YOUNG football fans and residents in Pensnett were stunned to see Italy’s Euro 2020 winners having a kick around on a council-owned football pitch.
Italy’s international football squad was seen training at The Dell in Bryce Road on Saturday morning ahead of a clash against England at Molineux, Wolverhampton, which turned out to be a goal-less draw.
Onlookers were in shock and as news got round young fans began queuing on the carpark to see the footballing stars.
For 12-year-old Thorns Collegiate Academy pupil Lewis Cross, from Quarry Bank, it was a dream come true moment as he managed to grab pictures with almost every player.
His dad Alex said: “He's a massive football fan and knew most of the players, he's also a season ticket holder at Wolves which made it extra special with Italy playing there on the evening.”
Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley Council’s cabinet member for leisure, said it was a huge endorsement for the facility to have the European champions train there.
He said: “We were contacted via the FA a short time before to see if we could accommodate the Italian national football team at The Dell and naturally we were delighted to oblige.
“It is a massive thumbs-up for the quality of our facilities that the champions of Europe were happy to use them to train on.
“It all had to be kept very hush hush as it was a behind closed doors session in preparation for a competitive international, but it’s hard to keep the lid completely on these things and it soon started popping up on timelines across social media as people drove past and saw them.
“A crowd of eager young fans waited patiently to meet them on the car park after the session, and it was great to see the team were so accommodating with them.”
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