West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has been no stranger to making headlines during his football career.
From his admirable sportsmanship against Everton to pushing over a referee, Di Canio has often lived in the limelight.
Now, after several controversial incidents as both a player and a manager, the Hammers icon just added punditry to the list.
Di Canio has gone viral for a moment of madness during live television coverage of the Champions League.
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Paolo Di Canio of West Ham United expresses an opinion during the FA Carling Premiership match against Wimbledon at Upton Park.
26 Mar 2000: Paolo Di Canio of West Ham United expresses an opinion during the FA Carling Premiership match against Wimbledon at Upton Park in London. West Ham United won the match 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster/Allsport
Paolo Di Canio goes viral after banging head three times on live television
Di Canio appeared on Sky Sport Italy as a pundit on Wednesday night for the two Champions League quarter-final fixtures.
He was sitting on a panel with presenter Federica Masolin and former Real Madrid and England manager Fabio Capello.
During the post-match coverage of Arsenal vs Sporting and Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid, Di Canio had a back-and-forth with Masolin.
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Nothing to see here, only Paolo Di Canio cracking his head in blood on the desk during post match Champions just over a football debate, as a demonstration of frustration.
Fabio Capello stood up to hand him a tissue to halt bleeding pic.twitter.com/H9ER1UowGE
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) April 15, 2026
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Visibly frustrated at the debate, the ex-West Ham forward banged his head on the table three times, hard enough to draw blood.
Capello then gave Di Canio a tissue to wipe the blood from his forehead before sitting back down to continue the discussion.
It is not often in modern football that something happens for the first time, but that may have been the case with this outburst.
Finish the sentence: My favourite Paolo di Canio memory is… ?
Unsurprisingly, footage of Di Canio banging his head has gone viral on social media, as many cannot believe his wild reaction.
Among the least surprised will be West Ham supporters, who know about the 57-year-old’s antics as well as anyone.
Apart from his world-class ability, Di Canio was a cult hero at Upton Park for always wearing his heart on his sleeve.
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