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An Italian footballer has become a hero on and off the pitch for asking his team to pay him only the minimum wage. While some of his team-mates at Roma football club earn millions, Damiano Tommasi has requested a salary of €1,500 (£1,013) a month.

After being out of the game for months with a knee injury, the 31-year-old player said he simply wanted to return to playing football at the highest level and economic considerations were low on his list of priorities. A modest salary was enough for his needs, he said, and he was still earning more than many ordinary Italians.

His gesture has led to him being lionised in football-mad Italy, with even the Vatican's official mouthpiece L'Osservatore Romano congratulating him for not pursuing an exorbitant salary or re-signing fee, like other players.

The player, who has had 10 consecutive contracts with Roma but whose future is uncertain, said he had signed on at the minimum salary for the rest of the season 'because I love football'. He made it clear that the salary, the minimum amount laid down by the footballing union, was at his request.

Speaking recently before a group of young people, the player said: 'Kids see us as idols and we have to give a good example. I do a job that I love and I get a lot of money for doing it. This is a joy but also a big responsibility.’