Igor Protti moves Cristiano Lucarelli to tears: “He gave it his all in Livorno”

Igor Protti and Cristiano Lucarelli were a striking duo that inspired Livorno’s fans for several seasons, two of which they played side by side. This was the 2003–2004 season, when Livorno was promoted from Serie B to Serie A, and then the 2004–2005 season, which ended with an extraordinary ninth-place finish that secured a comfortable spot in the league. Both strikers were named top scorers during that period: the Tuscan in 2005 and the Rimini native in 2003. And it was precisely the center forward—who later moved to Parma and Napoli—who remembered his former teammate with heart-wrenching words just a few hours after his passing.

Having traveled to Ardenza to honor Protti, Lucarelli revealed just how different Saturday’s visit to the Armando Picchi Stadium was compared to all the others he had made since he was a young boy. “For the first time in 50 years, I’m coming here reluctantly. But Igor deserves all of this; he gave his all in our jersey and will always be part of the city’s history,” the former Livorno No. 99 told ‘Livorno Today’. The two scored a combined 52 goals together in the 2003–2004 Serie B season.

Lucarelli had already expressed his grief the day before, when he revealed that he had visited Protti just one week before his passing. “His condition was very precarious, but he hadn’t lost his will to fight at all,” he said, visibly moved, to *Corriere della Sera*. “He was certainly an example; the way he faced his illness was a lesson for all of us, and when he walked his daughter down the aisle a few weeks ago, it was as if he wanted to tell us that life should be lived to the fullest until the very end of our days.”

Words of heart-wrenching beauty also came from Protti’s daughter, Noemi, whom the Rimini striker had managed to walk down the aisle with in the weeks leading up to his passing. “People see the final whistle, but we—the Ba family—lived through all 90 minutes with you against this bastard, underhanded opponent,” she wrote on Instagram. “Your 90th minute was walking me down the aisle; you succeeded, and I can never thank you enough for that. See you soon, Ba. Your Chicchis.”

Lucarelli wasn’t the only former teammate to pay tribute to Protti. Giorgio Chiellini, who had shared the Livorno locker room with the Rimini striker when he was still a young player, also bid him farewell with a long and touching message on Instagram. “I met you when I was a child; you were my idol and captain. For so many years, you were truly like an older brother to that group,” wrote the former captain of Juventus and the Italian national team, who is now a Juventus executive. “It hurts to say goodbye to you, because there are certain people you’d always want by your side. But at the same time, I know that what you gave me remains, and it’s something I carry with me every day. Thank you so much for everything, Igor.”

Many people filed past the viewing room set up in Cecina to pay their last respects to the striker, who passed away at the age of 58. Among them were Massimiliano Allegri, who played alongside Protti at Livorno from 1985 to 1988, and Walter Mazzarri, the coach who led the team to the historic promotion to Serie A. “My relationship with Igor went beyond that of coach and player,” the Tuscan coach told LaPresse, his voice breaking with emotion. “Shortly before he received the terrible news about this illness, which turned out to be incurable, he had come to my house to film some scenes for the movie that’s already been released. He didn’t yet know what was about to happen to him—I’ll say no more—shortly thereafter…”.

Condolences for Protti’s passing have spread beyond the borders of Livorno, also involving the clubs and fan bases with which the Rimini native had forged his legacy. Particularly touching was the gesture by Lecce, which took to its social media channels to remember the man who had been a loyal opponent in the Apulian derbies when he wore the Bari jersey: a tribute that also moved the Biancorossi fans, who were quick to applaud the sportsmanship of the Salento-based club. With the Galletti, Protti had played 121 matches and scored 51 goals, earning honorary citizenship of the Apulian city. And it was from Bari that one of the most heart-wrenching messages came, from his former teammate Sandro Tovalieri: “Goodbye, my big brother, you’ve broken my heart. A part of me is leaving with you, but leaving with you is a beautiful, extraordinary, and unique thing. Goodbye, champion and my brother.”