Goodbye, Great Osvaldo

Verona – With profound sadness and heartfelt emotion, Hellas Verona FC mourns the passing of its Honorary President, Osvaldo Bagnoli, now and forever an incomparable Legend not only of our Club, but of Italian football as a whole.

It is impossible to capture in just a few words what Osvaldo Bagnoli has meant - and continues to mean - to Hellas Verona. Born in Bovisa, a working-class district of Milan, and raised in humble circumstances, Osvaldo carried that humility with him throughout his life. Every word he spoke and every gesture he made inspired respect and admiration in everyone and every supporter fortunate enough to cross his path.

After beginning his playing career with AC Milan, it was at Verona that Osvaldo truly established himself, spending four years as a goalscoring midfielder. Hanging up his boots in 1973, he laced them up again almost immediately to begin his coaching career with Solbiatese. His spells with Como, Rimini, Fano and Cesena brought survival, promotion and performances that showcased the qualities which, in 1981, led him back to Verona - a Club struggling to return to Serie A after almost a decade among Italy's top flight.

Straight away, success followed. The summer in which Italy became World Champions in Spain was also the summer in which, at the very first attempt and after a thrilling campaign, Bagnoli guided Verona back to Serie A. The Gialloblù would remain there for the next eight seasons. And not just any Serie A: the finest era the league has ever known. During those years, Bagnoli's remarkable Verona qualified for European competition three times (twice for the UEFA Cup and once for the European Cup) and reached two Coppa Italia finals.

It was, of course, during the 1984/85 season that Bagnoli and Verona achieved their greatest masterpiece. They became the first - and to this day the only - Club from a city that is not a regional capital to win the Serie A title in the single round-robin era. A feat that can never be celebrated enough, and one that every member of that unforgettable team, without exception, has always credited first and foremost to their coach.

In the final years of his life came the recognition he so richly deserved: induction into the FIGC Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2017, followed by his appointment as Honorary President of Hellas Verona in 2018.

With his unassuming character and extraordinary intelligence. With that gentle, thoughtful frown that, on 12 May 1985, gave way to the most genuine and beautiful smile our city has ever seen.

You are the greatest of them all.

And we already miss you, Osvaldo.

Hellas Verona Football Club