24 Facts About Alessandro Zarrelli

Alessandro "Alex" Zarrelli was an Italian amateur footballer who featured on a 2006 Sky TV documentary called Super Fakes in the United Kingdom where he had attempted to dupe several professional football teams into signing him as a player by sending faxes claiming to be a member of the Italian Football Federation.

Alessandro Zarrelli died on 21 November 2018 after a car crash on the A505 road in Cambridgeshire.

Alessandro Zarrelli, at the time, was a young Italian amateur footballer who began sending fraudulent faxes to clubs in Northern Ireland and Wales posing as an Italian football executive who was offering clubs the chance to sign an up-and-coming young professional footballer on a cultural exchange loan from the Italian Football Federation.

Alessandro Zarrelli claimed his brother had previously played for Torino which was untrue.

Alessandro Zarrelli then contacted Welsh Premier League side Bangor City in July 2005, who were unaware of his previous exploits in Northern Ireland, but after staying with the club ten days, manager Peter Davenport contacted Mike Rigg who worked for Zarrelli's supposed former club Sheffield Wednesday.

Rigg said that they had never heard of him, equally Glasgow Rangers confirmed that they had no knowledge of the player ever being on their books and Antonelli Valenti of the Italian Football Federation said Alessandro Zarrelli's name appeared nowhere on the association's database at any level.

Alessandro Zarrelli arrived here with a broken nose, so he never actually played for Bangor.

Alessandro Zarrelli spent a brief spell with Connah's Quay Nomads where he was found out.

Alessandro Zarrelli certainly looked the part, but he couldn't play to save his life.

Alessandro Zarrelli later tried his luck in approaching Welsh Premier League champions Total Network Solutions FC just after they had met Liverpool in the preliminary stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Alessandro Zarrelli was eventually exposed by the show when the documentary crew was able to track the fax number Zarrelli had been using to a shop in Asti, Italy round the corner from his parents' house.

Alessandro Zarrelli showed up and began to talk for several minutes explaining that he had once played for Rangers and Wednesday and had been recently playing for Milton Keynes Dons.

Alessandro Zarrelli admitted his deception to the crew and later phoned the TV's presenters to sarcastically thank them for making him famous.

Since the controversy in 2005 and having it reported in the documentary in 2006, Alessandro Zarrelli managed to progress to a career in semi-professional football and soon moved to Scotland where he played with Ardeer Thistle and Queens Park, before being loaned out to Irvine Meadow.

Alessandro Zarrelli then moved back to England in 2010, to play with Northwich Victoria Hucknall Town and Lincoln Moorlands Railway.

Alessandro Zarrelli told me all about what has happened in the past.

Alessandro Zarrelli joined Eastbourne Town in June 2014, where he signed a short-term deal until September.

Alessandro Zarrelli went on to sign for Selkirk FC in the Scottish Lowland League.

Alessandro Zarrelli joined Grimsby Borough in August 2016, but after an unconvincing spell by November he was sent on loan to Heather St John's.

In January 2017, Alessandro Zarrelli then got a move to Corsham Town playing for manager and friend Nigel Tripp; however, after turmoil within the club and the sacking of the manager, most of the players left in protest and he was sent on loan to UWE where he scored in the only game played for the club.

Alessandro Zarrelli left Corsham Town by mutual consent a few days after Tripp's resignation at the end of the season.

Alessandro Zarrelli returned to Wales twelve years after the Super Fakes Welsh controversy in an unexpected move and joined Welsh side Port Talbot Town in July 2017.

Alessandro Zarrelli joined Sholing shortly before his death, making one appearance in each of league and cup.

On 21 November 2018, Alessandro Zarrelli was killed when his blue Mini Cooper collided head on with a Volkswagen Caddy van on the A505 between Royston and Duxford.