Floriani Mussolini says his surname has never caused him problems.
Footballer Romano Floriani Mussolini, the great-grandson of Italy’s wartime Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, is set to make his Serie A debut next month.
Floriani Mussolini, 22, was presented on Wednesday as a player for Serie A side Cremonese, on loan from Lazio with an option for a permanent move.
After coming through Lazio’s youth system, the right-back played with second-division club Juve Stabia last season, also on loan.
He joined Cremonese earlier this month after the club earned promotion to the Italian top flight via the Serie B playoffs.
“I’m here to play football. My surname bothers other people more than it’s ever bothered me” – he told reporters – “The less said about it, the better. I’m here to express myself on the pitch, nothing else.”
Last year Italy’s football federation launched an investigation after Juve Stabia supporters celebrated a goal scored by Floriani Mussolini with fascist salutes, sparking a controversy that the player brushed off as “pointless”.
Floriani Mussolini, the son of former politician Alessandra Mussolini, has previously stated his desire to be judged solely on his athletic performance, separate from the weight of his family name.
“There will always be some prejudice, but my work has nothing to do with it, and it doesn’t bother me” – he said in an interview last year with Gazzetta dello Sport – “If it ever affected my career, it would be a great disappointment. What matters is what I do on the field.”
