In one of the most bizarre ways to end your playing career, Ignazio Barbagallo made quite the statement with his staged kidnapping during his final game.
It happened during a Sicily League third-tier game involving Citta Di Viagrande, with Barbagallo, 55, playing in his final outing.
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Instead of the usual and more traditional methods to make it a memorable occasion, perhaps with a low-key late substitution to take in the applause, he opted to go with something a little more extravagant to say the least as he staged his own kidnapping in a helicopter, as seen in the video below.
It’s added by the journalist below that the relevant safety and security checks were all done in advance and so clearly it was a well thought out plan, and while it is utterly mad, it’s actually quite amusing and Barbagallo will certainly have a tale to tell in the years to come on how he marked the end of his playing days.
Rapito nel corso di una partita. Così Ignazio Barbagallo, a 55 anni, ha voluto dire addio al calcio a Viagrande (in provincia di Catania) in Terza Categoria. (Tutto autorizzato dalla Polizia Municipale e svolto in sicurezza eh…) #ilcalcioèdichiloama pic.twitter.com/b7RRO9MOAD
— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) April 5, 2019