Triumphant Italy return to Rome after Euro 2020 victory
Chiellini, the 36-year-old veteran at the heart of Italy’s defence, wore a crown as he held the trophy aloft just hours after the victory in London.
A grinning Leonardo Spinazzola, who played an outstanding role in the team’s progress before injuring his Achilles tendon in the quarter-final against Belgium, hopped down the steps of the Alitalia plane and hobbled on crutches across the tarmac to cheers from media and airport staff snapping photographs.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi was also in line for a selfie with the team who were welcomed back by newspaper headlines screaming “It’s too beautiful!” and “We are Europe!”.
“Italy is the queen of Europe,” said the pink Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It knew how to recover a match that seemed lost, as only the greatest teams know how.
