La leva calcistica della classe '68 [English translation]

The sun shines on the roofs of the buildings in construction.

The sun shines on the football pitch and on the ground

and the wind blows dust and maybe it rains.

Nino walks he looks like a man,

With shoes of hard rubber,

12 years old and his heart is full of fear.

But Nino don’t be scared to miss the penalty kick.

It really isn’t from these details that you judge a player,

you see a player by their courage, their altruism and their fantasy.

And who knows how many players you have seen and how many you will see

who have never won

and now they've hung their shoes on some type of wall

and now they’re laughing in a bar

with a woman who they have never loved.

Who knows how many you have seen, who knows how many you will see.

Nino understood from the first moment,

the coach looked happy.

Then he put his heart inside his shoes

and he ran faster than the wind.

He took a ball that seemed bewitched,

it stayed glued to his foot.

He went into the penalty area, he shot without looking

and the goalkeeper let it go.

But Nino don’t be scared to miss the penalty kick,

it really isn’t from these details that you judge a player,

you see a player by their courage, their altruism and fantasy.

The boy will grow up, even if he has thin shoulders,

this year he'll play again with the shirt number seven.

• Artist:Francesco De Gregori
• Album:Titanic (1982)