Romano Floriani Mussolini, the 22-year-old great-grandson of Benito Mussolini, made his Serie A debut for Cremonese, coming off the bench and earning the penalty that produced the 3-2 winner. The right-back is on loan from Lazio and had been an unused substitute in Cremonese's opening win at AC Milan. He previously played on loan at Pescara and Juve Stabia without appearing for Lazio in Serie A. Past controversy arose after a previous goal amid reports of fascist salutes, which the club denied. Floriani Mussolini said he is focused on playing football and that his surname affects others more than himself.
Romano Floriani Mussolini, the great-grandson of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, came off the bench to help Cremonese defeat Sassuolo 3-2 in his Serie A debut on Friday. Introduced with eight minutes remaining, 22-year-old Floriani Mussolini earned the penalty from which Manuel de Luca struck the winner for the newly promoted side, who went top of the Serie A table with two wins in two matches.
"My goal was to make a difference and I'm happy that I managed to do that." Floriani Mussolini wears the number 22 shirt at Cremonese and has the name 'Romano' on the back of his jersey. He came through the ranks at Lazio but never made an appearance in the Italian top flight for the Biancocelesti. He was sent out on loan to third-division side Pescara in 2023-24 and Juve Stabia in the second division during the 2024-25 season.
After his winner against Cesena last December, some reports claimed Juve Stabia supporters celebrated the goal with fascist salutes - a claim the club firmly rejected. When joining Cremonese in the summer, Floriani Mussolini said he was "here to play football", adding: "My surname bothers other people more than me." Benito Mussolini founded the National Fascist Party in Italy and led the country from 1922 until he was overthrown in 1943. He allied with Adolf Hitler in the Second World War.
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