Chocolate immortalized in the cathedral

“A huge honor – that makes me very proud”

Schachner is still celebrated in Cesena.(Bild: ZVg)

Walter Schachner is a legend in Cesena! What Austria's former star striker didn't know: he has also been immortalized on a stained glass window in the cathedral for more than 40 years. With the "crown", he looked back on many highlights in the past in Serie A...

The call left even Walter Schachner speechless at first: "An Italian journalist asked me if I knew that a stained glass window in Cesena Cathedral is also dedicated to me. For more than 40 years!" No, "Schoko" actually didn't know that, but was promptly provided with the proof, including a photo: To the right of St. John the Baptist, Cesena's patron saint, Schachner is immortalized with a moustache, complete with soccer boots and the lettering "AC", the club's acronym. The sculptor Nicola Sebastio, who died in 2005, erected a monument to the Styrian in the 1980s as part of restoration work in the cathedral - Schachner is considered a legend in the region: The striker began his career in Italy in 1981 with the Serie A promoted team, scoring 20 goals in 65 appearances up to 1983, 17 of them in the league. "Being immortalized in the cathedral makes me very proud, it's a huge honour," says the 1978 and 1982 World Cup participant.