It is safe to say Neapolitan singer Gigi D’Alessio and his rapper friend Clementino’s reimagined version of the Italian national anthem ahead of Italy-England did not go down well with Azzurri supporters.
Not only was it given a pop sensibility in the performance, but also the instrumentation underneath used the percussion and tempo of the Neapolitan tarantella.
It was also noted that D’Alessio had one hand in his pocket throughout the anthem, which added to the general sense this moment was being disrespected.
The word ‘cringe’ has made it over to Italian and it was used in abundance by those watching on social media, along with another English word ‘trash.’
“The anthem sung by Gigi D’Alessio and Clementino is punishment. I don’t know what for, but evidently we did something,” wrote journalist Fulvio Paglialunga.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” added another user.
“So far there have been many sad and dark moments experienced at the San Paolo/Maradona, like Champions League exit on 12 points, relegation, bankruptcy. But they are nothing compared to the national anthem sung by Gigi D’Alessio and Clementino,” wrote Napoli fan Uzimè.
Considering Italy were 2-0 down at half-time against England, some wrote “if you get Gigi D’Alessio to sing your national anthem, then you deserve to lose. Badly.”
The anthem of England didn’t exactly go better, as the singer had technical problems, couldn’t hear herself or the music in her earpiece and stuttered through God Save The King.