During the Blues’ Round 18 win over Collingwood in July, the 24-year-old put on a spectacular show for his beloved nonno.

After kicking his first major of the day during the second quarter, Silvagni kissed his black armband and pointed towards the sky before being mobbed by teammates recognising the significance of the moment.

In one of the more poignant moments of the 2021 AFL season, Silvagni was consoled by his fellow Blues as he broke down in tears after the final siren.

Silvagni’s excellent form was fuelled by emotion and perhaps a touch of magic, as he marked the start of a new ritual: playing with one of Sergio’s handkerchiefs in his sock.

“Nonna told me that he used to play with a hanky in his sock because he hated using the communal towels,” Silvagni says.

“I put one of his hankies in my sock for the game against the Pies and I started to hit some form after that, so I kept it in there.”

Though not as tangible as a piece of cloth, the life lessons that Sergio unknowingly passed on to his children and grandchildren now guide Silvagni in the game of life.

“The way he was with us is something that I’ll take with me as I grow older and have a family of my own,” Silvagni says.

“I hope to be half the man he was to me and the rest of his grandchildren.”

Sergio’s passing on July 15, 2021, sent shockwaves across the entire AFL community, as well as the Italian community in Melbourne.

The eminent footballer was born in Carlton in 1938, the son of Italian migrants Giacomo and Antonia Silvagni.

Wearing the No.1 jumper, Silvagni played 239 games for Carlton between 1958 and 1971, captained the club and was also a long-serving committee member and selector following his retirement.

“A true legend of the Carlton Football Club, and the patriarch of perhaps football’s greatest dynasty, Sergio Silvagni’s legacy will endure for as long as there is a Carlton,” Carlton Football Club journalist and historian Tony De Bolfo said following Sergio’s passing.

Five months on, Silvagni says his grandfather was in a class of his own, not only as an iconic footballer but as a loving and loyal family man.

“He has seven grandchildren – six boys and one girl – and he was always there for us at the drop of a hat,” Silvagni says.

“He was always at our junior sports watching us play and he and nonna [Rita] were always happy to take us to games themselves.

“He was as good a grandfather as I could’ve ever imagined.”

Silvagni described his nonno as a reserved character with a wry sense of humour and a big heart.

“One thing that stands out to me was his kindness and the way he endeared himself to people,” the young Blue adds.

“He was always happy to tell a story; even if you’d already heard it, he’d tell it again and again.

“He was the nicest man I’ve ever met; I don’t have a bad word to say about him and I can imagine that many others would say the same thing.”

Silvagni hopes to carry on his grandfather’s legacy both on and off the field, starting with the famous No.1 he bears on his back, which was carried by both his grandfather and his father, Stephen, during their legendary careers that saw them both inducted into Carlton’s Hall of Fame.

Three generations of Silvagnis (left to right): Jack, Sergio and Stephen. (Photo: Instagram/Jack Silvagni)

Having worn No.2 for his first season with Carlton in 2016, Silvagni was handed the illustrious No.1 by Sergio and Stephen in a touching moment on the Grand Canal in Venice, during a trip to Italy to reconnect with his roots in his great-grandfather’s hometown of Asiago, in the Veneto region.

During his travels, Silvagni was joined by his parents and nonni, who surprised him at Via Silvagni, named after Giacomo’s cousins Silvio and Antonio Silvagni.

“To get to do the second half of that trip with my family was pretty cool,” he smiles.

“To watch their faces light up when they discovered things [about our heritage] that they didn’t know either was what gave me the most joy.”

Fresh off the back of a pre-season camp in The Grampians, Silvagni is eager to do the No.1 jumper and his grandfather’s legacy justice in the years to come.

In September, Silvagni signed a two-year contract which ties him to Carlton until 2023 and will take him into his eighth season with the club.

“I’ve always wanted to play for Carlton; I don’t want to play footy anywhere else,” he asserts.

“The club is like a second home for me and the rest of my family.

“When I was a child, nonno would always take me into the rooms before the games and I’d have a kick with Brendan Fevola.

“It’s one of my most cherished childhood memories.”

As Silvagni surges ahead in his career with Carlton and becomes a champion in his own right, he will continue to honour his hero and the man who made his family name sacrosanct.

“I’m extremely thankful to have spent the time that I did with him,” he concludes. 

“We’ll miss him very much.”