MILAN – In May 1987, the cult magazine L’Intrepido – which had been set up as a cartoon-style newspaper before moving into the world of sport – paid tribute to a midfielder at the peak of his career: "Triumph for Bagni, the star of the supporting cast."
Salvatori Bagni had just played a key role in Napoli’s first-ever Scudetto win. "Even in the shadows, it is possible to be great," declared the magazine, which was wildly popular with young people at the time. The pages were packed with football and cartoons, with plenty of fascinating insight into the heroes of the day.
Bagni was one of them. Yet his career had been a low-key one until Inter came calling.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Nerazzurri jersey changed the course of Bagni’s career. Riding the wave of Perugia’s incredible 1980/81 season, which saw them go the whole campaign unbeaten only to finish in second place, Bagni was rewarded with a move to Inter in 1981.
Bagni’s defining coach at Inter was Rino Marchesi, who instantly set about carving out a new role for the Italian. No longer would Bagni be a winger – Marchesi saw him as a central midfielder.
"I owe the second part of my career to him," Bagni would later tell IlPosticipo.it. "He transformed me from a winger into a central midfielder. We still speak today – he’s a wonderful person."
But Bagni wasn’t just a midfielder. At Inter, he grew into one of the finest purveyors of the position in all of Europe. Bagni was the archetypal box-to-box midfielder, a precursor to a position vital in all modern teams. Marchesi’s intuitions were proved right – Bagni had charisma, grit, technical ability as a winger, but it was only after his switch to central midfield that he managed to make these qualities pay.
Bagni’s finest hour in an Inter jersey surely came in the second leg of Inter’s UEFA Cup 1983/84 second round tie with Groningen in Bari. Having lost the first leg 2-0, Gigi Radice’s Nerazzurri side were in need of a hero.
Radice had kept Bagni in central midfield, following the example of Marchesi, who had joined Napoli. And on that night in Bari, our "star of the supporting cast" stepped out of the shadows. It was a triumphant performance from Inter, who crushed Groningen 5-1, with Bagni marauding up and down the pitch to devastating effect.
Years later, Riccardo Ferri – on the pitch that night – recalled the match on Premium’s La Tribù del Calcio: "Every time we scored, we went to celebrate in front of the Groningen bench. When we got the fifth, Bagni ran over showing them his open palm to indicate the five goals."
Fate decreed that Bagni would later follow Marchesi to Napoli, where he continued to showcase the character and technical skill which had made him a favourite at Inter. He was merely a prospect when he arrived in Milan; he left a legend.
Bagni is still intensely passionate about football to this day, spending his time travelling around Europe to scout new talent. His adoration for the game has survived undimmed, authentic – a bit like the simple pleasures of the much-loved Intrepido magazine, who truly did hit the nail on the head when they christened Bagni "the star of the supporting cast".
Bruno Bottaro - MondoFutbol.com
