The Brazilian, who's been plying his trade in Italy since 2008, spoke of an experience where he was subjected to racial discrimination.

"I remember a time when I was in a pharmacy and I was accused of stealing a pack of nappies,” Amauri told Gioia magazine.

“I was putting them down. The shelf was near the automatic door, which opened.

"The pharmacist wanted to call the police, but I hadn't done anything wrong. I was just a foreigner who couldn't speak Italian very well.

Amauri is currently eligible to play for the Azzuri after obtaining an Italian passport, and the 28-year-old recently said that he might rather play for the Selecao.

"I responded to the pharmacist and I said, 'Call the police, you're the racist one. I am more Italian than you and I will represent your country one day.'

Amauri is the latest player to show resentment against racism in Italy, after AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf and Inter defender Christian Chivu.