Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00I've met a lot of great players, like Pippo, Inzaghi, Gennaro Gattuso,
00:08who from the start of the break until the end,
00:10always wore the same jersey from the start of the break until the end.
00:14It was hot. It was June-July in Germany and it was hot.
00:18Sometimes Simone Barone tells him,
00:21you're still waiting for Pippo's ball.
00:30Welcome to a new episode of Your Local Room, the Rossoneri podcast.
00:33It's a special episode because Gianluca Zambrotta is here.
00:36Good morning.
00:37Hi guys.
00:38Gianluca, the first world champion.
00:40Exactly. I'm very happy to be here.
00:42World champions have come with the club,
00:44but people who have won the World Cup, you're the first.
00:46Not yet.
00:47Not yet.
00:48Listen, Gianluca, Gianluca, Zambro. What are they called?
00:52Zambro, for those who are in the world of football,
00:57Gianluca, Gianluca, whatever you want to call them, Zambro,
01:01it's fine, no problem.
01:03What are you doing today, Gianluca Zambrotta?
01:05I'm doing a few things.
01:07I'm at home, which is comfortable,
01:11not far from here, about 40 minutes away.
01:16I have two sports centres,
01:19the first one I opened in 2014,
01:25where I have my padel centre,
01:27so I follow the padel part,
01:30and then another sports centre I opened just before COVID,
01:35where we play football,
01:37so I have a football school of about 200 kids.
01:41We're Milan's technical centre,
01:43so we're one of the 10 technical centres in Lombardy in Milan.
01:49We're the federation's territorial technical centre,
01:53and I also follow the padel and tennis part,
01:57but more football.
01:59So I spend most of the day in my two sports centres.
02:07Then I'm vice-president of the federation's technical sector,
02:12where Demetrio Albertini is president.
02:17Then, when I can, I go around the world
02:22and do a few events.
02:24I do a few things.
02:27I don't stay still.
02:29I don't get bored.
02:31Gianluca, everyone knows you.
02:33We usually introduce you to a few guests,
02:36because the younger ones don't know you.
02:38You're still quite young, so they know you.
02:40But where does Gianluca Zambrotta come from?
02:44Where did he grow up, how did he grow up,
02:46in what context, what was he like as a kid?
02:49I grew up in Como, in Rebbio.
02:52It's a fraction of Como, 10 minutes from the city centre.
02:57I grew up there.
03:00I played my first football matches at the Oratorio,
03:03a classic for kids my age.
03:08I played from 1986 to 1989 at the Oratorio,
03:15where there was a sand pit,
03:19but it was made of grass, of course.
03:21Not like now, where all the kids are lucky,
03:24most of the societies have synthetic grass.
03:30In those days it was impossible to find rocks in the pits.
03:34That's where the kids, who were forced to go around,
03:37would sit in a corner and do the sand mountains.
03:40Exactly.
03:41I was born and raised there, in Campo della Parrocchia.
03:45I'd go to my house to play football on my bike,
03:48or I'd play in the park above my house,
03:52in the middle of the trees.
03:54I was born and raised there, in this fraction,
03:58with my parents, my mum and dad,
04:01and my older sister, Francesca, who is older than me,
04:04she's 73, I'm 77, and I grew up there.
04:08What did your parents do?
04:11My parents, my mum, worked in a textile company.
04:17My dad worked as a shipping man,
04:19so I went to school there,
04:22always in the vicinity of my fraction,
04:27of my little village, and I went to all the schools there.
04:31How did you get there, as a kid, in the youth sector?
04:34You were immediately noticed, you scored goals,
04:37you were the prodigy.
04:39Well, as I said before,
04:41in 1986-1989 I did the oratorio,
04:44in the US, in Lebbio,
04:46and then I did three years there,
04:49with my friends from the oratorio,
04:51and then they saw me in the youth sector of Como,
04:56and in 1989 I started in the youth sector of Calcio Como.
05:03You were a forward, in my opinion,
05:05because I remember the first Zanbrotta, Ala.
05:07Yes, let's say so.
