11 June 2000: Italy beat Turkey as Totti kicks off tournament star turn

On 11 June 2000, Italy began a European Championship campaign with a group stage game against Turkey.

Twenty-one years later, the Azzurri will do the same once again - this time at the Stadio Olimpico, as Euro 2020 finally gets underway on Friday evening.

Back in 2000, Dino Zoff's side headed to the tournament (co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands) for the opening game of Group B, which took place in Arnhem.

Italy would ultimately win the game 2-1, although it proved to be anything but straightforward.

Antonio Conte scored a bicycle kick, Filippo Inzaghi converted from the penalty spot - but between that Okan had Turkey back on level terms and looking increasingly confident of their chances.

That game was notable for other reasons - not least of which, from our perspective, was the debut in a senior international tournament for one Francesco Totti.

With the No. 20 on his back, Totti came into the tournament pretty confident of his abilities at international level - having been part of the Italy squad that won the Under-21 Euros in 1996, and then also the Mediterranean Games a year later.

As far as he was concerned, winning at a national level came naturally as well. And he duly took to the Euros like a duck to water, scoring goals against both Belgium and Romania to power his side towards the semi-finals of the competition.

Totti seemed to have marked himself out as one undroppable element of Zoff's team as his performances continued to sparkle throughout his team's run - and yet, in the semi-final, he was in fact relegated to the bench.

Alessandro Del Piero was initially preferred for the game, although Totti was introduced to the fray in the second half.

And the Roma No. 10 would be the decisive element in the contest - ultimately scoring an iconic penalty in the shootout that would play a major role in etching his legacy on the game, at least from an international perspective.

When Totti clipped his penalty over Edwin Van Der Sar (having just told his teammates, "Watch this, I'm going to chip this guy now"), he seemed to break the resolve of the Dutch side, helping send Italy on to the final.

The final, at least for those in Italy, does not need too much recounting.

The Azzurri were 1-0 up thanks to Marco Delvecchio's goal right up until the final minute of the game - where Sylvain Wiltord's equaliser sent the game to extra-time.

A golden goal from David Trezeguet soon after would condemn the Azzurri to one of the most painful possible defeats on the biggest stage.

Despite all that, however, Totti was nevertheless named the Man of the Match of the final.

Montages of his highlights from that game exist around social media - the No. 20 pulling strings throughout against quality midfielders like Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira. Italy could count themselves unfortunate not to have won the contest - and Totti more so than almost anyone.

Twenty-one years later, another tournament begins for the Azzurri against Turkey - and this time the contest will kick off the tournament as a whole too.

Will a similar deep run in the competition be in store for Roberto Mancini's side - and will either Leonardo Spinazzola or Bryan Cristante make a significant Roma-infused impact on events?

Antonio Conte: 31 luglio 1969, ultima stagione calcistica 2003-04. Tra i tecnici più affermati a livello internazionale. Fresco campione d’Italia con l’Inter, in Serie A ha vinto pure con la Juventus, mentre in Inghilterra con il Chelsea ha conquistato Premier e FA Cup. È stato ct azzurro dal 2014 al 2016.

Stefano Fiore: 17 aprile 1975, ultima stagione calcistica 2010-11. Dopo il calcio, ha iniziato la carriera dirigenziale nelle serie inferiori partendo dalla Serie D con il Cosenza. Con il tempo è diventato opinionista sportivo in tv, di recente è entrato a far parte dello staff tecnico di Massimo Oddo.

Demetrio Albertini: 23 agosto 1971, ultima stagione calcistica 2004-05. Ha preferito non cimentarsi nel percorso da allenatore, ma ha fatto strada in ambito federale come dirigente. Ha ricoperto la carica di vicepresidente della FIGC.

Gianluca Pessotto: 11 agosto 1970, ultima stagione calcistica 2005-06. Ha legato gran parte della carriera da calciatore alla Juventus e, successivamente, anche da dirigente, ricoprendo nel club bianconero diversi incarichi.

Filippo Inzaghi: 9 agosto 1973, ultima stagione calcistica 2011-12. È uno dei campioni del mondo del 2006 ad aver intrapreso la carriera da allenatore. L’esperienza più recente è sulla panchina del Benevento, la prossima stagione sarà il tecnico del Brescia. Ma ha guidato Milan, Venezia, Bologna.