The date was a Thursday afternoon in May 1931, on the Italian island of Sardinia. The eyewitnesses, Pasquale Masala and a friend, were out riding their horses, and had reached a prehistoric dolmen (nuraghe) at a place called Trudumeddu, some 7 kms. from Paulilatino, in the distict of Cagliari. In that district there are a number of these nuraghi (prehistoric fortified conical dwellings somewhat resembling dolmens).

The afternoon was warm, with a clear sky and dry air. The time was about 4.30 p.m. The two men has dismounted and were admiring the view when suddendly and most unexpectedly a strange object emerged from the partially blocked entrance of the nuraghe standing in the middle of the field. The best definition that Masala could give of the object was "a brand-new football" (the spherical type of "Soccer" football is presumably meant). In fact it was so like one, and it passed so near to him, that he actually had the impression of seeing its "stitching".

The "football", which did not rotate, was travelling from West to East at a heigt of about one metre above the ground and at a costant speed that he estimated at between 16 and 20 kms. per hour, "or the equivalent of the speed of a running boy." It passed right across the field before their astonished gaze and entered a thick growth of stumps of bushes and underwood up to the three metres or so in height.