Euro 2020’s star player is this small VW ID.4 R/C car named Tiny

During the opening match of Euro 2020 (held in 2021), viewers and fans were greeted to an interesting sight just before the game begins. Before Italy and Turkey kicked off, a Volkswagen ID.4 R/C car rolled onto the pitch carrying the official match ball as the referee picks it up.

Mind you, this wasn’t some pitch invasion of some sort but rather an ingenious way for a carmaker to promote itself at one of the world’s most-watched football tournaments.

Volkswagen is the latest carmaker to sponsor a football tournament, following the likes of Hyundai at the FIFA World Cup and Suzuki at Southeast Asia’s AFF Championship. Instead of just putting its name on advertising hoardings, the German brand wanted a closer piece of the action.

Volkswagen is the Official Mobility Partner for Euro 2020 as well as the sponsor of the Official Match Ball Carriers. Normally, the match ball is brought into the match by a kid or the referee themselves but Volkswagen decided to give them a break and took over their job just for a while.

Called Tiny, the remote-control car is a 1:5 scale model of the all-electric Volkswagen ID.4. Though there are no details on what is powering the R/C ID.4, the actual ID.4 is powered by an electric motor with up to 204 PS and 310 Nm running the rear wheels.

Also read: 2021 VW ID.4 pushes Tesla aside to be Europe's best-selling EV

The electric Volkswagen is also Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV), outselling even the mighty Tesla. There is even a faster GTX variant with up to 303 PS and all-wheel drive (AWD).

Also read: The VW ID.4 GTX is the electric, AWD Golf GTI you've been waiting for

Fans eagerly waited for the return of the Tiny and they got their wish when the lil ID.4 reappeared at last night’s semi-final match between Italy and Spain. The sight of the smol SUV is certainly a bit of delight as the match ended with a tense round of penalties with the Italians entering the finals.

The finals on 11-July would be the next match where fans could see Tiny performing its ball-carrying tricks. You could also check out its Twitter page to see the lil VeeDub’s antics and excitement behind the scenes.