Rumour has it, before the 1938 finals fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini was to have sent a telegram to the team, saying "Vincere o morire!"

Along with Alfredo Foni, Sergio Bertoni, and Ugo Locatelli, Rava is one of only four Italian players ever to win both the Olympic tournament and the World Cup.

[5][6] As a coach, he managed the clubs Sampdoria, Palermo, Padova, Monza, Alessandria, Novara, Carrarese, and A.C.

[7] On 5 November 2006, Rava, who was the last surviving member of the Italy 1938 World Cup champion squad,[8] died in Turin after having had surgery on his right femur due to a fracture days before.

[3] Juventus announced that the following day, for a Serie B match against Napoli, the players would wear mourning armbands in his memory.