Italian footballer picks Ferrari star over local wonderkid Kimi Antonelli

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty
Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the Hungarian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Atletico Madrid's newest signing, Giacomo Raspadori, has picked Ferrari man Charles Leclerc over his Italian compatriot Kimi Antonelli when asked to choose between the two for a social media game. The 25-year-old then mentioned that both he and Antonelli come from the Emilia-Romagna region of the European country.

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On August 12, Atletico Madrid announced the signing of Italian forward Raspadori from Napoli. Football transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Spanish club has paid an initial fee of €22 million [$25.7 million] for the player.

Upon his arrival in the Spanish capital, Atletico shared an Instagram reel in which Raspadori was asked to pick between two options given to him. One of the questions the interviewer asked him was to choose between Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc or fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli.

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Raspadori did not hesitate at first and responded quickly, saying:

"Leclerc. But by hometown is near where Antonelli is from. He's from Emilia-Romagna."

Raspadori then reconsidered his answer for a second before picking both drivers as a joke.

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Raspadori was born in Bentivoglio, which is a commune in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Kimi Antonelli was also born in the same city.

However, the Italian international's first pick was Charles Leclerc, who has become the country's adopted son ever since he joined Ferrari in 2019. The Prince of Ferrari is also having yet another impressive F1 season.

While the team from Maranello has struggled in 2025, Leclerc has managed to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of the SF 25. The 27-year-old has already scored five podiums this year, with his best result coming at the Monaco GP, where he finished second.

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Charles Leclerc brands Ferrari boss as "cold-blooded"

Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur at the Chinese Grand Prix - Source: Getty
Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur at the Chinese Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc has claimed that Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur was "cold-blooded," as he brought calmness to an otherwise emotional team. The Frenchman has signed a contract extension to stay at the Scuderia for multiple seasons.

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Speaking to the media about Vasseur's influence on the team recently, Leclerc explained the most unique thing the 57-year-old brings to the table.

"I feel that the beauty of Ferrari is the fact that emotionally it's always intense, but it can also harm us in some ways, especially when tougher times arrive. Fred has always had very cold blood in those moments and helped the team to be a little bit more, lucid," Leclerc said, via RacingNews365.
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"That’s the biggest thing Fred has brought to the team," he added.

Leclerc also praised the long-term vision brought in by Vasseur for the squad. The Monegasque explained that Vassuer has managed to embed this vision within the team already after having arrived in 2023.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam
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