Page 28 - RPVFC v Northwood 14.10.23 Result 1:0
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RAYNES PARK VALE                                                                                                                                     UP THE VALE






       THE UNTOLD                                       even more impressive for the       and allowing the attacking talents   and met a Liverpool side who   As he came to the end of a stellar
                                                                                           to showcase their abilities. Such
                                                                                                                    looked unstoppable. Ian Rush
                                                        Cesena man. Instead of lining
                                                                                                                                            career, UEFA finally gave him
                                                        up in Serie A in the black and     was his role in the team that, after   and John Wark were scoring   the chance to play international
                                                        white stripes of Cesena, Giovanni   being caught smoking in the   goals for fun, and were joined by   football. San Marino played their
                                                        Trapatoni came calling and         dressing room, Platini reassured   the impossibly brilliant  Kenny   first ever match in 1990, a 4-0
                                                        offered him a much more famous     people; ‘You shouldn’t be worried   Dalgliesh. The promise of goals   defeat to Switzerland. That would
                                                        striped shirt. Bonini accepted,    if I smoke. The important thing is   and excitement was high when   set the tone for their subsequent
                                                        and joined an exciting Juventus    that Bonini doesn’t because he   they lined up, at Heysel Stadium.   existence, but to Bonini, just
       GAME MASSIMO BONINI                              side.                              also has to run for me.’  Juventus won, but the result   lining up for his country was a
                                                                                                                    was insignificant. They were   victory. In 1992, he went back to
                                                        In his first season in Turin, Bonini   Bonini’s running certainly gave   presented the trophy in a sombre  Juvenes, and saw out his career
                                                        continued his impressive form.     Platini a platform. On their way   dressing room.  playing in, and for, the country of
                                                        Starting the season as a rotation   to the 1984 Scudetto, Platini                   his birth.
                                                        option, he slowly replaced club    was top scorer. He also won the   Juventus found more
                                                        icon Giuseppe Furino. Juventus     Ballon d’Or. Juventus lost just   challenging domestic rivals on   When asked why he turned down
                                                        crashed out of the European Cup    four times, and were the top   their return, and a resurgent   Italy and waited for the possibility
                                                        early on, but as his partnership   scorers in Serie A. With a final   Milan side, alongside a Diego   of playing for the worst team in
                                                        with Tardelli flourished they hit   flourish, they added the Cup   Maradona-inspired Napoli,   the world, Bonini’s answer was
                                                        their stride, and Bonini won the   Winners Cup, without losing a   provided stiff competition.   simple. ‘Simply because I am
                                                        first silverware of his career, the   match.                Juventus and Bonini won the   from San Marino, and proud of it.’
                                                        Serie A title. Liam Brady scored                            league once more in 1986, but
                                                        the decisive goal.                 The following season, Bonini   the Sammarinese had moved on
                                                                                           finished with a tragic trophy.   by the time the club won it again,
                                                        Rebuffing attempts to join         The Turin side finished 7th   in 1990.           Martyn Green
                                                        the Italy senior squad, Bonini     in the league as they turned
                                                        watched on as many of his          their attention to Europe. The   Bonini moved to Bologna in
                                                        teammates became world             Sammarinese played every   1988, but more important   www.theuntoldgame.co.uk
                                                        champions. Over the summer,        game as they romped to the final,   discussions were taking place.
                                                        Trapatoni signed two absolute
                                                        stars of the tournament,
                                                        Zbigniew Boniek, and Michel
       Massimo Bonini was considered   teammate. The only problem   Platini. It took time to balance
       the best young player in the   was that Bonini didn’t consider
                                                        the side, and Roma won the
       world in the early 1980s. He had   himself Italian. He was from San
                                                        title, but Bonini was now an
       collected a number of youth   Marino. And they didn’t have a
                                                        important piece of the puzzle.
       caps for Italy and impressed   football team.
                                                        In the European Cup, Juventus
       their selectors, and was integral                reached the final. Bonini played
       to the 1982 Juventus team that   After beginning his career with
                                                        every game.
       won the Scudetto. He was a   Sammarinese club Juvenes,
       tireless midfielder, adding bite   Bonini made the small step up
                                                        Trapatoni took the shackles
       to Michel Platini’s beauty, and   to the Italian fourth tier in 1977,
                                                        off in the following season - at
       progression to Marco Tardelli’s   where he joined Bellaria. A good   the insistence of Platini - and
       power. But while his teammate   first season saw him make a step
                                                        Juventus flew. Boniek, Platini
       would - famously - score in that   slightly higher up the pyramid, to
                                                        and Paulo Rossi formed a potent
       summer’s World Cup final, one   Forli in Serie C. One more step
                                                        attacking trio, with Tardelli given
       of the most iconic moments in   up to Serie B followed, and in a
                                                        license to join from deep. Bonini’s
       football, Bonini wouldn’t even   season marked by the Totoneri   role in stabilising the side grew
       be at the tournament. Invited to   match fixing scandal, he helped
                                                        ever more important. He was
       join the squad, and vocal about   Cesena to promotion..
                                                        technically able and tactically
       the importance of playing for his
                                                        adept, but it was his work
       national team, he was expected   Moving up four divisions in five
                                                        rate that impressed the most,
       to line up alongside his Juventus   years is quite a feat, but it got
                                                        covering every blade of grass
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