bobo, played for Juventus from 1975 to 1977. His two years with the Bianconeri saw him continue along his path of victories that had begun with Inter and that had continued with Cagliari.
At Juve he experienced first hand the historic transition from the Carlo Parola era to the start of that of Giovanni Trapattoni - with the paradox of having done much better when the team did worse.
ALL ROUNDER IN ATTACK
It was the summer of 1975. In the photo coach Carlo Parola welcomes two new signings who had come to strengthen a team that was setting out on their defence of the Serie A title. And if Marco Tardelli was a young hopeful, Sergio Gori was already an established player, a striker capable of performing also in midfield. In fact, back in the days when the number on your back indicated your position on the pich, he would often alternate his number 9 shirt with the number 8.
"They have called me an all-rounder in attack, that's why I think they wanted me here. I don't know where Parola will play me, I feel l'm more a deep-lying centre-forward, rather than an out-and-out striker, even if I scored 10 goals with Cagliari last year," - this was his identikit, to which he added a description that revealed how Bobo was far from self-centred, "Obviously it's not up to me to present my merits to the public, indeed if there actually are any worth considering. The fact remains that Juventus wanted me, which is equivalent to affirming that I must be worth something. Among my weaknesses, I'm not great at heading the ball, especially in terms of leaping; then what can i say? Even physically I'm no Superman..."
GORI YES, JUVE NO
His first goal in the black and white stripes arrived in a home league match against Fiorentina. And it was a move that combined perfect timing: Fabio Capello crossed, Gori nodded over to Roberto Bettega, who in turn headed back to the former Cagliari forward, who headed home. Cue wild celebrations in front of the Curva Filadelfia.
That was the beginning of a journey that saw Sergio score eight goals while the team threw away the title by allowing Toro to overtake them. It was a positive season on a personal level, which earned his confirmation, while for Juve the Scudetto shock led to a change of coach and a desire to put the situation straight the following year.
THE MOST MEMORABLE GOAL
Although he presented himself as a player with a weakness in the air, not only did his first goal prove that introduction wrong, so did the one at San Siro against Milan. At the end of his career, Sergio considered it his greatest goal because it was "well-built, at speed, on the run."
And it was not just a question of style, but due to "the physical balance and the difficulty required because it was a header that exploded from almost outside the area." In addition, there were two further reasons to consider that moment memorable, "I happily remember that game. I scored the winning goal fifteen minutes from the end and it was a double satisfaction because before the match Rocco had declared that he was happy I was playing rather than Damiani because Oscar was more difficult to mark."
MIS-MATCH
Sergio Gori at the start of season 1976-77, a season when roles would be reversed. While Juve were travelling at full speed, laying out the path for a perfect year with the Scudetto-UEFA Cup double, he on the other hand was struggling to find space in a team built around a dynamism and a physicality that didn't match his more technical characteristics.
He managed a mere 15 games, which would lead him to leave Turin for Verona, despite President Boniperti offering him a contract renewal. Bobo was thinking ahead, as demonstrated by the interview with Hurrà Juventus in December 1976, where he already seemed to be weighing up life after the game, "Football is a phase, nothing more. An important phase, a golden moment for many, but one fine day everything ends."
CLOSING THE CIRCLE
Despite making a limited number of appearances, Gori still left his mark in the successful Scudetto bid, which saw the Lady once again battle it out with Toro. He became essential in the closing matchdays, especially against the team he started out at, Inter, when he broke the deadlock before Tardelli sealed the 2-0 result.
At the end of the game, Sergio had the opportunity to talk about the present and the past, "Now you're all here, surrounding me, wanting to interview me. I'm thinking back to the days, and there were many, when I would buy the newspapers and never find my name printed, not even once. It even seemed like I didn't take part in training, that I wasn't even part of Juventus. Today this was the first time I've felt an emotion like this. I hadn't scored before against Inter, my old team, like Cagliari. I was 17 when I scored my first goal in the Nerazzurri shirt against Juventus in Turin. Today, 15 years on, I've scored a goal against Inter with the Bianconeri shirt."
Juventus extends its deepest condolences to all of Sergio Gori's family.
