Calcio Strano

Somehow, Paolo Maldini, one of Italy’s greatest ever players decided in his late-forties, years after retiring from professional football, to focus on becoming a professional tennis player, albeit breifly, and even more amazingly, found himself in the draw for an ATP challenger event.

This is the story of Paolo Maldini’s brief but strange professional tennis career.

Share the word of Strano, follow the show on Instagram @calcio.strano.podcast, and subscribe where you get your podcasts. It's all very much appreciated.

Thanks for listening and enjoy your Calcio!

A chef in a blue baseball cap is leaning out over the balcony railing, smiling, wearing a sky-blue scarf which he takes off and begins to wave around to the adulation of those below.

Napoli has just won their first Serie A title in 33 years,and half of Naples seemed to have relocated to a Greek island to celebrate.

Except the man on the balcony wasn't just some over-excited Napoli fan. He was one of Italy's most wanted fugitives who'd been missing, and completely off the grid, for eleven years. And in about thirty seconds of pure football joy, he undid it all.

This is the story of Vincenzo La Porta, football loyalty,and how it eventually caught up with him.

Thanks for listening to Calcio Strano.

Please share, subscribe where you get your podcasts and enjoy your Calcio!

Welcome to Calcio Strano where we give you your weekly fixof what Italy does best.

Football at its strangest, weirdest, funniest and mostunbelievable.

From being betrayed by a scarf to a photocopier salesman, from vespas to a wall of shorts, from holy water to a rolex watch war, join your host Frank Risorto, every Tuesday for a slightly different perspective onItalian football.