Italian sports stars apparrently don’t get much bigger than Valentino Rossi. After his move to Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati for the 2011 MotoGP season, it turns out Rossi is also the most highly paid Italian sports star around. It’s quite an unusual honour for a motorcycle racer, with this kind of ranking usually reserved for Italian football players.

What’s more, the list of international sports star salaries by country from ESPN includes just this one entry from the world of motorcycle racing. Rossi’s national and international appeal is hard to beat, and the new deal with Ducati and the marketing clout it brings will probably see him earn more in the future, whatever his fortunes on the track might be.

Rossi took home 14.3 million euros last year (20.8 million USD) and although his 2011 season so far isn’t turning out to be the dream Ducati start many fans hoped for, he will continue to be Italy’s favourite sports star through the sheer strength of his personality; and is probably partly paid for that charisma, too.

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Italian footballer playing for Manchester City, Mario Balotelli, hasn’t had much chance to show his talent on the field, with recent weeks marred by on-pitch brawls and gossip of being thrown out of nightclubs and fighting with bouncers. England’s tabloid The Sun has been closely following the Balotelli City career in true tabloid style.

They’ve reported on the Balotelli Nike Footlocker ad (see it on YouTube), saying: “Although colourful Mario may struggle putting on a footie training bib, he can do a decent TV promo.” Then there was the piece on the Ferdinand-Balotelli bust-up due to Mario apparently teasing Manchester United fans after it lost the FA Cup semi final to City.

As Roberto Mancini says, “it’s always Mario fault” but the Italian player is certainly having a successful time on the publicity front (if you agree with the notion that no publicity is bad publicity). But one moment of generosity in a sea of money and sordid gossip was reported by the Sun as Balotelli apparently won £25,000 at the casino, and the promptly gave 1000 of it to a homeless person.

Continue reading: Mario Balotelli Nike Footlocker ad and 1000 pounds to homeless

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Italian football player and Rome veteran, Francesco Totti, is selling his 500 m2 attic. Amusing gossip from Italy though, says that the captain of the “giallorossi” - red and yellow team - would like to eliminate certain prospective clients from the list. According to Panorama magazine, the Italian real estate ad goes as follows:

“For sale: 500 m2 attic with terrace and swimming pool, large jacuzzi and relax zone. 5,300,000 euros negotiable, no time wasters or Lazio fans.”

It seems the old Italian football rivalry of Rome-Lazio goes beyond just soccer. So if you have a spare five million euros but are a Lazio fan, you had best look elsewhere for your luxury apartment. In the photo is Totti years back on his wedding day with Ilary Blasi.

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More gossip from Italy over local Italian football players has a break up between Christian Vieri and his girlfriend Melissa Satta. The Italian showgirl denied only recently that there were some problems in their relationship, saying she still loved her ‘Bobo’ Vieri, as he is known locally. But Vieri’s declaration over the weekend to Eurosport was this:

“It’s all over with Melissa.”

According to rumours, a possible liaison with another Italian showgirl, Sara Tommasi, could be the reason for the break. Vieri and Satta have been together for five years in what appeared to be a happy relationship as they swapped publicity opportunities and Satta started attempts at a modelling career in the US, aiming for Victoria’s Secret but landing a Sports Illustrated shoot instead.

According to some cynical comments on Gossipblog.it, Satta will be off to find someone richer (and probably won’t have any problems there) after her Italian WAG experience, and while Vieri’s career is pretty much over, he will have enough money to find himself someone just as young and pretty.

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Mario Balotelli’s extraordinary talent seems to have spent less time on the field of English football than his difficult personality has in their tabloid papers. And it’s not just football controversy that is plaguing the Italian player, but his other extra-curricular activities which have even gotten fellow Italian and Manchester City coach, Roberto Mancini, offside.

So when he can, Mario Balotelli escapes to Milan, where he was recently spotted with former Miss Italy contestant, Sara Galimerti. The two apparently “met” on Facebook and then spent a night dining and dancing together. Galimerti participated in the 2009 Miss Italy contest as Miss Lombardy and follows hot on the heels of another Sara: the now famous Sara Tommasi - Balotelli’s “ex-girlfriend” and current Italian showgirl.

Source | Gossipblog.it

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When it comes to the Italian language, the locals know how to get creative. They can make swear words into nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs and the results are generally quite funny and more often than not, become part of the national vernacular. After the weekend’s Milan football derby between AC Milan and FC Internazionale, though, we get another term called the “cassanata”.

The term refers to AC Milan football player (previously with Sampdoria) Antonio Cassano and his spontaneous folly which often gets him into trouble. Doing something silly in Italian can now be referred to as the “cassanata”. After the weekend’s match, for example, in the total of about a minute Cassano managed to score a goal, get a yellow card and then be sent off with a red.

The reason? Cassano scored a penalty goal against Inter to make the final score of 3-0 and in his euforia, took his shirt off, earning himself a yellow card. After a few more seconds of play, he made a foul on another player, got a second yellow card and therefore a red, and was sent off. If you’re familiar with the colourful character of Cassano, none of that will be a surprise to you. In a post-match interview, Cassano says:

“Mine is a world record: goal, booking and send-off in one minute, although I’m happy to have participated in the history of the Milan derby; that way, I’ve scored in five derbies in five different cities. While I was trying to defend against Cordoba, I was convinced I had got a yellow, but I was so happy over the goal that I forgot I had just been booked: it was a naive thing to do and I’ll pay for it. I’ve done plenty of naive things in my career and hope I’ll always do less.”

