On This Day: Alcides Ghiggia was born

Former Uruguay and Roma striker Alcides Ghiggia would have turned 94 today, December 22.

He became a hero in his homeland after scoring the winning goal for Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final against Brazil at the Maracana.

Three years later, on 31 May 1953, Roma president Renato Sacerdoti revealed his transfer coup to shareholders: Ghiggia was to become a Giallorossi player.

To celebrate the birthday of this extraordinary right winger, we spoke to his son Arcadio.

"He was an entertainer and that's why the fans loved him," Arcadio said. "He was ahead of his time.

"He was very fast and nimble with the ball at his feet and he loved going past his man. He didn't score many goals but he liked setting up his team-mates. He always put the team and his club – his beloved Roma – first. I don't know if he was a great player or not but I think he was.”

Why did he decide to join Roma?

“Dad was sent off in the 'Clasico' between Penarol and Nacional and the Uruguayan Football Association banned him for a year. Spending such a long time on the sidelines is unimaginable for a footballer, and dad loved football. I always say his blood type was C, for Calcio.

“That's when Roma came in. The club spoke to him and to Penarol, his club at the time. It meant he could keep playing football, and going to Italy – especially the capital – was great recognition for him.

“He was happy to be going back to his roots, because he had Italian heritage. Playing for Roma – the club of the capital – was a dream come true. I know for a fact that he loved Roma. And it was an eternal love. They were together until the last day of his life.”

Your father named you Arcadio after his team-mate Venturi. How did they come to be such good friends?

“When dad joined Roma, he was alone in a country he didn't know. Arcadio Venturi, who was the captain at the time, treated him like a brother and helped him feel at home in a foreign country. Dad became so fond of him that he decided to give me his friend's name. I was so honoured when I found out.”

It's said that after hanging up his boots, Alcides set up a business in Rome.

“There's no truth in that as far as I'm aware. After a season at AC Milan, dad returned to Uruguay in 1962. He went to Montevideo and was called up by the Uruguayan FA for a charity match against the Brazil 1950 team. The proceeds were to go to Opera Don Orione.

“After that game, club officials from Danubio came to our house to ask if he wanted to carry on playing football. He replied: 'Sure, but remember I'm 37 now...' And they said: 'We saw how you performed on the pitch and you're in perfectly good shape.' So my dad carried on playing until he was 42 and finished his career at Danubio.”

Did your dad continue to support Roma in Uruguay? Did you get to watch them on TV?

“Of course he did! Dad never stopped supporting Roma. They were his team. His love. He always watched them whenever he could. As I said, Roma were in his thoughts until the very last day of his life. Both the club and the city. Whenever we spoke about football, Roma was always one of the topics.”

So Roma was in his heart.

“I've been a Romanista since I was a kid. I feel the same way about the club and the city. I was born in Rome and it will always be in my heart.”

Which Roma player reminds you most of your father?

“Dad always used to talk to me about [Francesco] Totti. He saw him as the complete footballer.”