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00:00 If you had to tell me what Milan is to you, what would it be?
00:06 I'd say it's family.
00:10 I think it's a club that brought me up, that made me become a man.
00:14 I'm growing a lot.
00:16 I think family is the best word to describe this club.
00:24 Homegrown brings you to places where the Milan guys started playing football.
00:30 In this case, very young guys like Kevin Zeroli, class 2005,
00:33 captain of the Primavera, who a few years ago started here, behind me,
00:37 at the Sante Eduardo Ovatorio, in Busto Arsizio, in the Ardor team,
00:41 starting with his brother Brian, but then he took his own path,
00:44 his path that led him to become a player of the first Milan team,
00:48 with his debut against Sassuolo.
00:50 But before we see all this, before we go to Milanello, let's start here.
00:54 I want you to tell me, since you're really a homegrown,
01:07 you grew up here since you were a kid,
01:09 you didn't wear any other shirt.
01:11 Tell me a little bit about how you got to Milan,
01:14 that famous episode of your brother Brian's audition,
01:17 which then became a bit yours.
01:19 I spent a few months in a team of the Oratorio,
01:22 of Busto Arsizio, Ardor-Busto.
01:24 I played in a team with my brother.
01:26 An observer from Milan called my brother to audition,
01:29 but he was a shy boy.
01:31 Malvis Mara, this one?
01:32 Yes, yes, always Malvis Mara, yes.
01:33 He was a shy boy.
01:35 And then the coach, who was Andrea Biffi and Massimiliano Sorgato,
01:40 asked me to cheer him up a bit, to make him have some fun.
01:45 And then I started to play two or three balls with him
01:48 and the coach asked me, "Do you want to come and audition tomorrow?"
01:51 I said, "OK."
01:52 And then they took me.
01:54 How old was he?
01:56 Five years old.
01:57 When did you first remember Kevin with the ball in his foot?
02:04 Let's start with your dad.
02:05 When he was five years old.
02:07 No, even before that.
02:09 My uncle started to make him play at home,
02:11 my uncle came to my house and that's when it all started.
02:16 Since there was a karate gym near our house,
02:21 we signed him up because he wanted to try it.
02:25 Meanwhile, his brother was playing ball,
02:27 because his brother is two years older.
02:29 Meanwhile, he was playing ball and in the end he decided to follow his brother's path.
02:34 He would come in, maybe he would play with me, he would do some moves with me.
02:40 So you brought him luck, let's say, at the beginning of the journey.
02:43 Yes, exactly. His team in 2005 wasn't there yet.
02:48 Because he was too young.
02:49 Exactly.
02:50 My brother was a very lively boy when he was little.
02:54 Now he's grown up and everything,
02:56 he's calmed down a bit, but he's still a lively boy.
02:59 As a mother, I was interested to know what emotions you have
03:08 when you think about Kevin, a little boy, a little boy,
03:11 who goes to Milan with a ball in his hands to try it.
03:14 At the beginning, no one expected him to get there like that.
03:18 At the beginning, it was just for fun.
03:20 Then, maybe it's something he likes,
03:24 his thing, I don't know, but he was committed.
03:28 Then, what's nice about him, if he can do what his coach told him to do,
03:33 he takes the ball back, goes back and does it again.
03:37 He's stubborn, until he manages to...
03:38 He's like, "Mum, do it like this!"
03:40 And then he does it again.
03:41 When he was little, he was very lively.
03:44 He was terrible, when he was little, he was terrible.
03:47 They fought, and when he was older, he was calmer.
03:53 But he was very...
03:54 Unbridled.
03:55 Unbridled, yes, unbridled.
03:58 But outside, he was very polite.
04:00 But he was always loved by everyone.
04:05 You've had a lot of coaches over the years,
04:07 because you started with the Puccini,
04:09 you've now become the captain of the Primavera,
04:11 and you're about to debut, we'll talk about that later, in the first team.
04:14 Tell me something that a coach or a period left you
04:17 that you remember as fundamental for you,
04:19 even a category in which you grew up.
