'She was convinced she was going to die' - Ex-Inter boss helps save two teenage girls from drowning but insists he's 'not a hero'

While on holiday with his family on a beach in Puglia, former Inter manager Stramaccioni was involved in a dramatic rescue. He noticed two young girls, aged 17 and 19, in distress in the water, who were struggling against strong waves. Reacting to the lifeguard's urgent whistles, Stramaccioni sprinted and plunged into the sea to assist, understanding that the lifeguard would be unable to save both girls alone. His quick and decisive actions ultimately led to the safe rescue of the two teenagers.

The girls were out in deep water and one was in a state of shock, causing Stramaccioni to feel genuine fear for both their lives and his own at one point. The former manager, however, believes his actions were not extraordinary, but rather a natural response. "I'm not a hero or a freak; in fact, at one point I had a tough time of it myself," he recounted, downplaying his immense courage.

Recounting the scene's the ex-Udinese manager said: "I was under the umbrella with my wife and children. At a certain point, in the distance, people started crowding along the shore. One of the lifeguards was in the water, whistling to attract attention. There were two girls waving their arms and screaming, so I got up and quickly headed for the water. I immediately sensed the danger. The lifeguard would never have made it alone. The lifeguard entered the water without anything, neither life jackets nor ropes, like me. He told me to head towards the first girl, the older one, while he would focus on the other. As soon as I saw her, she told me she was scared. The water was deep, the waves were strong, I reiterated to her to stay calm, to stay on her back, and that in five minutes it would all be over. In the end, that's what happened."

Stramaccioni continued: "As soon as we reached a comfort zone near the shore, I turned around to check on the lifeguard and the other girl. She was in shock. The lifeguard couldn't help her, so I immediately turned back. The younger girl's situation was desperate: she kept disappearing, going down, and then coming back up, and above all, she had already drunk a lot. Meanwhile, the rescue boat had picked up the lifeguard and was trying to reach us, but we were too close to the rocks. They started throwing ropes at us from the rocks, but we couldn't reach them. I started to get scared, especially because the girl was dragging me into the water. She was convinced she was going to die. I'm not a hero or a freak; in fact, at one point I had a tough time of it myself, but as someone with the physical and mental characteristics needed for a similar situation, I felt compelled to intervene. My son asked me, 'Dad, what if I died?' I did it out of a sense of 'protection,' as if my wife or one of them had been in the water."