McKennie and Weah infuriate Italians with food criticism

McKennie and Weah infuriate Italians with food criticism Tezzbuzz | 26/06/2025 01:24:22

epa11889200 Juventus’ Weston McKennie (L) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Champions League play-offs first leg soccer match between Juventus FC and PSV Eindhoven, in Turin, Italy, 11 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

Juventus and USMNT midfielders Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah infuriated Italians by suggesting the food ‘has no variety,’ a statement that prompted Emiliano Viviano to suggest they ‘not let him back into the country.’

The pair of Americans sat down for the Juventus Talk With Us podcast and got onto the subject of the local cuisine in Turin.

McKennie and Weah unimpressed with real Italian food

MONZA, ITALY - DECEMBER 22: Weston McKennie of Juventus celebrates with teammate Kenan Yildiz after scoring his team's first goal during the Serie A match between Monza and Juventus at U-Power Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) — MONZA, ITALY – DECEMBER 22: Weston McKennie of Juventus celebrates with teammate Kenan Yildiz after scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Monza and Juventus at U-Power Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“You guys don’t have variety, it’s pasta, pizza, fish, steak,” said McKennie.

“You know what the problem is with Italian food? It’s great, it’s good specific food that you do very well, but in America if I go to a burger joint or a steak house, then I go to another place 10 minutes down the street, I’m still eating a burger, but it’s a completely different taste.

“In Italy, I go to this restaurant and get a pesto pasta, I go 10 minutes down the street and order a pesto pasta, it’s the same thing.”

Weah didn’t help by adding he “prefers Italian-American food” to the real thing.

What McKennie was describing there was not so much ‘lack of variety’ as a regional recipe, needing to go to a different region rather than merely 10 minutes down the road.

These statements inevitably infuriated the Italians, none more so than former Arsenal, Palermo, Fiorentina and Sampdoria goalkeeper Viviano.

“The United States is the country with the worst food in the world,” slammed Viviano on TV Play with tongue firmly in cheek.

“They would even deep-fry the soles of their shoes. If I was (Italian Prime Minister Giorgia) Meloni, I wouldn’t let him back into Italy!

“How can you say there’s no variety in Italian cuisine? His very definition of ‘variety’ irritated me. McKennie, there are 200 million of you Americans and all you ever eat are hamburgers.

“The truth is, all the food in America was brought there by other nations. I just want to tell McKennie that he has achieved the incredible feat of managing to unite all of Italy against him. It is not about fans anymore, he can be insulted by absolutely everybody.”

EPA05269125 Sampdoria's Goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano Reacts After the Italian Serie A Soccer Match Bethaeen US Sassuolo Calcio and Uc Sampdoria in Reggio Emilia, Italy, 20 April 2016. The match Ended 0-0. EPA/Serena Campanini — EPA05269125 Sampdoria’s Goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano Reacts After the Italian Serie A Soccer Match Bethaeen US Sassuolo Calcio and Uc Sampdoria in Reggio Emilia, Italy, 20 April 2016. The match Ended 0-0. EPA/Serena Campanini

It is not the first time that McKennie’s rather particular palate has shocked Juventus teammates, as they were famously horrified when he suggested cookies and brownies in past, or ranch dressing on pizza.

Most recently, he proclaimed his special recipe of “pasta with pesto, tomato and chicken.”