'A beautiful vibe' - The legacy of the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia | OneFootball

When Tammy Abraham tapped in AC Milan’s EA Sports FC Supercup injury-time winner in Riyadh against derby rivals Inter, the ensuing celebrations of ecstatic players and fans united behind the goal told their own story.

Fans at stadiums call it “scenes” or “limbs” – the sheer, unbridled joy of seeing your team score or win, especially in circumstances as dramatic as AC Milan’s triumph, where they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

For players, it’s quite simply why you play football; what you dreamed of when you were a young child kicking a ball around with your friends. And for the millions of fans watching the pictures from Saudi Arabia being beamed back to their corner of the world, it is why football is not just the beautiful game, but the global game.

“Beautiful atmosphere in a beautiful country,” is what a delighted Abraham said. AC Milan team-mate Rafael Leão, who played such an influential role in the comeback after coming off the bench when Inter went 2-0 ahead, added: “I must thank the Saudi fans; they have been incredible. They created a beautiful vibe. Winning something with Milan is full of emotion. It’s a collective win.”

📸 Yasser Bakhsh - 2025 Getty Images

There were 22,508 fans packed into a sold-out Al Awwal Park for the ‘Supercoppa Italiana’ final on Monday January 6 to see two of world football’s most cherished names battle it out. Not all left the ground ecstatic with the score, of course, but everyone – even the most ardent Inter fan – left knowing they had witnessed something special on Saudi soil, a true game for the ages.

The attendance for the matches at this year’s Supercup amounted to 66,520 – the highest ever in the five occasions that Saudi Arabia has hosted the tournament.

Fans from as far as China travelled for the tournament, as well as Inter Milan’s ‘Curva Nord’ ultras. Accompanied by three friends, Travis Wang flew direct from Beijing to Riyadh for the final. The Inter diehard may have left disappointed at the result but the Chinese national was delighted with the overall experience. Wang said: “It was so easy to get here. The Saudi people are very friendly and have so much passion for football.”

The injury-time celebrations, and all of the enthralling match action throughout the three Supercup fixtures, were also experienced in full by mute and deaf supporters at Al Awwal Park, the home of Al Nassr and their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. For the first time in Saudi Arabia, an initiative by the Ministry of Sport saw a unique football jersey equipped with advanced sensors that transformed stadium noise into vibrations. The groundbreaking technology allowed fans with hearing impairments or difficulties a transformative experience for how they enjoy football.

📸 Saudi Arabia Ministry of Sport

The Ministry of Sport inclusivity initiative will also be used during the Spanish Supercup being held in Jeddah, alongside an additional initiative to promote accessibility and engagement.

Another activity that bonded fans and players were meet-and-greets with all four teams. Thrilled youngsters got to meet their heroes in the flesh, helping to inspire the next generation of footballers and providing memories to last a lifetime. For those slightly older wanting to meet the footballing stars of their youths, Serie A brought a number of ambassadors and legends, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, Marco Materazzi, and the gifted World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero. Del Piero’s old club Juventus, with whom he won four Supercups, also delighted the Juventus Academy in Saudi Arabia by having members of the first team play with their talented youngsters.

Del Piero said: “It is important for young players in Saudi Arabia, like anywhere else in the world, to improve their techniques by watching established players at the top of their game. Having the Supercup in Riyadh again has been a great experience.”

📸 Abdullah Ahmed - 2025 Getty Images

With the most recent contract including another two Supercups in Saudi Arabia, Serie A most certainly agrees.

Luigi De Siervo, the CEO of Serie A, said: “The Italian Supercup has strengthened the bond between Italy and Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Investment and Sela are welcoming Serie A to the Kingdom in the most hospitable manner, and our relationship with Saudi Arabia is a key relationship to help Serie A keep growing. Saudi Arabia has a very youthful population that is very passionate about football, and we want to continue to increase fan attendance.”

Michele Ciccarese, the Commercial and Marketing Director of Serie A, added: “In the past, we were too focused on domestic (issues) with Serie A but now everything we do has an eye on abroad. This year we were joined in Saudi Arabia by the three biggest clubs in terms of fan base (Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan) and off the pitch we are working as a collective; as an orchestra not as violinists.”

And as AC Milan’s collective orchestra of players and fans reached a crescendo in their Supercup celebrations in Riyadh, young Saudis in the stands dreamed of one day being their heroes on the pitch.

Asked how staging big events such as the Supercup can inspire young Saudis, Malick Thiaw, the AC Milan defender, replied: “I think it has a big impact with what they’re doing, I think football is for everyone, it’s not true that it’s for some people – it’s for everyone, so everybody can enjoy football even more. I hope young Saudis continue to work like this and aim for the highest.”

📸 Yasser Bakhsh - 2025 Getty Images