The Soccer World Mourns The Loss Of Giorgio Chinaglia

"I want to send my love and respect to Chinaglia's family and the New York Cosmos family."
--Carlos Alberto Torres

“I am very saddened to learn of Giorgio’s passing. He was a great footballer and had a huge impact on US Soccer. He played with passion for the New York Cosmos back then and that passion for the game was illustrated through his role as ambassador at the New York Cosmos organization.” 
--Eric Cantona 

"Good by Giorgio. We had great time in this life! Will see you soon! We will have great time again! Your friend in eternity."
--Peppe Pinton

As the news of Giorgio Chinaglia's passing was first reported on Sunday, the soccer world was left in a state of shock. Chinaglia was a unique figure in the sport and left a huge impression on American soccer. The New York Cosmos are overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotion at Giorgio's passing. As a tribute to the Cosmos' greatest ever player we have collected some of the stories and memories that have been shared since Giorgio's death. If you have any stories or memories that you would like to add here please email us at cosmoscountry@newyorkcosmos.com. 

In an article simply titled, "Ciao Giorgio," longtime Cosmos beat writer, David Hirshey, lovingly recounts the stories and qualities that made Giorgio such a legend in American Soccer history.

Michael Lewis, Hirshey's colleague on the New York City soccer beat, said his goodbye to Giorgio by calling the legendary striker "One of a kind".

Former Cosmos employee and current editor of bigapplesoccer.com, Charles Cuttone, compared Chinaglia to another New York City sports hero from the 1970's, Reggie Jackson. Cuttone writes that Chinaglia was the real straw that stirred the drink.

In the New York Post, Phil Mushnick, reminisces on his days covering the Cosmos and Chinaglia. Mushnick says that he "cherished George because he told the truth."

Sean Hartnett, columnist at CBS New York, calls Giorgio the flamboyant rock star striker who owned New York.

As a young sports writer, Frank Giase at the Star-Ledger, met Giorgio Chinaglia in a moment he fondly remembers "meant a great deal to me".

At mlssoccer.com, Greg Lalas writes: "Chinaglia reminds us all that soccer has a history in the US."

Although he missed seeing Giorgio during his playing days, Dave Martinez of Empire of Soccer explores Giorgio's impact on soccer in America. Martinez says that "you can't talk Cosmos without talking Giorgio first."

Writing on thisiscosmoscountry.com, Cesar Diaz simply states that "Giorgio Chinaglia is one of the reasons that I love American soccer."

After his playing days, Giorgio Chinaglia spent most of his career in broadcasting. Since 2006, he hosted a radio show on Sirius XM with his partner, Charlie Stilitano, entitled The Football Show. Sirius XM remembered their long time host in a series of interviews with soccer legends about the Italian striker. Icons of the sport like Fabio Capello, Roberto Bettega and Sir Alex Ferguson shared their memories of Chinaglia. Fellow Cosmos legend and teammate Vlad Bogicevic recalled Chinaglia as one of his best friends. Current soccer managers, Bob Bradley, Roberto Di Matteo, Brendan Rogers and commentators Eric Wynalda and Gabrielle Marcotti, also discussed Giorgio's passing.

On a lighter note, KickTV shared some unforgettable moments from Giorgio's career. KCKRS collected some videos chronicling his career. WAATP highlighted some brilliant photos of the striker. Portland soccer historian, Michael Orr, noted that Chinaglia is still the record goal scorer against the Timbers. 

As the news of Giorgio Chinaglia's passing spread, fans, journalists, and soccer players took to social media to talk about the unforgettable striker. Cosmos fans traded stories, pictures, videos and memories on the New York Cosmos facebook page and on twitter. Here is a selection of the tweets about the one and only Giorgio Chinaglia:

 

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