IT’S fair to say we’ve been blown away by the reaction to our “Roberto the Bruce” edition ahead of the Euro 2020 final.
Published on Saturday, the day before England took on Italy at Wembley, the front page shows Azzurri boss Roberto Mancini as William Wallace in Braveheart. The headline reads: "Save us Roberto, you're our final hope".
The splash quickly went viral on social media but things went into overdrive after Italy's penalty shoot-out victory.
The following day, an eagle-eyed Twitter user noticed Mancini had a copy of the paper with him on the plane home – and was even using it as a stand for the European trophy.
Tomorrow's front page: Save us Roberto, you're our final hope! pic.twitter.com/IaA1aEfd61
— The National (@ScotNational) July 9, 2021
LISTEN: Our editor speaks about the The National's viral front page on BBC radio
It seems the edition has gone down a treat in Italy, with dozens of orders flooding in for copies of the paper.
That’s right, Italians have been ordering copies of The National in their droves, with editions of Friday’s paper already sent out to Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice and beyond.
We’ve even received orders from Germany and Slovenia.
It’s little wonder The National has proved so popular in Italy, having been endorsed by Mancini and Euro 2020 star Giorgio Chilellini.
We know our Photoshop team are very talented, so just to confirm: this is 100% real 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🏴🏴🏴 pic.twitter.com/GcTQmYmzlg
— The National (@ScotNational) July 12, 2021
Asked at a pre-match press conference what he thought of it, Mancini said: "The front page of the newspaper is nice.
"We'll have to play our game. We'll have to have a great match, this must be our only thought. It's a football match after all."
He later added that it "did make me chuckle".
Italy's captain Chiellini added: "The front page of the National made me smile for Scotland's rivalry with England."
The whole Italian squad has since been offered lifetime subsriptions to The National.
Our front page also featured in media outlets across Italy, from Sky to Vanity Fair.
As to how Mancini got his hands on a copy, that remains a mystery.
READ MORE: Who gave Roberto Mancini his copy of The National? Help us find out
The National is only sold in Scotland – and the Italian team didn’t play any of their Euro matches here.
Can you help us track down whoever it was that sent Mancini his copy? We’d love to learn more.
Comment below, on social media, or send us any information you can to reporters@thenational.scot
To order a copy of The National's "Roberto the Bruce" edition, email stewart.ward@thenational.scot
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