19/06/2026
Igor Protti, AS Livorno legend, has passed away. We republish this article in his memory. Rest In Power, Igor. 🇨🇳
The Eternal Number 10
By Gerardo Lara
September 24th, it was the birthday of one of the most representative players of the club Livorno, we are talking about Igor Protti, the eternal number 10, the capo degli ultrà who without having the constant attention of the spotlights won the affection and love of the city. Protti was born in Rimini, an Italian coastal city close to the Adriatic Sea, when he was 18 he moved to play to Livorno and since then his relationship with the Amaranto squad has been endearing, the legend started when he scored his first goal against the eternal rival, in a derby against Associazione Calcio Pisa 1909.
After consolidating as a fundamental player, the club entered an economic crisis and Protti is sacrificed as a bargaining chip to solve the club's finances, this is how he begins a long pilgrimage through several clubs in Italy: Virescit, Bergamo, Messina, Bari, Lazio, Napoli and Reggiana. These were the teams in which he played for more than a decade, where on four occasions he finished as top scorer (capocannoniere) in Serie A, as in B and C.
It seemed that after playing for Reggiana Igor's football career came to an end, but contrary to all odds he agreed to return to the club he loved, Livorno. This decision was surprising, since at that time the squad competed in Serie C, such a decision would only crown his career as the team's flagship figure, after two seasons with an excellent performance, Protti scored another of his most important goals in his career, the goal that would return Livorno to Serie B and not satisfied with it, he would stay in the team until returning it to Serie A, after 55 years.
Thus Protti, already accomplished his football objectives or goals he decides to retire from football at the age of 37, wearing the Amaranto jersey for the last time in a match against Juventus. He consolidated himself as a humble figure of a humble club, proudly carrying the Red Flag after scoring a goal, raising his fist in front of the supporters from the Brigate Autonome Livornese and vindicating the working class, since with these actions he also vindicated the role model of his father, who worked as a bricklayer and taught him the value of work and effort which is represented nowadays after a current crisis in the club.
Aldo Spinelli and his family of gangsters trampled on the history of the club AS Livorno so representative for all, the working class club was abandoned and generated such a large debt that it could not be registered for the 2021-22 season of Serie D, that is to say they were even excluded from an amateur league, the club's crisis reached the point of not even having access to the historical Armando Picchi stadium due to the accumulation of unpaid bills. It was in 1991 that the club went through a similar situation when it declared bankruptcy and after a long journey returned to Serie A in 2004.
Life gave then the perfect opportunity for Igor and the supporters to organize again, as they maintained all this time a continuous strike and protest against the management of the club, this is why the decision of creating a new project needed their symbol to be in charge, no one but Igor represents the ideals of the city and colors of the new club, Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915, it is now more than a dream that started to play in the Eccellenza league, the 5th division, hopefully one day we will see them in the top category, the historical Serie A.
