Italy's most prolific goalscorer, Riva scored 35 times in the blue shirt, even though he preferred to play as a left winger. Had his career not been disrupted by injuries or had he chosen one of Italy's big clubs over Cagliari, he would perhaps have scored many more.
Riva was a surprise omission from Italy's squad for the 1966, finals but the situation turned to his advantage when Italy was humiliated by North Korea and arrived home to a chorus of derision.
Two years later Riva fired the goals that helped restore Azzurri pride as Italy won the European Championships, and he carried the striker's burden into the 1970 finals in Mexico. The Italians started slowly with a 1-0 win over Sweden and goalless draws against Israel and Uruguay, but in the second round Riva found his form and scored twice in a 4-1 demolition of Mexico.
Italy took an early lead in its semifinal against West Germany but the match only came to life when the Italians conceded a late equalizer. From then on the sides exchanged goals. Riva's contribution came with a formidable shot for a 3-2 lead, and Italy finally triumphed 4-3. But in the final Riva and his teammates were outclassed by Pele's Brazil.
By 1974, Riva was a waning force and struggling to recover from the second broken leg of his career. Although he started the tournament, his goalscoring talents had deserted him and he was dropped for Italy's final match against Poland.
