Monday, January 12, 2026
And It's Three, Part 4
Nando Martellini was, of course, most famous as a football commentator. He provided commentary for other sports as well, notably cycling, and in his early days he reported on politics too. But why does he have a moderately substantial entry on IMDB?
With his unmistakable voice and his popularity in the football world and beyond, Martellini was a very frequent cameo guest in films, even early in his career. His deadpan delivery often proved a good fit for comedy; one of his earliest and most lengthy film appearances was in the typically Italian screwball comedy The Twelve-Handed Men of Mars, in which a penalty for Santos in an exhibition game against Lazio turns to farce thanks to the Martian in the crowd. On a less frivolous note, he also lent his voice to the Italian version of the excellent film of the 1966 World Cup, bringing to Italian ears the stylish narration penned by his friend Brian Glanville.
In 1984, he appeared in what one might call the "calciosploitation" film The Coach in a Muddle, which features a clueless journeyman coach suddenly catapulted into Serie A. The film was designed to capitalise on the enormous popularity of the game in Italy following the 1982 World Cup triumph, and featured cameos from a number of players past and present, including Carlo Ancelotti, Francisco Graziani and the venerable Nils Liedholm. But there was a lovely tribute paid to Martellini just after his brief on-screen appearance: the hapless coach's team has just conceded their third goal, and he complains to his assistant, "And it's three! And it's three!" - Martellini's well-known call on the occasion of Italy's third goal, and imminent third world title, in the 1982 World Cup final.
Perhaps the most delightful Martellini cameo of all was in the Italian version of the French animated series Zoo Olympics, which was released to coincide with the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. Martellini played the role of the snake commentator, named Nando Serpentini (of course), giving the viewers a play-by-play account of the animals' various maladroit athletic contests. What could be more Martellini-esque than keeping a straight voice while introducing the Italian pig fencing champion Prosciutto Parmigiano?
Martellini gradually wound down his broadcasting commitments following his health scare in Mexico in 1986, but remained a popular guest on football talk shows. He was happy to spend most of his declining days in the company of his beloved wife Gianna - formerly the secretary of his first radio boss, Vittorio Veltroni - and his children and grandchildren. His daughter Simonetta proved a chip off the old block, becoming a respected volleyball commentator on Italian radio.
Nando Martellini passed away in 2004, aged 82. His funeral was attended by a who's who of not just Italian sport, but Italian politics and entertainment as well. If you visit the Terme di Caracalla region of Rome today, you can find an athletics track which was originally used as a training ground during the 1960 Rome Olympics. It is known as the Nando Martellini Stadium.
