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00:00 I've always been a Milan fan, and I still am.
00:02 I love Milan and I've been a fan since I was a kid.
00:07 When people say that Milan is a family affair,
00:14 they usually refer to the fact that it's a faith,
00:17 that it goes from father to son,
00:18 so it's more of a passion, a passion that is transmitted.
00:21 In some cases, however, and it's Milan's history to testify to,
00:24 it also happens that the passage is that of talent.
00:26 So, who has a footballer father, has a footballer son.
00:30 Today we're in the centre of Milan, in Brera,
00:31 to tell you the story of one of these young footballers,
00:34 Lapo Nava, son of Stefano, a great former Milan defender,
00:37 who started from here, from the San Simpliciano oratory,
00:40 and so our story of Lapo also starts from here.
00:43 LAPO NAVA, SON OF STEFANO, A FORMER MILAN DEFENDER
01:13 There's history here, from a family point of view,
01:15 because it's close to our home, of course.
01:18 Then, the oratory, where all the boys have their first relationships.
01:23 They, I have three male sons, came here, right to the nest.
01:27 And then, when they were very young,
01:29 it was a situation of aggregation with all the other children,
01:33 football field, volleyball field,
01:35 and lots of little toys that accompanied them in their growth.
01:40 Listen, Lapo, instead of coming back here with your dad, tell me about the emotions.
01:43 It's a great emotion, because I haven't been back for a long time.
01:46 Now, to see that they've made some changes,
01:49 and they've improved the pitch a bit, it makes me very happy.
01:53 If I talk to you about values, Stefano, what values come to mind?
01:55 It's clear that Milan unites you a bit,
01:57 but there's a lot more in our life, right?
02:00 A father-son relationship.
02:01 Well, the values are those of, if we want,
02:04 work, honesty, sacrifice, and loyalty.
02:08 These are the values that have accompanied me,
02:12 that have been part of the history of Milan,
02:14 and that, obviously, as parents, we have tried to transfer to our children.
02:18 These are the foundations.
02:20 Then, obviously, the boys grow up, leave home,
02:24 and there's hope and desire
02:27 that they can meet, that they're lucky.
02:30 But I think that if a parent gives the important foundations to their children,
02:34 probably the road is quite safe.
02:37 What is your passion?
02:41 In our house, there's always been a passion for football.
02:44 Having a father who has always played football,
02:46 who has had different experiences in different teams in Italy,
02:49 let's say that the passion has always been there,
02:52 and you feel very strong in our house.
02:54 Then, well, he never forced us to play football,
02:57 or to necessarily play with the ball.
03:00 He just wanted us to go to school well
03:02 and to keep us in shape a little bit.
03:04 Then, obviously, the passion is transmitted,
03:05 because seeing the pictures at home,
03:08 seeing Milan on TV,
03:11 the passion is transmitted,
03:12 and I started playing football too,
03:14 and from there I never stopped.
03:15 So, for you, football has always been Milan?
03:17 I mean, it's always been the same thing?
03:19 I've always been a fan of Milan, and I still am.
03:22 For me, Milan is really the team I love,
03:25 and I've been a fan since I was a kid.
03:27 But, obviously, before arriving in Milan,
03:29 I had different experiences in a team from Milan,
03:31 and a team from Pro Sesto, a team close to Milan.
03:35 And then, obviously, I was called to Milan,
03:37 and my heart decided that I had to come here to play.
03:42 Lapo's values are important values.
03:48 He's a very humble guy,
03:50 respectful, not just of us coaches,
03:55 coaches, and managers,
03:56 but also respectful towards his teammates.
04:01 I think these are values that Lapo has acquired in his family,
04:04 having had the chance to meet his grandfather,
04:08 who always accompanied him to the games,
04:11 because Stefano was busy with the Milan Spring at the time,
04:15 so he didn't have much chance of following him.
04:18 His grandfather had become the grandfather of everyone,
04:21 of all the team members.
04:23 Always available, kind.
04:26 So I think he has acquired certain values in the family.
04:32 Having a grandfather like Stefano,
04:35 who directs you, who leaves you free to choose,
04:37 I imagine, knowing him, that he was completely different from the position.
04:41 But how does he condition you?
04:43 He never conditioned me, because in the end,
04:45 I always chose what I wanted to do.
04:48 But, obviously, having already had this experience,
04:51 having already lived in the football world,
04:54 he obviously helped me make the right choices.
04:56 But the final decision has always been mine.
04:58 Obviously, I listen to his suggestions and his advice,
05:02 but the final decision is always my personal,
05:04 because in the end, I am the one doing this job,
05:07 and I am the one who is following this dream and project.
05:10 I was interested in the choice of goalkeeper, of the role.
05:13 It was a very funny story, because I was little,
05:17 I was still playing at five,
05:18 and in my school there was no goalkeeper,
05:21 so sometimes I was playing as a goalkeeper.
