If there is one word to describe Italian football, it is most likely passion. This has been the case for as long as Italy has competed on the world’s biggest footballing stages. Of course, the World Cup is the pinnacle of these competitions, and the 1982 World Cup exemplified Italian fervour like no other. We are specifically referring to Marco Tardelli’s famous celebration in the 1982 World Cup final against Germany. His goal may not have been the game-winning goal, but his celebration was.

In fact, his celebration has dominated World Cup Final headlines and stories for the past 40 years.

Unique Goal Celebration

As you can see from the video below, this is a unique celebration, even being named one of the best World Cup celebrations of all time. Italy went on to win the final against Germany 3-1. And when Tardelli scored this famous goal, the Italians were already 2-0 up. His goal came in the 69th minute in front of 90,000 fans, a moment in time he will never forget.

To truly appreciate how special this goal and celebration were, you must first understand Tardelli’s story.

Legend Of Italian Football

Tardelli was an Italian national team midfielder/defender in the 1970s and 1980s. Born in 1954 in Capanne di Careggine, Italy. Tardelli made his World Cup debut for Italy in 1978, and he went on to play in two more World Cups in 1982 and 1986. However, as previously stated, the 1982 tournament cemented Tardelli’s status as a legend of the game. Perhaps more amazingly, Tardelli only scored six goals for Italy in his career, but one of those six goals is etched in World Cup Final history.

Remember that Italy had strikers who scored far more goals than this, but Tardelli overshadowed many of them with this one goal. With this in mind, Tardelli excelled not only on the international stage. He also had a successful club career, primarily with Juventus, for whom he played between 1975 and 1985. Tardelli scored 35 goals in 259 appearances during this period, which is impressive for a defensive midfielder.

Tardelli’s playing style was always known for being extremely energetic. He also had tremendous endurance and skill on the field. As a result, many consider Tardelli to be one of the best Italian midfield/defensive players of his generation. Despite this, Tardelli would not have been hailed as a World Cup hero prior to 1982. Sure, he always played well for Italy, but to win the hearts of fans all over the world, you have to do something special.

Marco Tardelli And THAT Goal Celebration

This brings us nicely to today’s main topic: Tardelli’s 1982 celebration.

One of the more intriguing aspects of Tardelli’s goal was that when it went in, he burst into tears. You could see tears streaming down his face literally seconds after the goal hit the back of the net. We’ve all seen tears fall after a big win, a heartbreaking loss, or another emotional moment on the field. However, this was the first time that many people saw someone simply explode with joy after achieving a goal. There are numerous photos of Tardelli storming up the field with his fists clenched, mouth wide open, and tears streaming down his cheeks after putting Italy up 2-0.

Tardelli has since been asked on numerous occasions what caused the goal-induced tears. And he claimed that when he scored, his entire life flashed through his mind at breakneck speed. He even compared the sensation to what he imagined people would feel when they were near death, which may seem an odd comparison, but it makes sense. Tardelli has also been quoted as saying as a child that he had dreamed about such a moment, making it all the more special – and emotional!

“Gol”

You haven’t seen anything yet if you thought the instant tears were intense. Of course, the entire world was aware at the time that Tardelli had scored a game-winning goal for Italy in the 1982 final. Tardelli, on the other hand, appears to have wanted to verbally confirm what he had just done. He was clearly screaming ‘gol’ as he ran off down the field.  Again, Tardelli has no idea why he was screaming goal, though the manner in which he did so could be compared to modern-day commentators in some parts of the world.

If you were to ask any fan or colleague of Tardelli’s about his aura on the field, the one word that would often be on their lips is ‘energy’. He had an engine that never seemed to run out of gas, which was also a big part of his famous celebration. But how was this displayed? The fact that Tardelli sprinted down the entire pitch after scoring tells you everything you need to know. He jumped to his feet after smashing the ball into the German net and took off like an Olympic sprinter. Tardelli admitted afterwards that he had no idea where he was running to. He just knew he needed to release some energy, and sprinting down the pitch seemed like a good way to do so. On his way to the Italian bench, Tardelli was followed by some of the other Italian players. But no one was able to apprehend him! His energy was simply unstoppable at the time, and Spanish cops had to chase him and others down the touchline.

Disbelief And Tears

The final ingredient we’d like to discuss is his outright disbelief. As previously stated, when Tardelli scored, he burst into tears, began screaming goal, and sprinted down the entire pitch. But there was another element that we believe sums up how he must have felt at the time. Tardelli couldn’t stop shaking his head as he ran down the field. He appears to be aware of what he has done, but he is almost confirming that this is the case. One could even argue that his perception of what had just occurred demonstrated a battle between mind and body.

His mouth screamed “goal,” but his head told him he was dreaming. But who really knows how happy he must have been at the time? But, perhaps most astonishingly, when asked about these gestures or his celebration, Tardelli says he has no recollection of them. He was overcome with emotion at the time and has no recollection of his actions or anything else.

“Everything that took place from the moment of the goal to the moment when he had to play again was a complete blur”

I believe there are two reasons why this celebration has become so legendary. To begin with, the celebration itself is something you can simply watch over and over. Even if this happened 40 years ago, it’s impossible to get tired of watching Tardelli express all of these fantastic emotions in one burst of energy. Second, the celebration has become famous because it warms the hearts of everyone who sees it, regardless of their football nationality.

Even if you’re not a big fan of Italian football, how can this celebration not make your hair stand on end? It’s a display of pure human joy, and it’s extremely rare to witness such a powerful outpouring of emotion in front of millions of people.