On 29 September 1968 the “thirteenth man” entered for the first time in Serie A. He was Sandro Vanello, and that day he rewrote the history of the game
The substitutions did not exist, it got dark early. That was the time when the player who got injured during the game cursed the world and was cursed by his teammates, ended up exiled to the wing for not doing damage, where he could stand there to guard the band like a tin soldier without a gun. . And if – blessed by heaven – he happened to score, he was baptized the “goal of the lame” and everyone celebrated it, with great spread of emphasis. But he rarely scored. Most of the time the “lame” team – outnumbered – was penalized. And no, it was no longer possible to go on like this.
