Stayed there because he had 'no commitments and enjoyed the freedom'

With no phone and only €20 he ended up wandering the streets of Milan

to the toilet and lost his friends

But he became disorientated after

A football fan ended up sleeping rough for more than ten years after getting lost at the end of a match.

Swiss pensioner Rolf Bantle, 71, had travelled to Italy to watch his team FC Basel play Inter Milan in 2004.

But after going to the toilet in the stadium, he became disorientated and could not find his friends.

Swiss pensioner Rolf Bantle lived on the streets of Italy for more than ten years after getting lost at the end of a match between his FC Basel side and Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan in August 2004

He stayed in Milan for more than a decade because he 'had no commitments' and 'enjoyed the freedom' of living rough, he told Switzerland's Schweiz am Sonntag newspaper.

He was only returned home after falling and breaking his femur and hospital workers spotted he had no health insurance and contacted the Swiss consulate.

Mr Bantle is now living in a retirement home in Basel, where his remarkable story has finally emerged.

Mr Bantle, who was a resident of a group home in Läufelfingen in the canton of Basel-Country, had been on a day trip to watch FC Basel play Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium on August 24, 2004.

Mr Bantle, who was a resident of a group home in Läufelfingen in Basel-Country, had been on a day trip to watch FC Basel play Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium (above) on August 24, 2004, when he got lost

But he was reported missing after losing his way at the end of the Champions League qualifying game, which his team lost 4-1.

He said: 'I was suddenly in a different sector. I had about €20 in my pocket and no phone so I wandered into Milan.

'People gave me food and cigarettes, and one student offered me a sleeping bag.'

He took showers once a week in a public washroom and frequently visited the local library, he told the newspaper.

Inter Milan forward Adriano (left) challenges FC Basel's Philipp Degen during the 2004 match attended by Mr Bantle

He had no relatives and until then had been living in a rehabilitation centre due to heavy drinking, he said.

He added: 'There was for me no longer any reason to go home. I enjoyed the freedom of Milan.'

He has now been treated at Basel hospital and is living in a retirement home paid for by the Swiss state, he said.