From Abodi to Coventry, Italian and international leaders pay homage to Rosea’s birthday
One hundred and thirty years of life. Today is the birthday of Gazzetta dello Sport: 130 years of stories, emotions and great sporting results told by transforming with the times, going through wars, revolutions and the news of a constantly changing world. Here are the best wishes sent to the Gazzetta by the main Italian and international sports managers
andrea abodi (minister for sport and youth)
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Over a century of life, 130 years of La Gazzetta dello Sport represent the heritage of memory and the sporting and social story of our nation. If you think about the succession of what can happen in such a long period of time, it is almost surprising to be able to count on the constant presence over time and a fixed point of information dedicated to sport in all its forms, such as the pink pages. From 3 April 1896, a few days after the first edition of the modern Olympics, the representation of exploits, events and stories of male and female athletes from national and international sport began. My gratitude to Rcs MediaGroup, to the director Stefano Barigelli, to those who “signed” the newspaper before him, with a special thought to Candido Cannavò, and to all the people who every day, in the editorial offices and in the printing house, guarantee free and independent information.
Kirsty Coventry (IOC President)
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Congratulations on your 130 years of excellent sports coverage. The famous pink pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport recounted the successes and challenges of many legends of the Games. Your gold medal reports have allowed sports fans from all over Italy to be part of Olympic history.
gianni infantino (fifa president)
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Fantastic! July 6, 1982. World Champions! July 12, 1982. All true! July 10, 2006. There is always an exclamation point on the front pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport that I will never forget. A sweet and painless nail to fix in the collective memory, the next day, what had happened the day before. Unforgettable moments, the sporting “forever”. The Italy of 1982 and the Old Age. Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick against Brazil. The Italy of 2006 and Lippi. A FIFA president is born a fan, otherwise he wouldn’t be credible in everything he does. He wouldn’t know passion. He couldn’t put a face to the feeling. He would not grasp the beauty – and there is so much of it – of the sport he has the honor of leading, on a global level. La Rosea has always represented, for me, a daily appointment that cannot be postponed. It has always been there. So, happy 130th birthday, dear Gazzetta dello Sport. Congratulations. With one hope: that the Italian football movement can solve its problems, because I liked those titles a lot. And with a request: is it possible to give more space to articles on Reggina and Brescia?
aleksander ceferin (uefa president)
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Dear friends, Celebrating 130 years of history pays homage not only to extraordinary editorial longevity, but to a voice that has been able to interpret, with sensitivity and authority, the very evolution of sport and sports journalism. La Gazzetta dello Sport is much more than a newspaper: it is a historical witness that has accompanied generations of fans, helping to build and propagate sporting culture far beyond the borders of Italy. Stories are the flavor of life. Your commitment to narrating the game, valorising its protagonists and keeping alive the link between sport and the public is a fundamental contribution for the entire European football movement. In an era of great transformations, you continue to represent a credible and passionate point of reference. It is through serious, impartial but always human journalism that sport transcends the dimension of competition and becomes culture, identity and universal language. The legendary pink pages have helped build a bridge between generations, cultures and countries, strengthening that sense of global belonging which is at the heart of European football. On behalf of UEFA and myself, with gratitude for the journey we have traveled together, I wish the Gazzetta dello Sport to continue to inspire and inform with the same dedication for many years to come. With friendship and esteem,
Luciano Buonfiglio (Coni President)
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The Gazzetta is a pride of the country. An unmistakable symbol that projects its uniqueness, describing its excellence thanks to the beauty of sport. The story in ‘pink’ is that of our movement, it is the identity that becomes memory and becomes perspective. The first copy, dated 3 April 1896, served as a prelude to the first Olympic Games of the modern era. A bond written in destiny, destined to be renewed without losing the magic. La Gazzetta preserves our essence, it has been narrating it for 130 years with style, ability and balance. And it will continue to do so, accompanying the sport towards new, important successes. Best wishes, Gazzetta dello Sport!
giovanni malagò (CIO member)
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Best wishes from the heart, dearest Rosea, as you would to a friend with whom you share an infinite passion and an important part of your daily horizon. For me and for many readers you are, and will remain, a faithful companion on adventures: some memorable, others a little less, but it is a metaphor for life, and is also useful for younger people. A guide that must remain credible, combative and balanced at the same time. You have chosen the role of Virgil in the heaven and hell of the arenas, on the tracks, on the streets, on the pitches, wherever sport decides to narrate its epic and its values. Like this year, in just a few weeks you happen to celebrate immense victories – here the mind, and not out of personal pride, goes to the Italian successes of Milano Cortina 2026 – and painful defeats. Sometimes you even touch purgatory, that great stadium in the shadows where penitents meditate on their sins in search of light… You were born when football was in its cradle, and ancient and noble disciplines such as fencing, cycling, gymnastics and rowing dominated your pages. You’ve gone through three different centuries to get here. And again, like all of us, you have to keep running because in the history of sport there is no line where the race truly ends. You know: the finish line is mobile, it continually moves towards the future, resilience is needed. Victory is for those who believe in it and never lose hope. Long live the Gazzetta and the extraordinary world it tells!
Marco Mezzaroma (president of sport and health)
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The pink pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport, in 130 years, have become a national symbol recognized throughout the world and a part of the daily life of us Italians. But the real value is not just having recounted the successes and results of Italian sport: it is having made those who have read that pink page since they were children want to run, swim and cycle. Sports information, when done well, not only tells, but makes a concrete contribution by stimulating, infecting passion and making you want to get involved. This is the great contribution Gazzetta dello Sport has provided in recent years. Thanks Gazzetta, happy birthday.
diego nepi molineris (general director of sport and health)
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Pink is not just an identifying color: it is what unites and inspires. For one hundred and thirty years, La Gazzetta dello Sport has been reporting on sport and orienting its meaning, making it a shared language. It has gone through eras, anticipated changes, kept passion and vision together. Today, with the same energy as on the first day, it continues to innovate without losing its identity; builds connections and shapes the future of sport. Because pink doesn’t just preserve history: it sets it in motion, projecting it into tomorrow, every day.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
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