Italy is enthusiastic about football in Europe and is finally the big favorite for the title at the European Championship in 2021. Only one person will not be able to help the team: Leonardo Spinazzola.
After a good hour in the quarter-finals between Belgium and Italy, he was still the celebrated hero. It was Leonardo Spinazzola who prevented the equalizer. Belgium superstar Romelu Lukaku finished a few meters from the goal but didn’t hit the ball properly. That could have been 2: 2, no, it should have been. But Spinazzola stood where a defender has to be with a little luck – and blocked the shot. The following seconds showed what makes Italy so strong at this European Championship: the team spirit. The team-mates celebrated Spinazzola as if he had just scored the decisive goal in the final.
Leonardo Spinazzola is carried off the field
A quarter of an hour later, the European championship ended for Spinazzola. He broke off a run without any action from the opponent, indicating that he had to be replaced. At first, as a viewer in front of the television, one believed that he had suffered a strain. But then Spinazzola tried to perform, probably then he felt the pain – the defender went down. And a few minutes later was carried away from the field in tears.
“I have already seen some Achilles tendon tears live. And this is exactly what the sequence of movements usually looked like,” said Sandro Wagner at the ZDF microphone. And he was probably right with his remote diagnosis. The Italian association confirmed the suspicion that Spinazzola has now been brought to Rome for further investigations.
His teammates tried to support him as best they could. One wanted to play for the colleague now, was heard from the team. Both in the team bus and later on the plane, the team celebrated Spinazzola with encouraging chants. “This is dedicated to Spina,” wrote national coach Roberto Mancini on Instagram for a video showing the choirs. Bryan Cristante wrote: “Let’s continue! Also for Leonardo Spinazzola.”
The association shared a moving clip on Twitter that showed how the whole team said goodbye to “Spina” for the time being:
Lorenzo Spinazzola speaks out on Instagram
The day after, Spinazzola spoke up himself. “I can only tell you that I’ll be back soon! I’m sure of that,” he wrote on Instagram. “Unfortunately we all know how it went. But our azure dream continues and nothing is impossible with this great group.”
The 28-year-old will then watch the semi-finals on Tuesday either in front of the television or in the stands. Then Italy meets Spain.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
