But that is exactly my point. Far too many Italians, especially left-wing Italians, say that they do not like nation states and want them abolished.

They support the idea of a United States of Europe and they vote for anything that promotes Europe because Europe is cool and nations are nasty.

But as these European soccer championships prove, when the chips are down, they are not Europeans”€”they are Italians.

Here is why there will never be a United States of Europe: People are more loyal to their nation than to their class. Despite how hard the leftie ideologues insist that nations are artificial bourgeois constructs and must be abolished, the man in the street refuses to listen.

The European Union suited the Italians just fine until they made the fatal error of abolishing the lira in favor of the euro in 2001. The British warned the 17 eurozone nations that the single currency was sheer folly: You cannot have monetary union without political union. The people of Europe, as football shows, do not want political union.

I remember the euro’s arrival here in Italy only too well. Key ingredients of daily existence such as cigarettes, wine, and coffee doubled in price overnight. Wages stayed where they were.

My six-year-old son, Francesco Winston, who was born in Italy as were my other four children, will be supporting Italy tonight. For now, my son feels Italian, not European. But there is still plenty of time for him to realize that like his father, he is an Englishman.

(UPDATE: Italy beat England, 4-2.)