For many years the name of Silvio Piola was confined to the yellowed photographs of football almanac or in the old memories of grandfathers. He reached the incredible record of 290 official goals scored in his long career between 1929 and 1954 (someone says 274 others even 327!) Behind this record he shared, with Omar Sivori, the record of goals scored in 1 single match of Serie A (six).


At that time, the type of game was really different, comparing with nowadays football: the defense phase was underestimate, lack of strikers' control, etc.. But nothing can touch the great ability and natural goal instinct of this player. His life is rich of anecdotes and legends.


For sure he was a Modern striker and very serious in his behavior inside and outside the field. This is one of the reasons of the great longevity of this player: one of the first to play with his back to the penalty area. Fast & opportunistic.


Piola grew in the Pro Vercelli team, he was convinced to change for Lazio under the pressure of the high levels of the Fascist party. The greatest satisfaction of his career was with national team: during his first match against strong Austria he scored 2 goals. Thanks to his skills Italy won the second consecutive World Cup of France 1938 (with 2 goals scored in the final match against Hungary). Forty-seven years before Maradona,he scored after a missed bicycle kick, a goal with his hand against the invincible England (he admitted only 15 years later..).


Then the Second world war began: even Silvio Piola was declared dead under bombs and it was also celebrated his funeral (Lazio played a special match wearing black arm bands)! But he was so alive that he scored 21 goals in the next season!


Unfortunately he had not had the possibility to win any Scudetto but was twice a very close possibility with Lazio and Juventus. It was his great regret.


In 1952 at the age of 39 he was called in the national team by his friend Giuseppe Meazza. After a short career of trainer he retired to his Piemonte, between the mountains and the simple life of hunting & family, away from the spotlight, that he never loved. He knew how fragile success is. And the silence came, till a day of autumn 1996, when Italian fans understood to have lost a piece of football history.


One year after his death, Novara (the city in which he had finished his career) dedicated its stadium to Silvio Piola. Now, on the 100th years' anniversary from the birth of Silvio Piola, SS Lazio (team where Piola scored 143 of his 290 goals) decided to celebrate his former champion with a dedicated exhibition of photos and a celebrative shirt that Lazio will wear on the 6th of October 2013 during the home match against Fiorentina.


Some Malpensante from the other banks of Tevere suspect that this renewed interest for Piola and his record is linked to the performance of AS Roma player Francesco Totti, that last year reached the 2nd place of all time scorer (228 goals). Maybe. But it is not a matter of numbers , because Piola, is already in the Pantheon of champions. Regardless the number of goals he scored