Ask any footballer and they’ll likely have their pre-match routine.
Some will listen to songs, others will drink half a bottle of port the night before a game, but if you’re Gennaro Gattuso, you make bets with your teammates that end up with you eating an insect.
This is what the now Napoli manager did ahed of an important fixture between Milan and Manchester United when he was still a player after apparently losing a bet to then teammate Dario Simić
He said, relayed by Gonfia La Rete: “I had to eat an insect. It was before Milan-Manchester United, and there was tension. No one thought I would have the courage to eat it, and I ate it to get the group together. For me, that’s football, and I’ve done even worse”.
We’re not sure we want to ask Gattuso what else he’s done before a game to try and get the squad relaxed and break the tension, but eating an insect is certainly an interesting way of doing it.
This was likely asked to him since he’s returned to Croatia, where Simić is from, as Napoli prepared to face HNK Rijeka in the Europa League.
For those wondering which game it was, it could either have been Milan’s 1-0 win over Manchester United back in 2005, or their 3-0 dismantling of Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in 2007.
Either way, both times the Serie A side faced the Red Devils at San Siro during Gattuso’s and Simić’s spell together there, they came out on top.
Perhaps more footballers need to eat bugs before games if they want to ensure their teams win?
Maybe that’s where Sean Dyche picked up his worm eating prank from? Who knows?
