Roberto Mancini marked a week since Italy won UEFA EURO 2020 by beating England at Wembley, thanking his players for ‘proving we can be great professionals without forgetting to be human beings.’
The Azzurri had always been among the contenders, going into the tournament unbeaten in almost 30 games, a run that reached 34 in the Final, including 10 out of 10 wins in qualifying for the Euros.
“It was seven days ago at this time that we were about to start a great challenge, the last of EURO 2020, the Final against England,” wrote Mancini on social media.
“We all know how that ended. What not everyone knew was how it went behind the scenes. A few days ago, many of you watched the last episode of Sogno Azzurro, the RAI series.
“As you may have gathered, a large part of the strength in this group was not just because of talent, but also the humanity, the joy and the confidence.
“A marvellous group. Lads who are capable of smiling and feeling joy even when reaching a moment charged with tension like a penalty shoot-out.
“We proved that we can be great professionals without forgetting to be human beings. For this first adventure that ended in the best possible way, I have nothing more to say than a huge thank you to everyone: fans, players, staff, friends.
“Forza Azzurri!”
The behind-the-scenes documentary series Sogno Azzurro covered the entire tournament, with matches played in Rome, Munich and London.
It included coverage of the squad training, singing, dancing and playing pranks on each other.
Mancini wrote that this was the ‘first adventure’ because he is already preparing for the Nations League Final Four and the 2022 World Cup.
Proprio 7 giorni fa a quest’ora stavamo per cominciare una grande sfida, l’ultima di Euro 2020, la finale contro l’Inghilterra.
Come è andata a finire lo sappiamo tutti.
Quello che non tutti conoscevano invece era il dietro le quinte. pic.twitter.com/Px3WmFeodZ
— Roberto Mancini (@robymancio) July 18, 2021
Notti magiche 🇮🇹 🏆 e momenti indimenticabili 💙 #SognoAzzurro – La strada per #Wembley ora disponibile su RaiPlay 👉 https://t.co/G8oPo3VHeH#RaiEuro2020 #Euro2020 #Azzurri @Vivo_Azzurro @robymancio pic.twitter.com/rCDQI5UFmv
— Rai1 (@RaiUno) July 16, 2021