ITALIANS are spoiled when it comes to their football presenters. The pretty brunette regularly turns heads when she's reporting on the touchline at stadiums including the San Siro in Milan and the Allianz Stadium in Turin. It's led to admirers hailing her as the "next Diletta Leotta" as the 34-year-old continues to grow her fanbase.
![[Reporter holding a microphone in a stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/www-instagram-com-eleonoraincardona-972647451_ef4ac5.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
On Instagram she has over one million followers who stay tuned to her glam life on and off the pitch. That includes dating Italian international Samuele Ricci, who stars for Torino. SunSport invites you to get to know a bit more about Eleonora in case you haven't been tuning into Serie A (until now).
![[Woman in black swimsuit sitting by a pool.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/eleonora-incardona-974825833.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
Eleonora hails from Sicily, where inhabitants are considered hot-blooded by their fellow Italians. But it's the gorgeous former model who stirs emotions. She graduated in law and appeared destined for a life in the courtroom. However, in 2010 she appeared in the Miss Italia competition and it changed her life forever.
![[Woman in pink jeweled bikini at the beach.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/eleonora-incardona-974825690.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
She scored modelling gigs and it appeared her life was set as an influencer. However, her calling with presenting came when Sportitalia offered her a job in her homeland. Last year, DAZN brought her into the mainstream when she began hosting their Giro d'Italia coverage.
![[Diletta Leotta, TV host, in pink outfit holding microphone.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/glamorous-tv-host-diletta-leotta-850979671.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
But it was no surprise that the streaming giant encouraged her to try her hand at football. Earlier this month, DAZN's viewers were treated to Eleonora's talents. She stepped in for Diletta Leotta to present the channel's coverage of Juventus against Inter Milan.
![[Woman in pink coat holding a DAZN microphone in a stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/eleonora-incardona-974825497.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
Comments online called her "the new Diletta" - with some even suggesting she could replace the regular host. Most recently, she spoke about football being her real passion. She told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "The stadium is something special for me. “The opportunity to be close to the action, to study the details, to understand what is happening by listening to the voices of the protagonists, gives something extra that is difficult to explain.
![[Eleonora Incardona at the INTER FC Fan Zone.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/f783bc6f-d085-46d9-bde4-3227135bc6dd.jpg?strip=all&w=818)
"Obviously, I cannot forget the first matches I saw live in Catania.". It's not just Eleonora's professional life that is thriving. She is currently in a romance with Italian international midfielder Ricci. They went public with their relationship on Instagram in 2024.
![[Woman in white bikini top and striped shorts sitting outdoors.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/eleonora-incardona-974825829.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
Astonishingly, Eleonora was engaged to Diletta Leotta's stepbrother Mirko Manolo before she met Ricci. She revealed in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I am very happy with him. I met him in one of the most complicated periods of my life. "I was only thinking about work to distract myself from everything else. And instead I met a wonderful person, with sound principles and strong values.".
![[Woman holding microphone at a soccer stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/www-instagram-com-eleonoraincardona-972647434_4599ef.jpg?strip=all&w=768)