- The Inter Milan star grabbed Stefan Savic in his private region during the game
- Marcus Thuram has been compared to Vinnie Jones’ previous iconic moment
- England squad coming… who is the wild card pick? It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram has been compared to Vinnie Jones after grabbing the midriff of Atletico Madrid defender Stefan Savic in a bizarre moment.
Thuram and Savic were competing for space in the box when the Inter star got hold of his opponent by the testicles and caused the centre-back to collapse awkwardly to the ground.
The comical moment has been compared to Vinnie Jones’ infamous incident with England legend Paul Gascoigne when an almost identical moment happened 36-years ago.
An English top-flight clash between Wimbledon and Newcastle in 1998 set the scene for one of the most iconic exchanges between two players in modern football.
Jones was backing up towards Gasgoigne when he grabbed a handful of his private parts much to the discomfort of his younger opponent.
Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram grabbed Atletico Madrid’s Stefan Savic by the testicles
Thuram’s actions have been compared to this infamous moment by Vinnie Jones on Paul Gascoigne
Savic collapsed to the floor after the incident before eventually recovering to carry on playing
20-year-old Gasgoigne was soaking in the limelight of an outstanding start to his professional career when he was confronted by Jones who had been given the task of marking him throughout the game.
Jones was frustrated in his attempts to stop Gasgoigne and reached back into Gasgoigne’s gentlemen’s area. The attempt clearly worked as the youngster’s impact on proceedings waned.
Fast-forward to present day and Thuram has clearly taken a note out of Jones’ book on man-marking by stretching out an arm and squeezing Savic’s testicles.
The France international maintained a steely look forwards while reaching back as Savic – evidently taken by surprise – fell backwards into the ground.
No action was taken by referee Szymon Marciniak despite the apparent foul being reviewed for possible foul play.
Thuram looks straight ahead as he grabs an unsuspecting Savic in the midriff
One shocked viewer commenting on the incident on X, comically quipped: ‘He’s a handful.’
Another added: ‘How is he not getting red carded for that?’ in relation to Thuram avoiding punishment.
The pair were late seen laughing about the incident when Thuram was substituted in extra time before the game proceeded to penalties.
Inter proceeded to lose 3-2 on penalties as last year’s Champions League finalists crashed out of the competition.