Euro 2020: What's the deal with the tiny car that brings on the match ball?

Tuesday night’s Euro 2020 semi-final between Italy and Spain saw the triumphant return of one very special character: the tiny car that brings on the match ball.

Having appeared at the opening match between Italy and Turkey on June 11, the tiny car unceremoniously disappeared – we thought possibly for good.

But with the introduction of a new Adidas Uniforia ball for the semi-final, everyone’s favourite diminutive remote-control vehicle came roaring back.

And the question on everyone’s lips is now: erm, what’s the deal with the small car that brings the match ball on, then?

Well, the unsurprising modern football answer is that it’s a sponsorship deal. Volkswagen is the “official mobility partner” (no, us neither) of Euro 2020, and the tiny car is a clever way of advertising that vital deal. It’s even got its own Twitter account now.

So will we see the tiny football car for England’s semi-final against Denmark and the final on Sunday? We don’t know for sure, but the signs are good.