“Benevenuti in Italy" will be the official soundtrack for the UEFA Under-21 European Championship, which is set to take place in Italy for the first time from 16 to 30 June. This morning in Milan, the FIGC and Sony Music officially presented Rocco Hunt’s new single. The song, which was written by the singer and produced by Mace and Zized, describes Italy’s relationship with football – “a sport that is not just watched on television, but played on the street and on small pitches in the suburbs. A sport where improvised goals are created and where there are pitches without any lines or markings,” said the artist. Gabriele Gravina, the President of the FIGC and the Under-21 National Team Head Coach Luigi Di Biagio were present on the stage.

“I hate you,” joked Gravina while referring to Rocco. “Because ever since I’ve listened to your song, it’s been stuck in my head, and it’s what I’ve been hearing when I can’t switch off at night. We had magical nights during Italia ‘90, and now sleepless nights have started because of you.” The President pointed to the strong link between football and music, and this can be seen from the long partnership between the FIGC and Radio Italia. “Here we have a very young artist, his music and words will accompany the players’ passion out on the pitch, but also the passion of those in the stands. We hope that this soundtrack is accompanied by a title win that we have been pursuing for 15 years. Italy deserves such a triumph, I invite everyone to follow this team of young champions.”

Di Biagio embraced Rocco Hunt after listening to the song. “I often listen to Rocco, he’s one of my son’s favourite singers. It’s a song that gets you going, that makes you want to play immediately. It’s very likely that we’ll hear it often in the changing room.” The Head Coach then talked about the tournament. “Everyone keeps asking me if we’re going to win it, expectations are very high. It’s our duty to aim high, to win. Our objective is always to achieve the best possible outcome.” The FIGC presented Rocco Hunt with an Azzurri shirt with his name and the number ten on his back. Di Biagio revealed that Rocco had asked him for the 23-man squad list behind the scenes: “He asked me about the goalkeeper, the biggest dilemma we have.” The singer, who is 24 years old, said that it was “a good day”. He continued: “I’m almost the same age as the players in the Under-21 team and one of the many guys who are from the suburbs. I’ve fulfilled my dream thanks to music. And now one of my songs is the soundtrack that will accompany the Under-21 National Team.

Benvenuti in Italy is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Itunes.

https://smi.lnk.to/RoccoHuntBenvenutiInItaly

Tickets for the Under-21 European Championship are on sale at uefaeurounder21.vivaticket.it, with prices varying from three to eight euros. Groups that register on the site tifiamoeuropa.eu can obtain discounts.