Building up to tonight’s UEFA Euro qualifier between Italy and England, Adidas have descended upon host city Naples, decorating streets with hundreds of the Azzurri’s new home shirt, which is set to get its full debut on the men’s senior team tonight.
Today marks what many Azzurri fans will be hoping is the next step in a new era for the Italian national team following the senior men’s side’s failure to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. And what better way to start it than by laying down a marker in their huge clash against England, when the reigning European Champions will welcome the Three Lions to the Studio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. And pouncing on the opportunity presented by the spectacle, adidas have rolled into town to transform the shades of blue and to plaster the town in the new Italy home shirt.
For those not up to speed with Serie A, Napoli are cruising at the top of the table, looking odds on to secure their first title in over 30 years, and making it look easy at the same time. But Naples is taking a break from Scudetto preparations to welcome the national team, who kick off their Euro 2024 qualification with their match against England.
For the men’s team, it’s the first game in their new adidas kit, and it’s hard to turn anywhere in Naples without seeing it. Ahead of the game, the Quartieri Spagnoli woke up with over a hundred blue shirts suspended between the balconies. As well as the display, adidas also went about creating in the heart of the city – the very central Piazza Dante – a small pitch to celebrate the history of the Italian national football team, thanks to a floor graffiti created by the artistic collective Orticanoodles. The work represents a footballer and a female footballer in action in blue, while behind them there’s a stylised image of the tricolore and the motto "impossible is nothing". The pitch played host to members of the National Creators team such as Fius Gamer, Mirkof93, Simone Crispo, who took turns entertaining the crowds.
Italy v England kicks off tonight, 23 March, at 1945 GMT.
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