Giovanni Luigi "Gianni" Brera (8 September 1919 – 19 December 1992) was an Italian sports journalist and novelist.This is a description by himself: « My real name is Giovanni Luigi Brera. I was born on 8 September 1919 at a San Zenone Po, in Pavia province, and grew up like a wild man among woods, river banks and still waters. (...) I am a Padan from the banks and flood plains, the bush and the sandbanks. I soon realized I was a legitimate son of the Po's. »