05:23 It was my turn, and we won 10-1.
05:26 I scored under the legs, but I understood that I would like it a lot,
05:30 because there are many responsibilities that you carry.
05:34 It's something that I like, it stimulates me,
05:37 and it makes me want to improve every day to improve.
05:41 And from this point of view, having idols,
05:44 in the sense that you were inspired by someone,
05:45 did you particularly like a goalkeeper, or was it not very focused?
05:48 I never had a goalkeeper who inspired me.
05:51 Obviously, now that I train every day with Mike,
05:54 he is also a reference point for me,
05:56 because he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world,
05:59 and it's great to train with a person like that,
06:01 who helps you, teaches you, gives you advice every day,
06:04 and supports you to make you improve.
06:06 So at this moment, Mike is the goalkeeper I refer to.
06:09 Looking at these fields, the Milanello structure,
06:20 you now go in every day as a first team player,
06:23 is there something that comes to mind when you were a kid?
06:26 Because your story was to start here,
06:29 then you said you would come back to the Pro Sesto,
06:32 so it was a bit of a journey.
06:34 Yes, the first time I came to train here in Milan,
06:38 at the Bismara, I was 8 years old,
06:40 and I was on a growth path,
06:42 and they kept an eye on me.
06:45 Then I obviously did my experience at Masseroni,
06:47 at the Pro Sesto, and I came back at 13 years old
06:50 to finally play for Milan.
06:54 And with Gigi Ragno, who told us a few things about you.
06:57 With Gigi Ragno, when I came here, I was a kid,
07:01 and I introduced myself with my mouth open,
07:03 and every time he saw me, he did the same thing.
07:05 I really knew Lapo when he was a kid,
07:11 because he started his first training at the Bismara,
07:15 when he was 8 years old,
07:17 and he did a gradual introduction into the basic activities,
07:21 and then he started a career in pre-drafts.
07:26 So, me, together with other goalkeepers,
07:31 and above all, instructors,
07:35 we definitely accompanied Lapo on this growth path,
07:39 which then came to the first team, thanks to him.
07:44 If you had to tell me one thing, technically,
07:47 and one thing, psychologically,
07:49 that has influenced you in your growth, what would you say?
07:52 Dedication. Dedication, and the desire to improve,
07:57 to confront, to put yourself in the shoes of others.
08:00 He's a guy who certainly aims to make an important career,
08:07 and to live the life of a professional.
08:10 At this moment, he's doing what he can,
08:14 and I think the club has rewarded him.
08:16 After that, now he's starting his journey,
08:19 which I hope will be a long journey.
08:22 Gigi was a very important figure for me,
08:30 because I had him when I was little,
08:32 I had him when I was 15 or 16,
08:34 and now I've found him in the first team.
08:36 He made me grow a lot, because he gave me values,
08:40 and let's say he made me understand how I have to interpret everything
08:44 in order to always do better.
08:47 So I really want to thank Gigi for what he did for me.
08:53 It's nice to hear what you say, and to see that you believe in it,
08:55 because I see you in the eyes, and I understand that you're an important person,
08:58 but as it is for practically all goalkeepers,
09:00 I've been here in recent years.
09:02 You said, instead, that you were very interested in the physical aspect,
09:05 because you said that you've increased your muscle mass a lot in the last year.
09:11 How does it feel to work with a goalkeeper like Mike Magnan,
09:15 who does incredible physical abilities,
09:18 does strength stimulate you in these months?
09:21 Having a figure like Mike Magnan in front of me is very stimulating.
09:26 Mike and I have a slightly different relationship than other goalkeepers,
09:30 because I speak French, so we can understand each other better.
09:33 He took me under his wing and gave me a lot of advice,
09:36 both technically and tactically,
09:39 and he gave me some vision of the game that I didn't have before,
09:42 and that I'm now trying to integrate into my path,
09:45 but above all, on a mental level,
09:47 because Mike is a very tough person,
09:51 in the right way, in the sense of how he serves in our world.
09:55 So I thank him for what he did for me,
09:59 and for what he's been teaching me every day.
10:02 I'm happy to be here in the first team,
10:04 but I want to improve even more,
10:06 and I want to improve in order to be able to aim for the title.
10:09 - And make your own path. - Exactly.
10:12 I've seen him grow exponentially this year.
10:20 I'm happy for him because he's a serious guy,
10:23 a guy who has his goal in mind.
10:27 When a kid approaches football like this,
10:32 and even older players,
10:35 he deserves the support we give him,
10:38 Mike, Marco and Sportiello.
10:41 So for us, he's like a little brother,
10:43 who needs to be protected,
10:45 but also, at times, he needs to be encouraged,
10:48 as it's right,
10:50 but I think he's on the right path.
