Not a World Cup winner, not a Barcelona superstar, not some random millionaire. In the Lecce Calcio dressing room, Samuel Umtiti is just one of the boys. And that’s the way it should be.From the first day in the “heel” of the Italian boot, Umtiti has been humble, honest and hard-working, leaving the team manager Claudio Vino impressed and optimistic. Vino says that the only special request from the Frenchman was help to find a larger apartment so his friends and relatives would have place to stay when they come to visit.This is beautiful – Samuel Umtiti (28) cries with happiness as Lecce supporters show him love. For so long, he’s been derided by Barcelona fans & the club for having injuries he couldn’t control after committing to sacrificing his body for World Cup glory. pic.twitter.com/WMPzcwlM2W— Get French Football News (@GFFN) August 26, 2022 Umtiti’s fellow Frenchmen, defender Valentin Gendrey and midfielder Alexis Blin were happy to act as guides and help the 28-year-old centre-back find his feet and start speaking Italian as soon as possible. During the last weekend’s match with Empoli, Umtiti was presented to the fans at Stadio Via del Mare. After waving to the crowd, he followed the game closely and listened to coach Marco Baroni during the 1-1 draw. The day of his debut does not seem far away, considering that Samuel arrived in Lecce in excellent physical condition. He still lacks match fitness, but he is working hard to be ready in a short time.Samuel Umtiti deserves to find happiness on the pitch again 🥺 pic.twitter.com/5QDR62c3w5— GOAL (@goal) August 25, 2022 Besides getting up to speed with the squad at Serie A’s new club, Umtiti has tasted the local food. He doesn’t eat meat, but he tried some fresh fish from the Adriatic Sea and tried pasticciotto, a cream-filled pastry that’s very popular in this part of Italy. Samuel Umtiti is indeed one of the boys. Now all that’s needed is to see him show what he can do on the pitch.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 4Tuesday19.30: (5.80) Sassuolo (4.00) Milan (1.68)21.45: (1.36) Roma (5.40) Monza (8.50)21.45: (1.17) Inter (10.0) Cremonese (18.0)Wednesday19.30: (2.80) Empoli (3.25) Verona (2.75)19.30: (2.90) Udinese (3.35) Fiorentina (2.65)19.30: (4.10) Sampdoria (3.50) Lazio (2.04)21.45: (1.31) Napoli (6.00) Lecce (10.0)21.45: (1.33) Juventus (6.00) Spezia (11.0)Thursday21.45: (1.99) Bologna (3.60) Salernitana (4.20)21.45: (1.79) Atalanta (3.70) Torino (5.40)***odds are subject to change
