Vicenza appeared to unveil a new signing yesterday, but fans hoping for an upturn in fortunes for the struggling Serie B team quickly found the new man was only an actor training with the team while he was visiting the town.
Luca Zingaretti posed with the team’s shirt, and then completed part of the training session with the squad, though he will not be available for selection as he is only in the area taking part in a play called ”La Torre d’Avorio,” performing in the town of Isola Vicentina, just outside Vicenza.
Zingaretti is, of course, better known for his role as Inspector Montalbano, the folically challenged detective who has recently returned to Italian TV. The Rome-born actor is known to be a big football fan, but it is safe to say, with his younger brother being governor of Lazio, that his allegiances probably do not lie with Lanerossi.
Speaking to the press after his cameo appearance during the training session, Zingaretti joked: “Who knows if I could have a contract at Vicenza?”
Vicenza sit 20th in Serie B, five points from the relegation playoff places, and eight from safety, so Zingaretti’s appearance will have been a welcome respite from the pressure of training for their game with fellow-strugglers Pro Vercelli at the weekend.
