Andrea Kimi Antonelli was given a hero’s reception by football fans at Italy’s UEFA Nations League match against France on Thursday night.
The newly-crowned World Champion was in attendance at Milan’s San Siro stadium – home of AC and Inter Milan, the city’s two teams.
Invited by Italian sporting figure and businessman Giovanni Malago, Antonelli’s presence was made public to the 70,000 capacity crowd.
When the camera zoomed in on the Mercedes driver in attendance, a large number of that capacity crowd – the Azzurri – cheered and sang his name.
Antonelli looked visibly moved by the moment, confirming his rapidly-grown status within his homeland, having become its first Formula 1 World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
“I have to thank Malagò for the invitation; I’ll watch the match with him,” Antonelli said before the game. “Let’s hope Italy win, also because it’s my first time at San Siro.
“I’ll be supporting all the Azzurri and it’s going to be a wonderful experience for me.”
Antonelli was treated to an enthralling game, in which the home side beat the French 3-1.
READ MORE – Toto Wolff responds to Mercedes ‘loser’ claims during F1 lull
Discussion about this post