Di Canio Recalls Protti in His Way: "Today He Should Have Been Captain of the National Team"
June 21, 2026 · Global
The world of football mourns the loss of Igor Protti, former player and top goalscorer, with many messages of condolence from across the industry.
The world of football is currently mourning the death of Igor Protti, who passed away at the age of 58 after battling a serious illness. This sad news was conveyed by his family in a touching statement: "This beautiful journey, like every match, has come to the final whistle. It is difficult to find words that can explain this, the only thing I can do is say thank you to my large and wonderful family who I love."
Protti's body will lie in state at the Picchi Stadium in Livorno at 18.00, and Saturday, June 20, has been declared a day of mourning in the city of Livorno. A number of condolence messages from various football clubs and institutions have also poured in. One of them came from Paolo Di Canio, who spoke about Protti from the Sky Sport 24 studio, saying: "Igor Protti is a pure and sincere person, a great professional. But above all, he is one of those talents who, if he played in the modern era, we would definitely give the national team armband, because in his time, he ended the season as Serie A's top scorer with 24 goals alongside Signori in 1996, beating the likes of Weah and Batistuta."