05:09Then, later on, I was a midfielder,
05:15then Ala, as a winger,
05:18I never played as a defender,
05:20when I was in the youth sector I didn't play as a defender,
05:23so I was more of a winger, as a winger.
05:29And then the first team came along.
05:33Tell us a bit about it.
05:35Yes, I did the whole youth sector in Como,
05:37so the youth sector was responsible,
05:40however, in my opinion,
05:42one of the best who made history
05:45both in Como and in Atalanta,
05:47Mino Favini,
05:49he was responsible for the youth sector.
05:52I did the whole youth sector
05:54until I got to the first team.
05:56I made my debut in the 1994-1995 season
05:59when Como were still fighting for Serie B,
06:02then, in that season, with coach Marco Tardelli,
06:06it was a setback,
06:08but Marco Tardelli made me make my debut in 1995
06:12at the age of 18 in Serie B.
06:14It was the last game of the season
06:17when Como had already made a setback in C1.
06:20I made my debut in Serie B.
06:23I was a ball-jockey.
06:25In Senigallia?
06:26In Senigallia.
06:27Yes, I was a ball-jockey in Senigallia,
06:29in Como, between Serie A and Serie B.
06:32I did the whole line-up
06:34until I made my debut in the first team
06:37with a 1982 world champion, Marco Tardelli.
06:39How was it to make your debut
06:41for the team in your city,
06:43where you had grown up for the whole youth sector?
06:45Well, it was definitely a great feeling.
06:48The good thing is that later on,
06:50in that year, Como played two years in C1,
06:54and I made two important years.
06:58I started playing in the starting line-up,
07:01with Alessandro Scanziani as my coach.
07:05In those two years in C1,
07:07we won a Coppa Italia in Serie C,
07:09and then we lost the final
07:11against Empoli di Spalletti in Modena
07:13to move up to Serie B.
07:15Those were two important years for me.
07:17How was it to enter a dressing room as a kid?
07:20We've asked many of our guests
07:23how it was to enter a dressing room as an adult
07:26over the years.
07:29It was different, I think.
07:31The approach of the older kids
07:34was different from that of the younger ones.
07:37I remember that I used to get scolded
07:40by the older kids,
07:42so I don't think it's like it is now.
07:46I just had to stay quiet, pedal,
07:48lower my head and work.
07:50That was it.
07:51I couldn't breathe, I couldn't say anything,
07:53otherwise they would have killed me.
07:55It was also a way to work harder,
08:02to be humble.
08:07I think it was much more difficult then than it is now.
08:12The other difficulty I see in the younger kids
08:15is the social aspect,
08:18which is more difficult to manage.
08:22The prosecutors are more present,
08:25there are many differences compared to before.
08:29I already know the answer, but I'll try.
08:33Abbiati told us that in the first years of Serie C,
08:36he was young, he was a baker and he played.
08:40At the time, even in a Serie C league
08:43of many years ago,
08:45did you manage to make it a profession
08:48to understand how times change?
08:51I graduated from a public school,
08:54they wanted me to finish school.
08:57In fact, as soon as I finished school,
08:59I got an offer to work in a factory
09:02as a textile worker.
09:04So I graduated as a textile worker.
09:06I already had a job,
09:08so to work as a textile worker in a factory,
09:11to work on the frames.
09:13But fortunately,
09:15not because I wanted to work in a factory,
09:19it's more fun to play.
09:23From there, I finished my two years at C1,
09:27because I could have left earlier,
09:29but they wanted me to finish school.
09:32The two seasons at C1 were useful for me.
09:36I immediately moved to Bari at the age of 20.
09:41After school, I immediately became a professional footballer.
09:45At 20, you arrive in a square like Bari,
09:48which has a soul and a fire that burns
09:51and is definitely different.
09:53How was it?
09:55I moved from a quiet city like Duomo,
09:59to a big sea city like Bari.
10:06It's a city in Serie A,
10:09with a coach, Junio Fascetti,
10:12who was inclined to launch young people
10:16and to promote young people,
10:18with a president, Mattarese,
10:20and a DS, Regalia,
10:22who focused a lot on young people.
