The ballboy who was hugged by Ante Rebic after his goal on Monday has admitted he has no regrets despite being a Lecce fan.
Milan had scored just moment prior to make it 2-1 as Giacomo Bonaventura stabbed home a rebound, and the Croatia international got in on the act to score his seventh goal in seven Serie A games.
Rebic found himself completely alone inside the Lecce half with a free run at goal, and he made no mistake converting with composure for his eighth goal of the season in all competitions.
The cameras picked up on the fact he approached a ballboy on the edge of the pitch and gave him a hug, bringing a smile to his face, and Lecce explained the story behind the young man in question, a 19-year-old player from their youth academy.
Now, Gabriele Gallo – the player in question – has discussed the incident in an interview with Quotidiano di Puglia.
“I turned my head the other way and I didn’t see it get there right away. He noticed it, ran towards me and first punched me in a friendly way and then hugged me,” he said.
The gesture of Milan’s No.18 surprised a few as he in theory broke COVID-19 protocols.
“He did everything, I didn’t expect it. At that moment I didn’t think about it. The situation is strange for everyone.”
Despite that, Gallo has no doubts that he would do it all again: “Of course, a thousand other times because that’s the emotion of football.”
