Farewell Gianni Melidoni, legendary Italian sports journalist and Roma voice | OneFootball

Italian sports journalism loses one of its most authoritative figures. Gianni Melidoni, a doyen of sports press and a historic signature of the Roman scene between the Seventies and Nineties, has died at the age of 90.

Farewell to Gianni Melidoni, master of Italian sports journalism and historic voice of Rome

An absolute protagonist of an era when sports storytelling was also about identity, passion, and taking a stand.

From Neapolitan origins to Il Messaggero

Born in Naples, Melidoni joined the editorial staff of Il Messaggero at a very young age: he was just 20 years old when he was hired by the Roman daily that would become his professional home for most of his career. Within the newspaper, he also held the position of deputy director, consolidating a reputation based on expertise, character, and a recognizable writing style. Only in the last years of his career did he leave Il Messaggero to join Il Tempo, concluding his long professional journey there.

Eleven Olympics and a life narrating football

Gianni Melidoni's resume is impressive: eleven Olympics covered as a correspondent, along with decades of major international sporting events. But the heart of his work was above all football, narrated with a direct style, often polemical, always passionate.

Melidoni was the voice of the historic championships of the Capital: that of Lazio under Tommaso Maestrelli in 1974 and that of Roma under Nils Liedholm in 1983. Chronicles that still represent an important part of Roman sports memory today.

Controversies, battles, and defense of the Capital's teams

The heated confrontation was never lacking. Melidoni became a protagonist of strong stances against what he considered the dominance of Northern teams and did not hesitate to openly criticize Enzo Bearzot for not selecting Roberto Pruzzo for the 1982 World Cup. Controversies that were part of a way of understanding journalism as a cultural alignment even before a sporting one.

The television face of Biscardi's "Processo"

Alongside print media, Melidoni also won over the television audience. He was one of the most recognizable faces of Aldo Biscardi's "Processo," a symbolic show of an era, where he brought his polemical verve and passionate defense of Roman teams, contributing decisively to the program's success.

A legacy that goes beyond signatures

With the passing of Gianni Melidoni, an authentic interpreter of sports journalism departs, capable of uniting reporting, opinion, and territorial identity. A professional who narrated sport as a social and cultural event, leaving a profound mark on those who read, listened to, and followed him for over forty years.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.