Bonucci causes a stir with his 'gender-equal' tackle

Former famous center back Leonardo Bonucci just had a controversial move when facing players of the opposite sex in a charity match.

Bonucci easily took the ball from Houghton's feet - Photo: REUTERS

The match was between the England women's team and the legendary men's team. Of course, this was just a charity match to raise funds for UNICEF, and took place in a very friendly atmosphere.

Throughout the match, the two teams played openly, but in general the male players always proactively avoided strong collisions with their colleagues of the opposite sex.

But when the score was 4-4, Bonucci seemed to have "forgotten" the spirit of giving in, when he used his trademark tackling skills to steal the ball from Steph Houghton - the captain of the England women's team.

Houghton was playing a loose ball down the right wing, but before she could make a run, Bonucci swooped in and made a deft tackle.

Video clip of Bonucci's tackle - Source: SA

The former Italian midfielder obviously got the ball, not only that, he also "knocked out" Houghton, leaving her unable to get up.

Immediately after the ball was passed, Bonucci seemed to "remember" who he was facing, and raised his hand to signal the match to stop so Houghton could be taken care of.

Bonucci's team eventually won 5-4, and his tackle became the talk of social media.

Many fans were not happy with Bonucci. One critic said: "Bonucci clearly forgot the nature of the match, which is not right. Luckily he raised his hand to signal a pause in the match, a fair play gesture to save the game."

Another said: "Bonucci doesn't need to use his special skills to deal with women. He can get close and get the ball easily."

The two are still very close after the match - Photo: INSTAGRAM

But many other fans do not think so. They support Bonucci because this is a fair match, and should play their best to respect the opponent.

"Female players are always demanding gender equality, so Bonucci's tackle is exactly what they need," said one Facebook account.

The clip of Bonucci's tackle created waves on social networks, with most male fans showing their joy, leading to much controversy.

But that did not affect the working relationship between Bonucci and Houghton. After the match, Bonucci posted a photo of himself with his "rival" with the joke: "She's still alive".

Houghton also commented: "My boy", showing that she did not mind the opponent's aggressive tackle at all.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bonucci-gay-sot-voi-pha-tac-bong-binh-dang-gioi-20250617122758865.htm