04:21 Definitely Andrea Biffi and also Marino Magrin.
04:26 They were beautiful years, I had a lot of fun.
04:29 I was little, but I really liked the way I played.
04:34 I enjoyed it a lot, I had fun.
04:36 I liked to jump over the man, aim at the opponent, fake.
04:40 And those were years of tournaments, especially between Puccini and Sordienti.
04:43 And I know there were some commentators who joked a little
04:46 about your tricks, about the fact that you were similar to Gullit.
04:49 Yes, every now and then, when we went to tournaments abroad,
04:52 in Vienna or in Spain, there were some telechronists
04:56 who said, "Ah, Gullit's son", or even opponents, parents.
05:00 He was definitely a great player.
05:03 I'm glad they compared me to him, but there's a big difference.
05:08 He would be a great model.
05:10 Speaking of idols, I know that one of the main ones is Bellingham,
05:14 but he's only two years older than you.
05:16 Let me understand what kind of player you liked,
05:19 even in your growth, who you followed.
05:21 When I was little, I really liked Iniesta.
05:23 Because my father, when I was little,
05:25 he showed me Iniesta's videos, he showed me a lot of videos.
05:28 And I really liked his personality, the way he played,
05:32 the touch of the ball.
05:34 And now, growing up, I know I'm a few years apart,
05:38 but Bellingham is a player who inspires me
05:41 and has many characteristics that belong to me.
05:45 But there's a big difference, I know I have to grow a lot.
05:49 The period of conviction, I think it was a gap for you too.
05:54 Clearly, it wasn't that far away from the guys
05:57 who go to other parts of Europe or other parts of Italy.
06:01 But still, a gap when a guy is at home, right?
06:03 How did you experience it?
06:05 But not only for us, also for the neighbors.
06:07 Because there was an old lady who lives here.
06:11 Because he, as my husband said before,
06:14 was really lively.
06:16 So when he's at home, everyone knows.
06:20 So when he goes to the gym...
06:22 You could tell he was absent.
06:24 Yes, so you could tell.
06:26 And then he starts to abuse, saying, "Where's the son?"
06:29 Because he said that.
06:31 At first I didn't even understand what it was.
06:33 And then he says, "No, he's not here."
06:37 Because he's gone.
06:39 But he's fine, because he thought he was sick.
06:42 He was worried.
06:44 And then we said he wasn't here anymore.
06:47 Yes, maybe in the first few weeks you felt a bit of a lack.
06:50 Because he was so lively.
06:52 Then slowly, we got used to it.
06:55 He often came home on Fridays.
06:58 Knowing that he was close by.
07:00 He was more relaxed.
07:02 Kevin got an invitation when he was 14.
07:04 So he was a teenager and had to start high school.
07:08 It wasn't always easy.
07:10 There were some complicated moments.
07:12 And moments of misunderstanding,
07:14 as is normal at that age.
07:16 But he was always very polite.
07:18 He always accepted our decisions without ever going overboard.
07:21 This is because Kevin is an extremely respectful boy.
07:25 If I think back to his recent years,
07:27 I can say that they were a crescendo.
07:29 This year, which is also the last one,
07:32 and it wasn't expected that it would be like this.
07:35 Because he turned 18 last year.
07:37 He finished school.
07:39 Well, yes, we made him bring home his high school diploma.
07:42 And then he lives in August.
07:44 So he could decide to go back to his family,
07:48 to go back home.
07:50 But in agreement with his parents,
07:52 we thought that spending another year in the conviction
07:56 could be a good solution for him.
07:59 He was really capable this year.
08:01 He understood how to reconcile the lightness and freshness
08:05 of being a 19-year-old boy
08:07 with what is required of him,
08:10 what is required of his role.
08:13 I am really very, very proud of him.
08:16 I am convinced that he will continue this maturation path
08:20 even outside the conviction,
08:22 because he has now acquired all the means to do so.
08:25 And he will do it really well.
