Daniele Adani is a slave to his meme

At a deserted gas station, a man starts gesticulating and re-enacts Zaccagni's last-minute goal against Croatia. But the focus is on Calafiori, "the great player who goes forward"," and who creates the only chance for Spalletti's team. The video ends with an ever-closer close-up of what will very quickly become the slogan of those who live the sport as a meme: "E facciamo calcio." The man in Bermuda shorts, open sweatshirt and sunglasses is obviously Daniele Adani, expert, streamer, singer, a showman in the truest sense of the word. In fact, it's like a circus show that millions of users follow thanks to the content that the former footballer publishes on his TikTok and Instagram channels. "E facciamo calcio" means nothing and means everything. It is another definition coined by Adani, with an accompanying dance, with which he has once again managed to attract the attention of the public. Daniele Adani, who has fought so hard in recent years to deliver thick content to viewers by standing up to the so-called servants of television, who he believes are too biassed and averse to dealing with off-the-cuff topics, is now a full-fledged Gen Z content creator, with ballets and catchphrases instead of tactical slates. You don't need analytical and polished content - you figured that out from the start, Lele. To play your way into the hearts of the fans, you need to turn yourself into a grotesque and ridiculous meme - a development that has seen a remarkable acceleration during this Euro2024.

At the same time, Daniele Adani is one of Rai's top commentators at Euro2024, providing a second voice for many of the most important matches in the tournament, which is now entering its hottest phase. Of all the ex-footballers who normally graze the Italian TV studios, Adani has been able to display a far more sophisticated and complex understanding of the game, coupled with an enthusiasm that is sometimes taken out of context and interspersed with words that are difficult to adapt to the Italian language. But perhaps Adani never bothered. Suffice it to know how his springboard to enter the world of entertainment was the now historic falling out with Massimiliano Allegri, a coach with whom he then embarked on an endless crusade consisting of shenanigans invited via Instagram Stories - not even when he was a teenager. History teaches us that even before discussing football and "doing football"," Adani wants to assert his personality, rising above his peers and retorting viciously in the DMs of those who disagree with him - perhaps using terms that are too offensive - but to which he is ultimately addicted. Adani's retorts are all based on "I told you so"; "We talked about it on Bobo TV"; "I was the first one to talk about it." In short, Adani never really left the much-quoted "Father Time" alone.

Daniele Adani is aware that he is a meme, and it doesn't seem to bother him too much. From time to time, he tries to appear less snooty and more genuine by adopting an alter ego that - at least in his mind - is supposed to make him likeable in a different way, but ends up being a caricature. As with Nicola Ventola and Bobo Vieri, he debuted with the song Una vita da Bomber, an ugly, superficial but unfortunately consumable musical project peppered with Argentinisms such as "vamos carajo" and a title that refers to an old and now abused visual language which we are happy to do without. Since the Bobo TV era was over, we had somehow forgotten about Lele Adani. We imagined him sipping his beloved Coke Zero in his dark two-bedroom flat, where he used to stream on Twitch with his former colleagues Cassano, Ventola and Vieri, preparing the next piece of content that would go viral.

But thankfully, Euro2024 is here and Adani is finally back on our screens, TVs and smartphones with the slogan "E facciamo calcio"," which he revels in on his Instagram profile. Away from Rai, his beloved honest television, where just a few days earlier he had stumbled into an unnecessary and theatrical argument with Marco Mazzocchi because he was angry about a misunderstanding, Adani can let off steam. There is no television to hold: Lele Adani must become a meme and live as a meme in order to be accepted by an audience that is in danger of being increasingly flattened into slogans and pub slogans. In this scenario, Adani's Facciamo Calcio with its TikTok dance is perfect both as a trend and as a commentary on football in European competition. A dual nature that in a way also mirrors that of Adani, a social commentator and creator capable of unleashing divisive emotions like no other in Italy. He is waiting for the debut of Viva el Futbol, the new programme he has signed together with his partners Cassano and Ventola, which will be broadcast on 19 August 2024.