Materazzi: 'My son supports Milan'

By Football Italia staff

Few put more determination into the Derby della Madonnina for Inter, but Marco Materazzi admits his son is a Milan fan. “The shame…”

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“My son Davide has always been a contrarian in everything. That time, he went too far,” Matrix told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The day before the derby, I had an appointment at the Pinetina training ground and first went via a Nike exhibit on art in football, so I asked Davide to come with me.

“I get to the door to leave the house and I find him standing there wearing a Milan jersey with the number 23 and Materazzi written on the back. It was a gift Massimo Ambrosini gave him, who was very entertained when learning he’d got it into his head to support Milan.

“I begged Davide not to go out with me like that, but he was six and a half years old and refused. I had to walk around Milan for three hours with him like that, the day before a decisive derby. We were challenging for the Scudetto that Sunday.

“It was more or less a nightmare. I am not someone who is easily embarrassed, but that day it was a struggle. All the stares from people whispering ‘Materazzi has gone mad,’ a few Milanisti who were laughing, and I just had to shrug. I couldn’t find the words. The shame…”

That wasn’t the only time Davide got Materazzi into trouble in a Derby della Madonnina.

“On his fifth birthday, I scored a goal in the game we won 4-3 and I showed the shirt I had on underneath to the whole stadium. I was sent off and drove the Inter lawyer crazy. He begged me to explain in the appeal that I wasn’t mocking the Milan fans with my exaggerated celebration and was not trying to provoke anybody.

“When I got there, I told the judges: ‘I did it because they’ve been calling me a son of a bitch for years. Plus I’d promised it to my son.’ The €10,000 fine was reduced to €5,000.”

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