10:24In fact, there were a lot of young people in that team,
10:27in Serie A Bari, there was me,
10:29there was Di Ascentis, who was with me in Como,
10:32there was Bressan, who was not as young as me,
10:34there was Nicola Ventola,
10:38then Antonio Cassano,
10:40so there were a lot of young players.
10:43It was a mix of young people and experienced players.
10:48I was there for two years.
10:50I'm curious, because now it seems unthinkable,
10:53in today's football, to make the double leap to Serie A.
10:56I remember that it happened often,
10:59but now if you think about it,
11:01not that there are no players ready,
11:03because maybe we look more abroad.
11:07But at the time, was it normal?
11:10Was the leap for you so big?
11:13Luckily for me, no.
11:16In the sense that I was already ready to go to Serie A,
11:20in the sense that I was already in C1,
11:22I made the difference at 18 years old.
11:26So for me it wasn't that difficult,
11:32but also because I was in a quiet environment,
11:36a positive environment, in a serious club,
11:39with a team of young players,
11:44so young people like me, we were fine as a team.
11:48The coach was aiming, as I said before,
11:52at the guys who wanted to show themselves.
11:58So it was really two beautiful years.
12:01In fact, we did very well in those years,
12:04two years in which we saved ourselves,
12:06with many days ahead of us.
12:09I think we really had two wonderful years.
12:12When you joined this team,
12:15I imagine you were already respected,
12:18because they knew you,
12:19you were respected in terms of performance.
12:21The youngster who opens the door to the dressing room
12:24and comes from Serie C,
12:25maybe there is the old Matusa of the dressing room
12:28who maybe slaps you.
12:30No, but also because I have always been a person,
12:33a boy who did his own thing.
12:36He worked, he never said anything.
12:39So hardly have they ever said anything to me on the pitch,
12:44but also off the pitch.
12:45In short, I have always been a fairly diligent person at work
12:49and who also gave more than what he could give.
12:52So from this point of view,
12:53I must say that I have never had problems
12:56on the commitment, on the fact of always giving the maximum.
13:00Gianluca, a curiosity,
13:01we often do this to our guests
13:03and it makes me have a lot of fun
13:05because it also takes you back in time.
13:07But with the first salary, what did you do?
13:09Do you remember?
13:11On how?
13:12No, maybe the car.
13:14I remember that I took a Y10
13:21or a Fiat Panda Dance,
13:25so black, I still remember it.
13:29I changed the steering wheel,
13:31I put the steering wheel of the Momo Design,
13:34so all the details, all these things.
13:38But I think so,
13:39I think maybe it was the car,
13:42maybe a lot that comes to mind now.
13:44Listen, instead, did you call it in the Juve?
13:47I called it in the Juve,
13:48I mean, there was both Milan and Juventus
13:50that wanted me at that time.
13:52In fact, I still remember when I saw Gagliani again,
13:58we also talked with my attorney,
14:00my family, with Adriano Gagliani,
14:02about the time to go to Milan,
14:03but then Juventus came,
14:04I offered more,
14:06and I still went to Juventus in 1999,
14:10season 99-2000.
14:12So there was this possibility to go to Milan,
14:16but then Juventus came,
14:17I offered a lot more to Bari.
14:19You went to Juve,
14:20with what perspective?
14:21In those years,
14:22you were still, as you said,
14:24from passing from Como to Bari,
14:27you were a great talent,
14:28so did you expect to continue
14:30the path of growth,
14:31or inside you you said,
14:32now the difficult begins?
14:34No, but look,
14:35I never thought about this,
14:37in the sense,
14:38my idea was to get to play
14:40for a big team,
14:41to get to the national team,
14:43I think these are all the goals
14:45of a young player
14:47who starts playing football
14:49and sees his own path,
14:55his own path,
14:56so no,
14:57I thought about doing well
14:59and growing year by year,
15:02so I was lucky to get to a big team
15:06like Juventus,
15:09to play as a starter right away,
15:11so I was already in the national team,
15:13I was already in the national team,
15:15then I made my debut in 1999,
15:17February in the national team,
15:19in 2000 I already made my European debut,
15:21my first European,
15:2222 years to start,
15:26so I was already in the national team,
15:28so let's say I always had a lot,
15:36how can I say,
15:42the idea of being able to get there,
15:45this yes,
15:46but for the simple reason that
15:49I had a quality,
15:51but also the technical qualities
15:53that clearly improved over time,
15:55but I also had a great determination,
15:59a desire to always give my best.
