EURO 2020 /// I N T E RV I E W
“ MANCINI IS OUT OF THIS WORLD AS A COACH.
ITALY’S RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES” CHELSEA LEFT-BACK EMERSON PALMIERI IS DESPERATE TO HELP THE AZZURRI GET OVER THE IGNOMINY OF FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR A FIRST WORLD CUP IN 60 YEARS IN 2018. HE EXPLAINS WHY THE RECORD-BREAKING ITALIANS ARE NOW A DIFFERENT PROPOSITION... ow much are you looking forward to your first major tournament with Italy this summer? I can’t wait for the Euros – all the hard work I’ve put in over the years has been for moments like this. Unfortunately it was postponed 12 months ago – our confidence was sky-high back then, we had won 11 games in a row, which beat Italy’s record for consecutive victories, and were in great form. We can’t go back in time, though, so all we can do is find a silver lining in the middle of this – that our young players could gain more experience ahead of the tournament.
You grew up in Brazil and moved to Italy in 2014, with Palermo and later Roma. Your mother has Italian heritage – did you always want to play for the Azzurri? It took me five months after receiving the invitation. Over that period, I woke up many times during the night thinking, ‘Should I accept it?’ The Brazilian Football Confederation had never spoken to me, though – it’s not like I’d asked them to call me up, but sometimes when we’re doing our work we need to hear some feedback, something positive. Although the Brazilian coaching staff had travelled to watch me play a couple of times, they never said a single word about what they thought. So when I chose to play for Italy, I felt assured that I was making the right decision. The country has embraced me.
What have been your highlights so far in an Italy shirt? The greatest one has to be finishing the qualifiers for Euro 2020 with a perfect record, achieving 10 victories from 10 games. After failing to make it to the last
Other Brazil-born players, like Thiago Motta, have also played for Italy and there are others in this squad. What’s it like in the dressing room? We’ve got a very good group, so they received me very warmly. It certainly
Interview Marcus Alves
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44 Euro 2020 guide
World Cup, those matches were really important for us – it was a moment of both relief and joy when we were able to reach that goal.
