Brexit, Brangelina, Barbieheimer. And Brexoncello?
If only true cultural phenomena get a cut-and-shut shorthand, Italy’s midfield is on to something special.
Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello are a classic buddy-cop pairing.
Brex, 32, born in Argentina, has come halfway around the world to put his wily hands and gainline nous at Italy’s disposal.
Menoncello is a younger gun, born a decade later and brought up in the rugby heartland of Treviso. His battering-ram running and energy have scrambled the most organised of defences.
Their partnership has become something of a meme.
Benetton Treviso, their club side, posted a video of the pair lifting weights together, external, accompanied by a heart emoji and one word: ‘Brexoncello’.
Flip to January in Treviso’s charity calendar for this year and there they are again, posing topless together with a rehomed dog., external
But you still see it best on the pitch.
Eleven days ago, 11 minutes into their meeting with France at the Stadio Olimpico, was a textbook example; Brex luring the defence on to him, slipping a pass and Menoncello rampaging through for a score from 40 metres out.
“He is fantastic to play with,” Menoncello tells BBC Sport of Brex. “He is a genius with his little passes, he is famous for them and it is very difficult to defend.”
“He is younger, he is faster, he brings every physical part of the game,” says Brex, repaying the compliments.
“Maybe I am more the playmaker, and he is more the creator and finisher. That is why we work together on the pitch, we have different characteristics.”