08:27 [Music]
08:32 I think the most emotional moment was that December day
08:37 when he entered the Sanzio field for the first time
08:39 with that shirt that you can take, which is close to you.
08:42 And passing it, just feeling it in your hands,
08:45 tell me how much pride, how much emotion was there that day
08:49 in that solo threat.
08:51 I couldn't believe it, I was shocked.
08:55 It's a beautiful thing to see the whole line-up,
09:00 the youth sector, when he was five years old.
09:03 It was very emotional.
09:06 I got emotional.
09:09 I still get the shivers thinking about it.
09:11 Yes, yes, indeed.
09:12 How many times have you seen him?
09:14 Yes, many times, yes, of course.
09:17 Yes, yes, yes.
09:19 Even before, when he went with them to America, right?
09:22 He played there too, but there it was, my goodness.
09:26 Yes, maybe the most emotional was seeing him on TV in America
09:30 when he did the America's Defender.
09:32 Yes, for you, though.
09:33 For me it was.
09:35 Actually, I thought spring would not even come.
09:38 When spring started, it evolved.
09:40 As he did with Giancarlo,
09:42 stop the memory for a moment, stop everything and tell me,
09:45 when you see Pioli calling you to play against Sassuolo,
09:49 at the end of December 30th, so at the end of 2023, what is it?
09:54 I was very moved.
09:55 When the coach called me, Pioli,
09:58 I was shaking a bit, honestly.
10:01 I got a bit anxious.
10:03 But then, once I got in, I let it go.
10:08 Then, to stand in front of all our fans in San Siro,
10:13 it was amazing.
10:14 Of those moments, is there anything you remember the most?
10:17 Something that you can't remember,
10:19 but you remember something you saw,
10:21 a word they said to you,
10:22 is there something that comes to mind?
10:24 Kevin Vieri.
10:26 So, the exact words of the coach.
10:29 And, the atmosphere,
10:31 the fact that the fans waited as they always do,
10:34 as if they were the sons of the fans,
10:36 the young ones from the spring, who then debuted in the first team.
10:39 How much responsibility did you feel at that moment?
10:41 Once I got in, I remember I didn't feel anything anymore.
10:46 I didn't understand anything anymore.
10:48 I felt Pioli shouting at me a few times, but...
10:51 You only thought about the pitch.
10:52 Yes, it seemed like I was inside a ball.
10:55 Even the fans, I didn't hear the cheers.
10:57 I only heard a "vvvvvvvv" and that's it.
11:11 What about the image you gave us,
11:13 but associated with the image I have of some of your teammates on the pitch,
11:16 some of your teammates who encouraged you,
11:18 the older ones who talked to you about your first team,
11:21 what do you tell me?
11:22 Who did you find as an older brother?
11:24 Who as a big brother?
11:25 Who as a more serious person?
11:26 But Mike gives me a lot of advice.
11:29 I'm happy for my brother.
11:31 Many people tell me, "Maybe you're jealous of your brother."
11:35 I say, "No, absolutely not."
11:37 On the contrary.
11:38 And that's nice, because in the relationship,
11:40 having a close brother for him, I guess, is particularly important.
11:44 I guess you talk a lot.
11:46 Yes, we talk a lot.
11:47 He asks for advice, I give him.
11:55 You were, let's say, I won't say the youngest,
11:57 but you were in the first year, in the spring,
11:59 so you were also discovering important dynamics of European football at a young age.
12:03 You re-entered the team the following year and became almost the team's captain,
12:07 because you fought with SIA for the whole season to become our "bomber".
12:11 Again, I ask you the main question, if you have to tell me one, what comes to mind?
12:15 The semifinal with Porto.
12:17 When I got the ball back to the opponent, to the defender,
12:22 and then Ali scored.
12:24 I almost cried.
12:27 I have to say, you deserved the emotional shock, because everyone cried.
12:31 But I want to tell you about another step, the penalties.
12:35 How is it possible?
12:36 Always a decisive penalty, always your own.
12:39 What did you do?
12:40 Did you align the stars in those games?
12:43 I don't know, it had become a habit, not a habit, but...