10:53 He's certainly received a great education,
10:56 and he's a guy who cares about us,
10:59 and he's focused on his future.
11:02 Well, I'm proud of him, of course,
11:10 because getting to this position is very, very difficult.
11:15 I try to stay close to him,
11:17 with some advice, if he asks for it, of course.
11:20 But I always tell him that work pays off.
11:23 The desire to work definitely outweighs talent.
11:26 He's entered this great pit,
11:28 where so many kids are going with their dreams.
11:31 He's at the top,
11:33 and now he obviously has to try to make that leap of quality
11:37 to have a smooth and fortunate path.
11:41 Let's hope he has the skills to do it,
11:43 but so far he's done well.
11:45 And having a guide like my dad,
11:48 someone who knew Milan,
11:50 perhaps the best in the history of the club,
11:53 who's also responsible for you,
11:55 you live it lightly,
11:57 because I've learned to know you in the last few months,
12:00 but it must be a good investment.
12:02 Yes, it is, but above all it's a good luck,
12:05 because having someone who's already gone this path
12:09 and this passion,
12:11 it gives me values
12:13 that I try to put into what I do every day.
12:16 I consider myself lucky to have someone by my side
12:19 who has helped me a lot in the choices I've made
12:22 and in the difficult moments along the way.
12:26 We've now arrived at the place where you work.
12:32 I was thinking of two episodes,
12:34 the first call-up, the first official warm-up at San Siro
12:37 against Roma, the year of the Scudetto, January 2022.
12:41 Still a bit of COVID in the air,
12:44 which made the atmosphere worse,
12:46 but I imagine it's a beautiful memory.
12:48 It's beautiful.
12:49 As a fan of mine,
12:51 entering San Siro as a player is something else.
12:55 It's really incredible.
12:57 I still remember the emotions I felt.
13:00 I was a bit scared.
13:02 Tense.
13:03 I was tense, scared,
13:04 I was a bit stressed because I wasn't supposed to behave well,
13:07 but I'm happy.
13:08 It couldn't have gone any better.
13:10 The memory of the evening is when you enter the bus at San Siro
13:14 or when you get off the pitch and see the crowd watching you?
13:17 When you enter the corridor before going up the stairs to go to the pitch,
13:21 before going to warm-up,
13:23 when everyone is there to watch us.
13:26 It's a nice memory.
13:28 It's a nice moment I'll remember forever.
13:30 Going from second or third
13:35 doesn't make much difference
13:37 because you do the same things.
13:39 But obviously there's a bit more pressure,
13:42 a slightly different feeling,
13:44 because if you were to do badly,
13:46 you'd be the one to blame.
13:48 But it wasn't different from the others.
13:51 Obviously from the first game I played, yes,
13:53 but from the others I played,
13:55 I didn't feel a big difference.
13:57 I was happy because playing in the second goal
14:01 in an important game like against Juve
14:04 was a nice step up
14:06 compared to what I've been doing so far.
14:09 But obviously now the next step is missing,
14:11 which is the debut,
14:12 and seeing if I'll make it this year or later.
14:15 I want to ask you one last question,
14:17 the one I always ask you,
14:18 asking you to look at the horizon from here.
14:21 Do you foresee this moment?
14:23 I imagine you do,
14:24 but above all, looking back,
14:27 what do you feel you can say
14:29 to those who are starting to be goalkeepers?
14:32 What do you want to say to yourself
14:34 a few years from now?
14:36 I've often dreamed about it,
14:38 because I'm not saying I'm close to it now,
14:42 but I'm getting closer and closer.
14:44 I've dreamed about it,
14:46 and sometimes I have nightmares,
14:48 but I hope it'll come soon,
14:51 and I hope I'll live it 100%.
14:54 Because it's something that,
14:56 with the Milan shirt,
14:57 I'd like to live it,
14:58 it's something I've dreamed of since I was a kid.
15:01 I wouldn't want to say it to myself,
15:03 I'd rather say it to my dad,
15:05 because what I've been doing so far
15:07 I don't do it for him,
15:08 I do it for myself,
15:09 because it's something I like,
15:11 but I'd like to say to him,
15:12 "I've done it,
15:13 I've done it too."
15:15 The advice I'd give him
15:20 is to focus on his path.
15:22 Many people are trying to give you advice right now,
15:25 because when you're young,
15:27 sometimes someone goes too far with advice.
15:31 The path he wants to take
15:34 is the one he has to imagine,
15:37 and he has to look for it,
15:39 and he has to fight to get it.
15:42 I have three boys,
15:44 three sons,
15:45 and I hope they'll have a future
15:48 where they'll find serenity and happiness.
15:50 Then, the path will be different for the three of them,
15:54 and I hope that at the end of the road
15:56 they'll find great serenity and happiness.
15:59 [Music]
16:03 [Music]
16:06 (dramatic music)
16:08 (whooshing)