On Sunday night at Wembley it will not be only Italy as a whole that will virtually take the field alongside Mancini’s national team against England in the highly anticipated European final. In support of the Azzurri there will apparently be half of Europe and also many Scots, as confirmed by the front page of The National newspaper. The newspaper that supports “an independent Scotland” openly sided with the Azzurri and did so in a very particular way, with a Roberto Mancini version of “Braveheart”.
More than “freedom”, the hope is that Roberto Mancini at the end of Italy-England can shout “Vittoria”. In Scotland the coach of the Italian national team who will play the European title against the Southgate team on Sunday evening, has become the Scottish national hero William Wallace, whose exploits have become further famous thanks also to the film adaptation of Mel Gibson who made the protagonist of the famous film Braveheart – fearless heart. In fact, on the cover of The National, in addition to a reference to the Italian flag, there is a photomontage in the foreground with Mancini as the protagonist of the successful film, ready to guide his men to the enterprise.
Mel Gibson’s film is inspired by the poem The Wallas and celebrates the exploits of William Wallace which then went down in history as Braveheart. The latter in Scotland in the late 1200s led an insurrection against Edward I of England who had previously imprisoned the Scottish king. Wallace at the head of 30 men managed to sow panic in England, becoming “guardian of the kingdom”, and fighting all his young life for his country. In 1305, he was tried and executed, but forever became a Scottish icon.
And the hope of The National and many Scots is that Mancini can lead Italy to victory against England in the pit of Wembley. In this regard, the title chosen to accompany the photo of the coach Braveheart version speaks clearly: “Save us Roberto, you are our last hope, we cannot bear another 55 years of exaltation for a title”. The reference is to England’s 1966 World Cup victory, which the Scots apparently have not yet digested.
