Nando Martellini (Rome, 07-08-1921 – 05-05-2004) was an Italian journalist and radio reporter. He graduated in Political Science, and was still very young in the state television company, which at the time (1944) was called EIAR. Martellini knew five languages, at first he performed the duties of foreign policy editor, then later he took care of news, with increasingly important roles, for his great preparation and availability. He was a telechronist at the funeral of Luigi Einaudi and then Pope John XXIII.
For many years he was a sports radio player, starting in 1946: it was also the first voice, from 1960 to 1967, of the famous radio broadcast All minute football per minute (it will replace Enrico Ameri from the 1967-1968 season).
On television, he commented on Italy's victory at the 1968 European Football Championships; on the occasion of the 1970 Mexican football world championships, he was suddenly called to replace the famous colleague Niccolò Carosio, who had been summoned to serve people but forced during the third match of the national team to renounce after the clamorous gaffe on the Ethiopian watch line. Thus Martellini had the opportunity to attend and comment on what was defined the game of the century (Italy-Germany 4-3) and the unfortunate final Italy-Brazil, lost for 4-1.
For many years his voice has commented with expertise, with deep humanity and with the right emotion the most important football matches, but also the main cycling events such as the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Four were the world championships he commented on (more than a few meetings of that of 1990 in Italy, to which he occasionally participated as "out of quota illustrious" being already retired).
His triple cry "Campioni del Mondo" remained in history at the end of Italy-Germany on 11-07-1982, during the conquest of the title by the Italian National Football Team with a result of 3-1. He should have commented on the 1986 World Championship in Mexico (which would be the fifth for him) but, once he arrived on Mexican soil, a malore ivi accused for altitude forced him to return to Italy and finally pass the witness to Bruno Pizzul.
After retiring from 1986, he worked for some time at Fininvest (also playing a few games of the newborn Champions League in 1992-93) before making an opinionist on several radio networks and, lastly, until a few days before his death, again in Rai, suddenly called to replace the late Sandro Ciotti. Today it is named after the Roman stadium of the Baths of Caracalla. Only one of his children will follow his footsteps with passion and competence: Simonetta Martellini, who still comments on the radio volleyball games for Rai.
Unforgettable his exultation for the third blue triumph in the 1982 world: "World Champions, World Champions, World Champions!!!" Popular, Nando Martellini has lent his face and more often his unmistakable voice to the cinema, in some lucky comedies as "The Coach in the Ball". It is his famous telechronic, ironic and autoironic («discuss the emotion [...] but they are one hundred and seventy years that I did not see such a flashy start of the blues!»), from Italy-England in the "Second tragic Fantozzi".
Multimedia:
- Telecronaca di Nando Martellini al fischio finale della partita Italia-Germania Ovest, Finale Mondiale Spagna 1982 [282Kb*Mp3