Revealed: Italy's Euro 2024 hero Mattia Zaccagni in 'love triangle' with Premier League star after marrying his influencer ex-girlfriend - which threatened to tear national team apart

Zaccagni captured the imagination of the Italian audience on Monday night with a breathtaking goal against Croatia, securing Italy's place in the last-16 of Euro 2024. His journey with the Italian national team began in 2022, but the winger's personal life, particularly his involvement with Zaniolo's ex-girlfriend, Chiara Nasti, had the potential to create rifts within the squad.

Zaccagni is married to Nasti, an Instagram model with a significant following. Before marrying Zaccagni, Nasti was in a relationship with Zaniolo, the player who was on loan at Aston Villa from Galatasaray last season. Nasti and Zaniolo ended their relationship in April 2021. Shortly after, Nasti began dating Zaccagni. The couple welcomed their son, Thiago, in 2022 and tied the knot in June 2023. What might have seemed like a straightforward transition from one relationship to another became fodder for public drama and speculation.

The love triangle gained notorious attention in May 2022, following Roma's Europa Conference League victory. Roma fans, keen to taunt their Lazio rivals, directed a chant at Zaccagni, suggesting that his son was actually Zaniolo's. This chant intended as a cruel jest, was taken up by thousands of Roma supporters as they celebrated their first European trophy in sixty years. Zaniolo appeared to find humor in the chant, as he was seen laughing along with the fans.

Nasti, however, was deeply affected. She took to social media to criticize her former boyfriend and wrote: "With that shrimp, we don't know how he has already had a child. You are losers and you also suck."

Her disparaging comments about Zaniolo, referring to him metaphorically as a "shrimp," were widely condemned and viewed as body-shaming. This forced Nasti to disable comments on her social media and delete the offending posts.

Despite the personal drama, both Zaniolo and Zaccagni managed to maintain professionalism on the pitch. They played together during Italy's crucial 2-1 victory over Ukraine in the Euro 2024 qualifying match, demonstrating their ability to put aside personal differences for the sake of the national team. However, following a lacklustre season at Aston Villa, where Zaniolo scored only three goals and provided no assists in 40 appearances, he has been dropped from the squad.

As Zaniolo watches from the sidelines, Zaccagni continues to rise in prominence. His contributions will be crucial when Italy face Switzerland in a round-of-16 encounter on June 29.