Italians wimp out in the blistering Euro 2004 heat

Italy’s national football team reportedly held the design of their boots and socks to blame for their flat performance against Denmark. Apparently, the 34ºC temperatures in Portugal caused problems with their footwear.

Francesco Totti had to leave the field midway through the first half in order to change out of the brand new Nike boots he had been given especially for Euro 2004. ‘It was like having your feet on boiling sand,’ he told the media. ‘Nothing like this has ever happened to me before… I have two big blisters.’

Several players shared this problem, alternately blaming their coarse woven socks. However, the players did agree that they should focus on their football rather than their feet.

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