A FOOTBALL fanatic who has spent thousands on his epic shirt collection has worn a different one every day for a YEAR in the run up to the World Cup.
Antonio Massari, 36, has scoured the world to bag kits from the biggest clubs to obscure local ones, totting up a tidy 500 tops.
The superfan has splashed out over £10,000 on his ever-expanding wardrobe to ensure he can sport a footie shirt every day.
He has dedicated his life and his fashion sense to the beautiful game, but decided to take it up a notch ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The dedicated fan even wore one a shirt on Christmas Day — a 2009 Wales jersey – to fulfill his football kit fantasy.
Antonio challenged himself to don a different shirt each day for one whole year and completed his barmy quest in October.
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It left the Portsmouth and Inter Milan fan with plenty of time to relax ahead of the kick-off in Qatar on November 20.
The 36-year-old has vowed to keep himself glued to his TV at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for the entirety of the tournament.
But the Italian admitted he is already missing wearing his beloved shirts after switching back to his ordinary attire.
Antonio explained: “When I first started my challenge I didn’t consider it would finish near the World Cup.
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“But I realised it fits really well. I will definitely be following and watching every single game.
“The tournaments are the best thing – you get to watch lots of different teams and discover new players.
“Now I’ve finished that challenge I’m back to wearing normal t-shirts and it feels weird to not wear a football shirt.
“I’m already thinking of what challenge to set myself next – after the World Cup, of course.”
To celebrate completing his challenge, which he documented on his Instagram account @365footballshirts, he marked the final day by wearing a particularly special shirt.
He proudly donned an AC Milan Women’s shirt which was given to him by a close pal after she wore it in her final match before she retired from the sport.
Antonio gushed: “It’s important to recognise women’s teams are good too.
“I love football shirts because I think they are beautiful, colourful – sometimes even elegant.
They all have stories – it’s not just a piece of clothing.
Antonio Massari
“They represent a country, or a city, or a category of people – they all have different meanings.
“They all have stories – it’s not just a piece of clothing.”
Antonio first began collecting football shirts as a kid after receiving them as gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
It kickstarted his obsession for stockpiling kits from all over the world which has now snowballed into adulthood.
He hunts down unique or discontinued jerseys in numerous different ways – such as trawling through charity shops and collectors stores – in over 100 different countries.
Antonio continued: “I love football but I like football shirts even more than the game itself.
“A lot of people collect shirts but what they don’t do is wear them – I want to change that.
“Now I have so many, it’s difficult to find a shirt for a team I don’t already have.”
As he gears up to watch the first game this Sunday, when host nation Qatar take on Ecuador, Antonio’s love for the game remains as strong as ever.
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He added: “I’ll watch every single game wherever I can. Football is just the best thing.
“Even matches where I don’t support either team – I love that I can watch it with an unbiased mentality and still enjoy it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
