Claudio Garella has died, Verona and Naples in mourning

Claudio Garella has died

The world of Italian soccer is mourning the passing of Claudio Garella.

The former goalkeeper, Italian champion with Verona and with Napoli, died in the night at the age of 67. Nicknamed ‘Garellik,’ he was famous for his saves with his feet, which at that time became quintessentially “Garella-style.”

“Hellas Verona FC mourns the passing of an authentic Legend of its more than 100-year history: left us today, at the age of 67, Claudio Garella,” reads the Verona website. “What will remain forever in the minds of those who saw him play and in the imagination of those who only later got to know him – for anagraphic reasons – his sporting exploits, is his absolutely unique style of defending his own goal, with atypical yet highly effective saves. A style that earned him the nickname ‘Garellik’. A true idol for a generation of Verona fans and, more generally, for all fans of Italian soccer.”

“The world of soccer mourns the passing of Claudio Garella, a goalkeeper who left an indelible mark on the history of Napoli. Garella was among the absolute protagonists of the first Azzurri Scudetto in the 1986/87 season. He had arrived in Naples in the summer of 1985, at the dawn of the radiant Maradonian era. In the Azzurri he played 3 seasons, winning the tricolor and the Coppa Italia. Nicknamed “Garellik,” for his unique and unmistakable style, Claudio Garella won 2 Scudetti in two teams that had previously never won it: Verona in 1985 and Napoli two years later. A record that defines the contours not only in sport but also in human, emotional and professional terms of a goalkeeper who will always remain in the Azzurri legend. President Aurelio De Laurentiis, the managers, the technical staff, the team and the entire SSC Napoli express deep condolences for the passing of an unforgettable protagonist of our history,” reads instead on that of Napoli.