Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit and Portugal former superstar Luís Figo helped in making the trophy tour a memorable one.
Some 30,000 visitors turned out at the city's Piazza del Duomo to catch a glimpse of the biggest clubs football trophy in Europe. A total of 7,648 photos were taken of the silverware that the great players yearn to brandish.
Trophy Tour ambassador Ruud Gullit who won the silverware with the Rossoneri in 1989 and 1990 said winning the trophy as a player was the 'nicest' thing.
The Dutch said: 'It's an honour. I won this trophy two times, and I know what it means to me – to win the Champions League trophy as a person and as a footballer is the maximum. I feel a bit of nostalgia ... it was 25 or 26 years ago that I arrived here [in Milan]. It feels like yesterday. I lived in Italy for eight years. It was the nicest time I had as a player.
'For the fans [the trophy tour] provides the opportunity to get close to the trophy. You have the chance to feel and see and even touch it. You can take a picture and you see the history of this trophy, [which teams] have won it, and which players.'
Figo said: 'Normally [the fans] only have the chance to see it on TV, so now they can feel the passion for football and for this competition even closer to them. It means a lot to win this competition. You dream of it since childhood and when you start your career as a professional, you always have it in your mind to reach the final of the Champions League one day. When I had the chance to win it, it was a dream come true.'
UniCredit deputy general manager Paulo Fiorentino said the trophy was an important icon, and that the tour gave fans a great chance to see it, take pictures and meet notable players like Gullit and Figo. He added that the objective was to make the trophy accessible and involve supporters through grassroots activities.
Trophy Tour Schedule18 September: Verona
21–23 September: Turin (Piazza Vittorio Veneto)
25–26 September: Venice (Piazza San Marco)
28–30 September: Bologna (Piazza XX Settembre)
2 October: Florence (Piazza della Repubblica)
5–7 October: Palermo
12–14 October: Naples (Piazza del Plebiscito)
19–22 October: Rome (Piazza del Popolo)
Sept. 18, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment