Paolo Rossi talks about Mazzola: the joke about Jair and the emotional memory

The actor and comedian Paolo Rossi wanted to pay tribute to Sandro Mazzola, who passed away on September 19 at the age of 83. In an interview with La Repubblica, Rossi recounted an episode that he cherishes in his memory.

The memory goes back to a charity match between Inter and Milan, when both were wearing the black and blue jersey. “It was a charity match, Inter-Milan, of course we were both on Inter. I was a forward, he was behind me, between midfield and the three-quarters. Sandro kept passing the ball to me. Once, twice, five, seven, ten times. I would run, but the ball was always a meter ahead. In the end, he hugged me and tried to console me. ‘Sorry, it’s just that I was used to someone a bit faster, whose name was Jair.’ So, what better memory could I have as an Inter fan?” said the actor.

About Mazzola’s personality, Rossi added: “He was kind, generous I think, the problem is that when you meet such powerful legends you’re left paralyzed. Dazed. How is it possible that Mazzola is here passing to me? He had an extraordinary, larger-than-life personality.”

The actor then revealed how Mazzola influenced his football allegiance: “Football allegiance, like in some cases political allegiance, is often a matter of chance circumstances. It depends on where you happened to end up. And I ended up with Mazzola.”