Manganelli dedicated the Champions League final to his late father

Playing in a Champions League final is the pinnacle of any player’s career. Those are the occasions a retired footballer will look back on with fondness. Even more so if they get to lift that famous trophy at the end of the night. But being involved in a Champions League final is also the highlight for any official. Just ask Mark Clattenburg who got a Champions League-themed tattoo to commemorate taking charge of the 2016 final. And there was one man who wanted to make the most of his night officiating Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon.

Step forward, assistant referee Lorenzo Manganelli. The Italian first caught our attention when he walked onto the Estadio da Luz pitch and touched the trophy on his way past. They say it’s unlucky to do that as a player but it seemed the linesman had no worries about bad omens.

Then, minutes later as the iconic Champions League anthem was played through the stadium speakers as the two sides lined up, Manganelli could be seen his hand on heart as though it was his national anthem. He was really milking this.

Then, to top it all off, he kissed his medal after receiving it at the end of the match. Amazing. There was one poignant moment that involved Manganelli, though, and one that makes him an even bigger legend. On the way to collect his medal, he showed a photograph of his father to the camera, who recently passed away due to Covid-19. Beautiful. Lorenzo Manganelli, you’re our Man of the Match and we salute you!

Source: GiveMeSport