Today Inter Milan confirmed that their talisman Mauro Icardi has been stripped of the captaincy, with Samir Handanovic taking on the armband.
The Argentine, who has scored 15 goals for the Nerazzurri this season, has also been dropped from the squad for the Europa League round of clash with Rapid Vienna on Thursday.
And while the news is a tad surprising at this stage in the season, it's the latest episode in what has been a crazy saga involving Icardi, Inter, the club's ultras and his wife/agent, Wanda.
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Football Italia have put together a detailed timeline of Icardi's time in Milan over the past few years and it's eventful to say the least.
October 7, 2016: Inter announce Icardi has signed a new contract until 2021, with wages standing at €4.5 million a season. An €110 million release clause is included in his deal, but only for foreign clubs.
October 16, 2016: Inter ultras in the Curva Nord demand Icardi be stripped of the captain's armband after a chapter in his book criticised them. It stemmed from an incident after a loss to Sassuolo where Icardi and Fredy Guarin had their shirts thrown back at them when they went to give them to travelling fans. "You're finished," was the line from Inter fans.
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October 17, 2016: A day after Inter fans fume, Wanda tells Corriere dello Sport that her husband's renewal came after Napoli tried to sign Icardi as a Gonzalo Higuain replacement..
April 7, 2017: A few months down the line and Wanda is at it again, this time claiming she is 'the only wife who makes money for her husband' in an interview with magazine Gente. "He's gone from being worth €14m to €250m."
September 25, 2017: Wanda changes her stance, this time reaffirming Mauro's commitment to Inter at a book launch, saying, "Their captain forever? That's my dream, we hope so."
November 30, 2017: Wanda cranks things up by claiming she's had people in touch regarding her husband's situation. "I've received some calls, but I prefer not to say from which clubs. He's worth at least €200m."
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December 15, 2017: Real Madrid get a mention from Wanda and there's uncertainty. "I don't know anything about Real Madrid, but I won't say yes or no," she tells Verissimo. "If it was up to Mauro then he'd stay at Inter for life, but there are other things we don't know. We hope so."
February 22, 2018: Wanda gives another interview with Corriere dello Sport, this time saying: "Ausilio knows what I think and I know what he and the club think. A couple of big clubs have approached us and shown they appreciate him... I have to at least listen to them and assess the situation."
March 20, 2018: Wanda changes her tune on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport, revealing optimism of an agreement being made. "We're confident about Icardi's renewal and when I meet the directors at the stadium we laugh and joke. I make the joke that he's worth more with every day that passes."
May 22, 2018: Wanda goes back to talking about many elite clubs looking to snap Icardi up,saying: "There are some big clubs willing to pay his release clause that, to tell you the truth, considering the figures that are going around, isn't even that much for a player like him. There are many clubs pressing..."
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July 2018: Icardi doesn't end up signing a new contract and his release clause expires while Wanda goes quiet for a couple of months.
September 4, 2018: Wanda then tells Tiki Taka that 'Juventus looked at Icardi but Cristiano Ronaldo was their primary objective. Surely Mauro could've been an alternative.' Juve director Fabio Paratic, talking to Gazzetta dello Sport, via FourFourTwo recently, revealed Icardi was the Bianconeri's number one priority.
November 28, 2018: Wanda speaks to Corriere dello Sport again, but doesn't go into too much detail: "It's not the time to talk about it. He's not asked for anything, every renewal was signed when the club offered it to Mauro. I prefer Milan to London, Madrid and Paris, but that doesn't count for anything... I'm very superstitious and I don't want to reveal what Mauro told me, but he's very calm."
December 18, 2018: Wanda spices things up and makes the claim that Inter wanted to sell Icardi to Juventus but he turned it down. "Inter? We're very far apart," she said. "What's been written in the last few days annoys me. No-one's called me to ask for any explanations. Inter wanted to send Icardi to Juventus, but it was Mauro who said 'no' as he wanted to stay at Inter."
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January 9, 2019: TyC Sports over in Argentina report that the two parties could not work things out, with Wanda telling the club her husband would not be putting pen to paper.
January 10, 2019: Gazzetta dello Sport claim Inter had enough of Wanda, though Mauro says his other half 'will take care of my interests until the end of my career'.
January 12, 2019: Wanda fires back and bemoans the lack of respect for husband. "No-one's allowed to interfere with my family affairs, reporting false and biased news. The lack of respect towards a gentleman like Icardi, who attended your last event and has always been available to you, is truly shameful."
January 18, 2019: Inter and Wanda are poised to meet for discussions but it doesn't happen and she throws some shade on Instagram. "I like people who speak three languages: to your face, directly and with balls,"" she writes, before telling Striscia La Notizia that a renewal will be agreed.
January 28, 2019: Wanda praises Giuseppe Marotta and his honesty, telling Tiki Taka: "We haven't discussed figures, Inter have other priorities right now... I like Marotta, he seems like a sincere person to me and today he showed it, he's what we need. There's hypocrisy in football, but he looks at you and tells you the truth, and in this industry we're not used to that."
February 11, 2019: But Wanda is back on the attack again. "I didn't mention the renewal when the club called me..." she tells Tiki Taka. "I'd like to see Mauro more protected by the club because sometimes nasty things have come out from inside."
February 13, 2019: Icardi is no longer Inter skipper and gets dropped by Luciano Spalletti in the same day.
So much has happened in that time and it's all led to the big news today. It remains to be seen whether he will be back into the fold - and crucially - whether or not he will be with the club when the summer transfer window comes about.
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