16:04And when did Gianluca Zanbrotta say
16:06this is Gianluca Zanbrotta,
16:07stronger than ever?
16:11Well, it was certainly from the years,
16:13maybe from 2001-2002
16:17until the year of the World Cup,
16:242006,
16:25until then going on to go down,
16:28those were the years,
16:30so from the years of the final,
16:31of the Champions League,
16:33Milan-Juve-Manchester,
16:36until then,
16:37of course,
16:38getting to the 2006 World Cup,
16:39those were the years,
16:42where I really played at a high level.
16:46You understand my question well,
16:47because otherwise it seems that I am
16:48diminishing your career a bit,
16:49so it is well understood,
16:50but from your story,
16:51it seems to me that at the beginning
16:53of your experience,
16:54you found the ideal conditions,
16:56that is, you were confident,
16:57you were doing well,
16:58you managed to fit in well,
16:59that is, you never had,
17:00I don't say difficulties,
17:01but those first months where you say,
17:03damn, the coach doesn't see me much,
17:05or I was doing badly,
17:06or I don't feel well in the city,
17:09I don't know if it was a component
17:10only of skill,
17:11only of luck,
17:12of casualty,
17:13of excellent coaches,
17:14of excellent teammates,
17:15of perfect adaptation,
17:16but starting well,
17:17and with two comfortable seasons,
17:19you were still a little more than a little boy,
17:21and Bari, where there was a new novelty,
17:23and Juve, where there was such a heavy
17:25dressing room,
17:27having space, minutes, confidence,
17:29playing well,
17:30excellent performances,
17:31I imagine,
17:32the coach's esteem,
17:33of the club, of the teammates,
17:34of the fans.
17:35Well, let's say that if you don't have the qualities,
17:38you don't find the space.
17:40No, but in fact,
17:41the question...
17:42No, I mean,
17:43this is not only valid for me,
17:45but it is valid for everyone,
17:46so if you clearly don't have
17:49the quality to play
17:51for a great team,
17:53or to be in the national team,
17:54clearly you don't have the space.
17:59So, I repeat,
18:01over the years,
18:02I have always grown,
18:04but I think this is
18:07also a goal,
18:09to always improve,
18:10day after day,
18:11so my will was always
18:13to grow,
18:14to improve,
18:17not to go back,
18:18or to stop,
18:19but always to get
18:21to the next step.
18:23This is the goal
18:25of those who are lucky enough
18:27to reach great goals
18:29and to play in great teams.
18:33This was the strength,
18:35but you have this
18:36if you play in a great team.
18:38If you play in a great team,
18:40it leads you
18:42to always give your best every day
18:46and to always stay at the top level,
18:48never to go down.
18:50Also because if you go down,
18:52clearly,
18:53either you don't play,
18:54or there is someone better than you
18:56who takes your place,
18:58you always have to try
18:59to improve day by day.
19:00I want to ask you,
19:01coming to Juve,
19:02I imagine it's a particular world,
19:06I mean,
19:07every club has its own characteristics,
19:09Juve is very square,
19:11if you look at it from the outside,
19:12I guess.
19:13Who was that player
19:14that you said,
19:15ah, this is how you do it,
19:16not for training,
19:18because you gave your best as a professional,
19:20but as an attitude,
19:21as a secret,
19:22to which you stole
19:23some nuances,
19:25some glories,
19:26if you want.
19:27Ah, wow,
19:28you do that stuff there,
19:29you have to behave,
19:30you have to...
19:31Was there some injury
19:32in that great dressing room?
19:33No, but there were
19:34many important players.
