The crowd at the Olimpico had been waiting a full year to experience a night like this. Before kick-off for Turkey vs. Italy - the opening game of UEFA Euro 2020 - a pre-match spectacle gave way to the spectacle of football: the opening ceremony of a tournament that was pushed back by a year. It was an incredible feeling for the almost 16,000 spectators in the stands and for the millions watching around the world.

The show that preceded kick-off celebrated the unique nature of European football with one metaphor; every single one of the 24 teams in the finals has represented over 60 years of excellence, but the magic only happens when they come together. Together, the 24 teams give life to the spirit of the Euros. After a video that retold the 60-year history of the competition, there was a stand ovation from the crowd as Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta took to the pitch wearing a Roma and Lazio shirt respectively, in the stadium where they both made history. “Ciao Roma”, “Ciao Euro” their salute to the world.

Then came the Euro Triumph, which transmitted the sense of a glorious meeting of the members of the European football family. The State Police band sounded Gioacchino Rossini’s “William Tell”. Along with the 84-piece ensemble of musicians, there were six mounted officers of the State Police decked out in Risorgimento-era uniforms, who stood on the running track during the band’s performance. On the sides of the pitch, there were 24 athletes from the youth sector of the “Fiamme Oro” Sporting Groups of the State Police, who created a display using giant helium spheres with twelve drummers suspended from the roof of the stadium. This was the 24 Teams Celebrations: a dynamic and joyful tribute to the spirit of fair competition and the beauty of sport. This was all accompanied by a light show and firework display.

Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella was in the stands as the ceremony gave way to the maestro Andrea Bocelli, who sang the world-famous aria “Nessun Dorma”, while the 24 spheres came together and rose to the skies, hoisting high the spirit of the Euros, and were surrounded by a breathtaking display of coloured pyrotechnics, which were launched all around the ground. From the real to the virtual, with Martin Garrix, Bono and the Edge, who performed We Are The People - the official song of Euro 2020 - with a distanced performance, which utilised the latest technologies to bring in fans from all around the world. Then it was down to the pitch, with the roar of the 16,000 at the Olimpico to mark the start of the European Championship.