On Wednesday, AC Milan hosted some boys from Vharese, an amateur sports association that participates in Serie A of the Paralympic and Experimental Football Division (FIGC seven-a-side football league).
As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, Vharese have a partnership with Milan and for this reason play their matches wearing a red and black shirt. Last season, Stefano Pioli showed up unannounced at one of their training sessions, and on Wednesday the players got a visit to Milanello.
Marco Caccianiga is the team’s coach, as well as a former councillor for Sport for the Municipality of Varese. He spoke to the paper to reveal a behind-the-scenes story on how the visit ultimately came about.
“The boys were enthusiastic. When they returned to Varese, they told everyone that they had been struck by two things. The first is the facilities at Milanello: ‘Mister, if we always trained here, we would be unbeatable’ they said,” he said.
“We train in a gym with a five-a-side pitch and, well, everyone is very kind but it’s not the same thing. The second is the players, with a phrase by Theo Hernandez that struck everyone. A boy asked him if he had been afraid when he had to challenge Ronaldo, Messi and other super champions.
“Theo said no: ‘Boys, I’m never afraid because I know my worth and you should be too’. It seems like a normal phrase but for them, I assure you, it is precious.”
