Umtiti in Lecce in tears: what a welcome

There were scarves, shirts and red and yellow flags. Above all, there were over one hundred people who reached Brindisi airport to welcome him to Salento. Samuel Umtiti landed in Italy and met Lecce fans for the first time. He greeted them, applauded them, in the end he was moved.

Love at first sight

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As soon as he left the arrivals area, the defender was accompanied by the Lecce managers to a barrier, where the journalists were waiting for his statements. Umtiti passed through a corridor of fans chanting his name. “Olè olè olè olè, Samuel, Samuel!” it is the choir that is the background to the footage of the cameras. The Frenchman smiles, tries to answer the reporters’ questions, but is too focused on the affection he is receiving. With one hand on his face he tries to hold back the tears, then starts jumping with his fans: “We came here, we came here, to see Umtiti score!”.

The redemption dream

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Back from three less than exciting seasons with the Barcelona shirt, the 28-year-old accepted Lecce’s proposal to try to relaunch himself by entering a new reality. He found a thrilling welcome, a breathtaking warmth, which he had probably lacked since the World Cup he won as a protagonist.