Totti, Materazzi and De Rossi again Champions’ parade on the Centre Court for the Major finals

Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi and Marco Materazzi side by side, and the Foro Italico looks like Berlin. Three 2006 world champions with the Italian national football team on the Centre Court for the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel finals. And, with Totti, also his partner Noemi Bocchi. They all share love for padel, the sport of the second career of footballers who, once they have stopped playing, continue to have fun but with the ‘pala’ in their hands. For De Rossi, by the way, this is the second consecutive appearance on the Centre Court: yesterday he had also received the jersey from Martin Di Nenno, who was defeated in the semi-finals (paired with Franco Stupaczuk) by Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia.

Today, with De Rossi, also the man who had worn the Roma captain’s armband before him and Marco Materazzi, who scored – in the 2006 final – scored a header before one of the penalties converted by De Rossi himself in the series that crowned Italy world champions. And when the cameras panned to the box – next to the one occupied by FIP president Luigi Carraro, immortalised by the photographers with the 2006 world champions – the ovation started at the Centre, which again this evening for the finals (first the women’s between Josemaria/Sanchez and Ortega/Triay, then the men’s between Coello/Tapia and Chingotto/Navarro) marched towards 10,000 fans.