When De Vecchi was called “il Figlio di Dio” (“Son of God”) it may have seemed blasphemous, but before the “Hand of God” from Maradona at the 1986 Mexican World Cup, God had to deal with Milan player Renzo De Vecchi, who was given the name “il Figlio di Dio” by the Gazzetta dello Sport journalist, Emilio Colombo. The reporter saw him as a man of supreme skill during a game against Ausonia in 1909, when Renzo had not even been fifteen years of age. His movements apparently enchanted him enough to make Colombo cry, leaving him saying “But that child is the Son of God!”
De Vecchi, who was also a passionate motorcyclist, provided interesting impressions from the start. During an AC Milan game, the then unknown player entered the game to take a penalty kick instead of Kilpin. De Vecchi, provided forty appearances for the Italian national team, and left Milan after four years when traded to Genoa for a record twenty-four thousand lire. In Liguria he played from 1913 to 1929. But in Milan, however, he left an unforgettable mark: his four-year period marked that of other to-be-famous players, such as the future two-time world champion coach Vittorio Pozzo and the great Aldo Cevenini.
In Milan, the addition of title “Son”, subsequently also gave way to the “Nipote di Dio” (“Grandson of God”) nickname given to Carlo De Vecchi, perhaps by the mere fact of having the same family name. He was an AC Milan defender who played sixteen games in the 1913/14 season. With his name and title, however, came the end of God descendant references.
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