Giovanni Franzoni, Italy's new ski star. © Pentaphoto

Because of a dead friend: Heated dispute over Italy's ski hero

Giovanni Franzoni is the new superstar in Italy's ski scene. But now the 24-year-old is making headlines because of a tasteless argument.

February 19, 2026

From: det

Giovanni Franzoni has risen to become Italy's new skiing hero in record time. This season, he won the classic races in Wengen and Kitzbühel and became Olympic silver medalist in Bormio. All this after the 24-year-old from Lake Garda suffered a tragic loss. During preseason training, his close friend and roommate, Matteo Franzoso, was killed in a training crash in Chile.

In moments of his greatest triumphs, Franzoni, often in tears, remembered his deceased friend, whom he frequently referred to as "brother." Italy's new ski hero now has a tattoo on his skin bearing a number: 28:11. This is the last split time set by the late Franzoni before his fatal crash.

Matteo Franzoso died in a car accident in September.

But now a fierce, tasteless argument has erupted. The brother of the deceased Franzoso launched an attack against Franzoni. "Someone claims to be his brother, but I'm the only real brother. I was at the funeral, someone else wasn't," Michele Franzoso wrote on Instagram. "That's disrespectful and selfish," the brother continued. His mother, Olga, also shared the post. Although Michele Franzoso doesn't mention a name, it's clear who he means: Giovanni Franzoni.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michele Franzoso (@michele.franzoso)

Giovanni wasn't at his good friend's funeral, but his twin brother Alessandro was. Alessandro also delivered a letter and a bouquet of flowers to the deceased Frenchman's parents. It was Alessandro who defended his famous brother in the comments under the post: "He wanted to keep going, not to dwell on it, but above all, to achieve the goals that Matteo and Giovanni had dreamed of together."

"Envy is the ultimate evil." Alessandro Franzoni

Alessandro Franzoni continues: “Acting like this won’t bring Franz back. Franz can be remembered in the best possible way. You, on the other hand, aren’t doing that. You prefer to point the finger at an athlete and blame him for something he doesn’t bear.” And further: “Envy is the absolute worst evil. I can’t even imagine the pain you’re feeling, but this is beyond all measure and shouldn’t be used as an excuse for such words.”

Franzoni often dedicated the victory to his friend. © AFP / JOE KLAMAR

Alessandro continues to defend his brother: “Everyone grieves in their own way. It’s about keeping the name of a friend alive. It’s about remembering the great person he was to everyone. And what better moment to do that than the victories they both dreamed of? Don’t you dare mention my brother again. Because by speaking ill of him, you’re also speaking ill of my entire family.” Why exactly Matteo Franzoso’s family has now spoken out with these serious accusations is unclear. In any case, it’s a sad, tasteless dispute that has erupted.