12:47 A nice habit.
12:49 I don't know how to explain it, but it was beautiful.
12:53 Scoring the winning goal.
12:56 The particular thing was that we got to the fifth penalty.
12:59 It's difficult, all the series ended with a decisive penalty.
13:03 So it was really your penalty.
13:06 I've always tried to free my head from emotions, negative thoughts,
13:11 or any pressure.
13:13 I hit it calmly and tried to score.
13:17 How did you experience the final phase of the Youth League,
13:19 in general, the important games of this year?
13:21 I know you always followed it.
13:23 What did you think when it was on the disc?
13:25 I was a little anxious, but inside I was sure I was going to score.
13:29 But also negative emotions, right?
13:33 I can see it in your eyes, that bitterness is still there,
13:37 which is fair, because when you lose a final,
13:39 let's say a banality, the finals are the ones who play,
13:42 so we've already arrived and it's already a lot.
13:44 But I think the feeling of negativity, of bitterness,
13:48 can give you something for your career.
13:50 Yes, losing a final is never nice.
13:53 But I think the most important thing is to get to the final,
13:57 play it and have no regrets.
14:00 I gave everything, I think my teammates gave everything,
14:04 and they have no regrets at all.
14:07 The parenthesis I ask you, in closing, of this part is about Abate,
14:14 because he was not a coach like the others.
14:16 We were talking about your role, which has changed a bit.
14:19 You have always been a midfielder, a midfielder in the corner,
14:23 all over the pitch.
14:25 You have become a modern three-quarters at Bellingham,
14:28 to make you feel motivated.
14:30 What was fundamental to Abate for you?
14:33 Abate has changed me in terms of mentality.
14:38 He made me grow on attacking the goal,
14:40 on the importance of scoring goals.
14:43 I think they are fundamental things that maybe before
14:46 I didn't give so much importance.
14:49 Maybe I preferred to do an assist, to play the right way.
14:53 Being important for the team and being a leader,
14:57 maybe changing the game, being impactful,
15:01 I think that helped me a lot.
15:03 From this point of view, in your opinion,
15:05 it may be fair to say that the coach was perhaps the most important
15:08 in your growth as a coach.
15:10 Yes, yes, yes, definitely.
15:11 I think it has changed me a lot, really a lot,
15:13 on the step to become a man,
15:15 maybe to start playing with the big guys.
15:17 The personality, also the mental fitness.
15:19 Yes, yes, yes.
15:20 Your dad and your mom gave you important values,
15:24 they have always been with you in these years.
15:26 What did they help you with the most, in your opinion?
15:28 Looking at the path now,
15:30 what do you feel you should thank them for the most?
15:32 I think the most important value they gave me
15:34 is humility,
15:36 to always stay on your feet,
15:38 let's say, not to pull it,
15:41 not to feel like I've never arrived.
15:43 Looking at Kevin now,
15:45 who has already made a good path, a nice stretch of road,
15:47 arrived in Primavera, captain,
15:49 arrived in the first team, signed the contract.
15:51 What is the wish you feel in your heart
15:53 from mother and father to son?
15:55 What do you wish for Kevin?
15:57 First of all, health,
15:59 that everything is fine.
16:01 Then I hope he makes a career,
16:03 I mean, I hope he becomes a top player.
16:06 And me, that I still remain the same,
16:09 humble, as I am now.
16:12 I wish my brother all the best,
16:14 and I hope he continues like this,
16:16 with humility,
16:18 because in the end this is just the beginning.
16:20 And I hope he continues and
16:22 he does everything,
16:24 I mean, I think he does the best.
16:26 Kevin, what do you feel you should say to the kids,
16:28 the kids who now see you as a role model
16:30 and would like to follow in your footsteps?
16:32 From your point of view,
16:34 what is important to convey?
16:36 I think it is important to follow your dream
16:40 and improve day by day,
16:42 and certainly to remain humble
16:44 and never feel like you have arrived.
16:46 Thank you.
16:49 [Future is now]
16:51 [Future is now]