Rich Italian History

Soccer in Italy is more than just a tradition. Soccer for Italians is a way of life. Soccer is a symbol for what the country stands for just like Ferrari, the Coliseum, or the food. Soccer is also a faith similar to the religious background the country has. An Italian follows their team with passion and a true fan never flip flops like an American “fair weather fan.” In Italy, soccer has many different cultural meanings. An Italian soccer fan’s team is not only always a piece of them but it is branded with their family. Once a family becomes a fan of AC Milan, the generations after will stick with the team because their team is considered to have just as much blood as their brother.

The highest level Italian soccer league is the Serie A. This is one of Europe’s oldest leagues which host some of the biggest rivalries. All sports Leagues have rivalries, but the Serie A is the last high level European soccer league to allow teams to share stadiums. In the United States, there is only a hand full of teams that share stadiums but the respective leagues generally split them into different conferences. In the Serie A teams are put into one table (standings in soccer) in fight for first place.

All other soccer leagues in Europe ban the sharing of stadiums because the rivalries became too intense for the security to maintain safety. In Europe, it had become common place for people to be killed over the outcome of the matches. Italian soccer did not want to ruin the tradition of their elite clubs and instead pushed to fuel the overly intense rivalries of the Seria A trying to stay in the lime light with the EPL (England) and La Liga (Spain).

The most intense rivalry in the Seria A is between Inter Milan and AC Milan. Both clubs are located in Milan, Italy and play in Stadio Giuseppe Meazza . Fans do not like the fans, players, jerseys, colors, smiles, or haircuts of the opposing teams even when both clubs are groomed to be Identical. The rivalry is the most intense in the world let alone Italy.

Mario Balotelli is a professional soccer player known for his extravagant personality and antics on and off the fields. He has grown to become one of the greatest Italian soccer players of his generation representing the Italian national team. Balotelli grew up as an AC Milan fan but worked his way through the Inter Milan youth development program. Early into his career in the Seria A, Balotelli was seen wearing and AC Milan jersey even though he was playing for the arch rival club. Inter Milan had to transfer away one of the world best up and coming players because the team and Balotelli were receiving threats at his life. Later in his career, Balotelli was transferred back to play for AC Milan adding to the hate between the two squads.

Europe is the heart and soul of soccer tradition and as we travel the globe we will delve into what makes each country distinct. Next week we will travel through Europe to Germany to discover the traditions of the soccer rich Deutschland. Germany has one of the best national team in the world and always threat to win the World Cup as well as the European Championship.