Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has revealed he is "energised" by a mother and son from Ukraine, whom his family took in when war broke out last year.
Anna, along with her son Milan, now 11, left her husband, who was fighting on the front line, and moved in with Vicario in March 2022. They still live in Vicario's family home in Udine.
Guglielmo and Milan hit it off immediately, with the boy being delighted when Vicario revealed that he was a professional footballer. Vicario helped find Milan a place to play football, including helping him learn the language. At first, they had to communicate using Google Translate.
"He is my little brother. When I go back to Udine to see my family, I spend some time with him. He is doing well. He's going to school, learning Italian. I hope he is feeling well because the situation in Ukraine is not very good now because of the war. So we try to give a smile to these people, and I hope that they do not have to think about the situation in their country.
When I go on the pitch, thinking about them is very important. It's like the strength it can give. I'm happy for this family," Vicario told a small group of journalists during a pre-season training camp in Perth, Australia.