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According to Chi magazine, one of Italy’s most eligible bachelors Marco Borriello has found the girl of his dreams. Apparently after breaking up with Argentine show girl Belen Rodriguez, the AS Roma player fell head over heels for Brazilian super model Camila Morais. Just a few days ago the newly-formed couple were spotted dining with Marco Boriello’s parents in Rome, so we can’t help wondering if the Rome player is now planning to settle down and raise a family. If so, he will break the hearts of all his female fans.

Gossip from Italy: Marco Borriello’s new girlfriend Camila Morais

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Former Italian football player with AC Milan, Billy Costacurta, has been the subject of unpleasant rumours in Italy of late, which suggested that his wife, Martina Colombari, had been cheating on him. The rumour was spread by Tgcom and if Colombari’s denials are to be believed it has created a storm in a tea cup (more a very large cup for those involved, we imagine).

Both on television and on a recent radio program, Martina Colombari has denied the rumours she cheated on Costacurta, saying:

I haven’t betrayed my husband. This news has kicked up a lot of dust and has upset my grandparents and great grandparents. After seven years of being together, we had about seven or eight months in which we had a break from each other, and I had a relationship with someone else, and so did he. At the time we weren’t even married and so he was not my husband. It was a time of reflection.

Technically speaking then, Colombari is right, but she needs to be careful with certain statements left to the media (especially as a footballer’s wife) as it was she who had said in the first place: “I haven’t been cheated on, but I have cheated and been forgiven.” Colombari is now the wife of Billy Costacurta and they have a son, Achille.

Source | TgCom

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The fortunes of the Italian rugby team continue to play out as much in the PR world as they do on the playing field, and recently Italian television viewers had the chance to see a few of its star players, including Mirco Bergamasco, strip on television, dancing to “Hot Stuff” from the Full Monty soundtrack.

The routine was part of the Let’s Dance television show, which in itself was a total flop, but the Italian public who actually watched it would have got to see Rome’s football team, with some attractive Italian football players, battle it out with the rugby trio. The not-so-unattractive Marco Borriello won the competition heading up the Roma team, but take a look at the pics of the Bergamasco brothers from their Italian rugby calendar, along with the tv strip show, and tell me if it wasn’t a tough contest.

Italian rugby players strip on tv

Italian rugby players Bergamasco brothers

Continue reading: Italian football vs rugby: Mirco Bergamasco strips on television, Marco Borriello wins

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Sometimes it can be rare to see the world’s richest help the world’s poorest in significant ways but in this case, Roberto Baggio, former Italian footballer, has been awarded the World Peace Award for 2010 for his many efforts in helping the world’s less advantaged. It must be a happy time for Baggio as since the prize was announced, so has the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi - a cause which he has also been close to in recent years.

Baggio, known as the Divin Codino (divine ponytail), has had a long and top-class career in Italian football, but since his retirement from playing, has dedicated himself to many causes, from disaster relief in Haiti, to human rights awareness and even to the recent flood relief program taking place in his local region of Veneto. Recently, Baggio has taken on the role of technical president in the Italian Football Federation, but the new work hasn’t stopped him from continuing his humanitarian efforts.

Roberto Baggio joins a list of illustrious names - high profile people who have dedicated their money, status and time to humanitarian causes and peace processes in the world. Other winners of the World Peace Award include Bono, Cat Stevens, and Bob Geldof, as well as fellow Italian Roberto Benigni. The Italians can’t help but be proud that one international Italian is carrying the good name of the country, and showing his prowess off the field by giving of himself in other areas.

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It’s just as well that Francesco Totti still has his old reflexes as the star Italian football player may otherwise have been run-over by a getaway Opel Meriva. On arriving at the “Golden Foot 2010″ event in Monte Carlo, the driver of the vehicle somehow forgot to engage the handbrake and as Totti stepped out of the car, it started to roll backwards. He quickly leaped into the front seat and had the presence of mind to pull on the handbrake.

It’s just as well that nothing untoward happened, because Totti was there to receive the Golden Foot prize, awarded to veteran football players who display not only prowess but also superior character traits on and off the field. The incident is the second Totti has had in an automobile sense after someone threw a huge rock at the windscreen of his car last Friday night, causing the Carabinieri to turn up to the player’s apartment in the dead of night to inform him of what happened.

There are a few things we’re interested to know, though. Firstly, what Totti was doing arriving with a simple Meriva in Monte Carlo, and secondly what his car was doing parked on the street. Surely he has a garage…? In any case the episode with the handbrake caused that cute Totti smile to come out, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. The funny video is after the jump.

Continue reading: Francesco Totti and the handbrake accident: video

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Summer lingers in Sardinia and those who can afford it fly to island and chill out at the beach; Luca Toni is one of those lucky ones. These pics show the famous Italian footballer sunbathing with her girlfriend, gorgeous model Marta Cecchetto!

Continue reading: Italian footballer Luca Toni snapped at the beach with model Marta Cecchetto

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