This weekend started at Euro Cup and Italy, one of the candidates, had an auspicious debut despite a bad start to the game. Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in the history of the competition, at 23 seconds, but Albania could not maintain the advantage and lost by 2 to 1 by the goals of Alesandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella. In the last play of the game, goalkeeper Donnarumma saved Manaj with a wonderful save.
Although the Azzurra did not qualify for the last World Cup in Qatar, they are the current champions and one of the candidates for the title. This time she has the naturalized Italian Argentine in her squad, Mateo Reteguiwho He entered with ten minutes left for the end replacing Gianluca Scamacca.
The former forward who emerged from Boca Juniors and with his last step in the country in Tigre, surprised with a confession that opened the debate in the country: “I feel Italian, I feel at home here.” During Sunday, the name of Mateo Retegui was a trend in Argentina for his striking phrase about the European team, where he has scored four goals in nine games (441 minutes on the field).
“I feel Italian. Even though I have lived all my life in Argentina, when I come here I feel at home. “My grandfather, my grandmother, they all live in Argentina and I come back because they are older and I want to visit,” expressed the current Genoa forward, who also wore the colors of Estudiantes de La Plata and Talleres de Córdoba in his native country. “I always knew the anthem of Italy, I swear; I sing it well, didn’t you see me? he added.
“I can’t say what I would have done if Lionel Scaloni called me because he didn’t call me. He called me Roberto Mancini and I didn’t think about it, I said yes. When they told me and I saw the list, I said I would get on the first plane that left.”Mateo said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, which did not go unnoticed in Argentina.
In another order, Mateo Retegui told what his first meeting with the then Italy coach was like: “When I saw Mancini for the first time, it was 12 at night, he was waiting for me. ‘Do you know why you are here?’ I wonder. ‘Yes, to play,’ I replied. And she told me: ‘Yes, to play, but to score goals’. ‘Perfect, I came for that’, I replied. I trained for two or three days and he made me play as a starter. “I was with England and Malta and I scored two goals.”
Furthermore, he remembered when he made his debut in none other than the Napoli stadium, renamed Diego Armando Maradona: “It was against England, we lost 2 to 1 but it was my first game, I scored a goal. It wasn’t how she dreamed because I always want to win and With this shirt you can’t lose, but it was beautiful.” About the current DT, Luciano Spalletti, referred to the controversial prohibitions: “I don’t play Playstation. I have heard the coach, so I don’t play. I heard him talk about what he wants and I, what he says, I do. For me, what he says is a sacred word and I always follow it to the letter.”
Before finishing, Retegui mentioned the two best teammates he had in his careerthese are two references in Boca Juniors: Fernando Gago and Carlos Tevez. In addition, from the ping pong that he responded with the aforementioned Italian media, he revealed that the nickname they gave him is “Mate” and that Lionel Messi is his idol as a boy, among other topics.
Italy will play again in Group B of the Euro Cup this Thursday starting at 4pm against Spain, which has just beaten Croatia in its debut 3-0. The Azzurra’s last match in the first phase will be on Monday the 24th, at the same time, against the Croats.