19:36First of all,
19:37there was Del Piero,
19:38there was,
19:39when I arrived in 1999,
19:40there was Inzaghi,
19:41there was Zidane,
19:42I was in the dressing room,
19:43I arrived,
19:44the first retreat I did
19:45was with Zidane.
19:47So, to tell you,
19:50great players,
19:52there was Ciro Ferrara,
19:53there was Paolo Montero,
19:54there was Davids,
19:57there were many players
20:01of a superior quality,
20:05so I could only
20:07learn from each of them
20:09the attitude,
20:10above all,
20:11which was important,
20:12the attitude of always being
20:16the first in training,
20:18of never saving up,
20:20also because,
20:21at that time,
20:23Juventus worked a lot
20:25in training,
20:26there was poor
20:27Gian Piero Ventrone
20:28who left us
20:30and I had the chance
20:31to work with Juventus
20:33and with Cappello in China
20:35as an assistant,
20:36so we worked a lot
20:39from a physical point of view.
20:45I think at that time
20:47it was the attitude
20:50of the Juventus style,
20:52which I also think
20:53was the Milan style,
20:55the same thing,
20:56so a group of players
20:58who pulled the trigger,
20:59who also silently
21:01set an example.
21:03I have a question for you,
21:05you are one of the defenders
21:06who played the most
21:07in the Italian national team,
21:09in general,
21:10you spent a lot of time
21:11in Azzurro,
21:12how did you live
21:13the relationship
21:14with the national team
21:15during the season?
21:16It happened to clash
21:18in a positive way,
21:19staying in the pitch,
21:21maybe a foul,
21:22a push,
21:23a waffle
21:24in the adrenaline
21:25of the pitch,
21:26maybe even,
21:27I don't know,
21:28the match before the break,
21:29so today they send you
21:30to that country
21:31and tomorrow to Coverciano
21:32you are my team-mate
21:33in the dressing room,
21:34did it happen?
21:35No, it happened,
21:36of course,
21:37but what happens on the pitch
21:39happened,
21:40it happened
21:41and it still happens,
21:45then what happens
21:46on the pitch
21:47stays there,
21:48I think
21:49the important thing
21:50is always
21:51the respect,
21:53you know,
21:54of the person,
21:55because on the pitch
21:56everything can happen,
21:57we all know
21:58the tension,
21:59maybe different goals,
22:01it can happen,
22:03then the important thing
22:04is that you are
22:05an intelligent person
22:06who understands
22:07that later
22:08you have to finish there
22:09and if you made a mistake
22:10you have to apologize,
22:11maybe this
22:12didn't happen
22:15or it did happen
22:16that then you arrived
22:17at the national team
22:18and you maybe
22:19confronted yourself,
22:20but you know,
22:21when you arrive at the national team
22:22you just have to think
22:23exclusively
22:24about the good
22:25of the national team
22:26and then you have to
22:27leave out everything
22:28that happens
22:31in the club
22:32during the week.
22:33Speaking of the national team,
22:34I have two questions
22:35before getting to the World Cup
22:36because it's a parenthesis
22:37that I would like to try
22:38to open
22:39in all its facets.
22:40If I tell you about the 2002 World Cup,
22:42what image
22:43comes to mind?
22:46Well, it wasn't
22:47my first World Cup,
22:48certainly
22:49in Korea and Japan.
22:50A World Cup,
22:51in my opinion,
22:52that personally
22:53I was doing very well
22:54because I was
22:55physically well,
22:56I was really
22:57playing some
22:58good matches
22:59and then
23:00unfortunately
23:01for me
23:02it hurt me,
23:03I injured
23:04the adductor
23:05almost totally
23:06of the left adductor
23:07so then
23:08for three months
23:09I had to
23:10go to the hospital
23:11and they
23:12took me
23:13to the hospital
23:14and they
23:15left me
23:16for three months
23:17out.
23:18We all remember
23:19the match
23:20against Korea
23:21and we all
23:22remember it
23:23because of
23:24what happened
23:25in general
23:26apart from
23:27the referee
23:28who
23:29we could
23:30certainly
23:31have done
23:32a lot more
23:33than our
23:34potential
23:35which
23:36really
23:37was high.
