New Italian national flag carrier Italia Trasporto Aereo ITA Airways says that when the first aircraft painted in its new blue livery arrives, it will be named after Italian World Cup-winning footballer Paolo Rossi. ITA Airways' decision to name the plane after the Ballon d'Or winner is all part of a strategy of naming its aircraft after famous Italian sporting personalities. People who showed that they could rally the Italian people behind the red, white, and green il Tricolore national flag through passion, strength, and determination will be highlighted.ITA AirwaysFashioned after the jerseys of the Italian national football team, the aircraft's new Savoy blue livery and tricolor rudder were chosen as a symbol of Italian national pride. One of the fundamentals of ITA Airways' business plan was to create an airline that would appeal to Italians at home and those of Italian heritage spread around the world. By adding the names of Italian sports stars to the aircraft, ITA Airways hopes that it will be an added appeal to customers.

Why was Paolo Rossi selected first?

Born in Prato, Tuscany, in 1956, Paolo Rossi started to gain fame while playing for Lanerossi Vicenza after the Biancorossi manager, Giovan Battista Fabbri, played him as a center forward rather than a winger. The goals soon followed, and it was not long before Rossi was called up to play for the Italian national team.

Alitalia
ITA Airways is the rebirth of Alitalia. Photo: Getty Images

Despite a strong performance during the 1978 Cup in which Italy finished fourth, the striker's talents could not stop Vicenza from Being relegated from Seria A to Seria B. To allow Rossi to continue to play Seria A football, he was loaned to Perugia for the 1979-1980 season. While playing for the Umbrian club, Rossi was implicated in a match-fixing scandal and banned from football for three years before being reduced to two. Vicenza subsequentially sold Rossi to Juventus. Despite his poor form for Italy during qualifying matches for the 1982 World Cup, Italian national team manager Enzo Bearzot continued to stick with the 26-year-old striker.

Rossi was the hero of the 1982 World Cup

Bearzot's faith paid off, and Rossi became a national hero in Italy for his six goals in the 1982 World Cup finals, including a hat-trick against Brazil. Having not won a World Cup since 1938, the 3-1 victory over Germany in the final lifted the nation's spirits, with Rossi the center of all the celebrations. Rossi eventually retired from football in 1986 and sadly passed away from lung cancer a year ago this month, aged 64.

When releasing a statement about the naming of the plane, Paolo Rossi's wife Federica Cappelletti said:

"Paolo loved to travel. For me, it is, therefore, a particular reason for great emotion and pride to see Paolo's name on the blue livery of ITA Airways fly in the skies of the world, and this makes me understand the love and esteem that Italians have of my husband, who has always put passion and conviction for the blue jersey in his work."

ITA Airways Skyteam
ITA Airways is a member of the Skyteam Alliance. Photo: Skyteam

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ITA Airways will ask social media followers to name the planes

When asked what he thought about ITA Airways naming its aircraft after famous Italian sportspeople, Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) President Giovanni Malagò said:

"I am very happy with the initiative of ITA Airways that has decided to pay homage to the history of Italian sport. It starts with Paolo Rossi, but President Altavilla has already anticipated that soon other great champions of the past of all sports will have the honor of seeing a plane of the ITA fleet named after them. On behalf of CONI and the Italian sports movement, I thank ITA Airways for the sensitivity it has had and for which we are proudly grateful."

ITA Airways says the plan is to use its social media networks to allow its followers to choose the names for the subsequent aircraft to be painted in the new livery.

What do you think about ITA Airways naming its planes after sports stars? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.