23:38But you,
23:39during
23:40and immediately
23:41after,
23:42how did you
23:43read
23:44the situation
23:45and how
23:46did you
23:47react?
23:48I don't
23:49know,
23:50I don't
23:51know
23:52how to
23:53answer
23:54that
23:55question
23:56but
23:57I
23:58don't
23:59know
24:00how
24:01to
24:02answer
24:03that
24:04question
24:05but
24:06I
24:07don't
24:08know
24:09how
24:10to
24:11answer
24:12that
24:13question
24:14but
24:15I
24:16don't
24:17know
24:18how
24:19to
24:20answer
24:21that
24:22question
24:23and
24:24I
24:25don't
24:26know
24:27how
24:28to
24:29answer
24:30that
24:31question
24:32but
24:33I
24:34don't
24:35know
24:36how
24:37to
24:38answer
24:39that
24:40question
24:41but
24:42but we are the ones on the pitch, not the referee.
24:50We could have managed that game differently.
24:53Do you have any flashbacks from the two World Cups,
24:56especially the one you won, of a speech,
24:58of something that happened in the dressing room,
25:00that you can tell us now,
25:02a joke, a game, a speech,
25:05about the coach before and after the game,
25:07something nice.
25:10In 2002 I removed almost everything,
25:13because it was a difficult year.
25:20In 2006 there are anecdotes,
25:24told right and left,
25:27by various players who told it.
25:31It was a great journey,
25:39from start to finish.
25:44You scored in that World Cup,
25:46and let's go into the details,
25:48in the dressing room, who do you call?
25:50How do you live these moments,
25:52with your loved ones?
25:54Are you someone who shares?
25:58In the game with Ukraine.
26:00Do you send a message?
26:02Do you go to the dressing room?
26:04Do you call a relative?
26:06Or a first message?
26:08Calculate, it was 2006,
26:10so there was no WhatsApp yet,
26:12if I'm not mistaken.
26:14I don't remember,
26:16there were still the first phones,
26:18there was no SMS,
26:20there was no WhatsApp,
26:22if I'm not mistaken.
26:24That match was special,
26:26because a few days before,
26:28I was a friend,
26:30with other players,
26:32who were there.
26:38The thought came to him,
26:40because it happened
26:42three or two days before the match.
26:44I remember,
26:46Fabio Cannavaro's shot,
26:48at the end of Italy-Ukraine,
26:50right?
26:52Yes, at the end of Italy-Ukraine.
26:54It was my best match,
26:56of that World Cup,
26:58because in that match
27:00I did everything,
27:02I scored,
27:04I assisted,
27:06I saved a goal on the line,
27:08so it was
27:10one of the most beautiful
27:12matches I remember
27:14in my career as a national.
27:16By the way,
27:18if I'm not mistaken,
27:20do you go back to Italy
27:22from Germany after that match
27:24or is it a bad memory?
27:26No, we go back before that match,
27:28because it happened two days before,
27:30if I'm not mistaken,
27:32we took
27:34four or five of us,
27:36we went with a private plane,
27:38the federation made us available
27:40a private plane,
27:42we went to the hospital
27:44to see what had happened,
27:46and we came back on the same day.
27:48After two days,
27:50we played,
27:52we came back,
27:54we were still in touch,
27:56but we went before the match.
27:58But I'm asking you,
28:00is there in football,
28:02and now I want to talk about
28:04the philosophy of Astri,
28:06that in these magical moments,
28:08the player connected
28:10with something sad
28:12or deep,
28:14makes the match?
28:16I mean, the absence of a car,
28:18there's often a goal,
28:20a save,
28:22someone's birth,
28:24and the goal comes,
28:26a friend,
28:28do you think they are connected?
28:30There's an explanation,
28:32let's go a little further.
28:34I can't tell you,
28:36it can happen,
28:38because we played a great game,
28:40on a personal level,
28:42it was one of my best games,
28:44where I scored the only goal
28:46of that World Cup,
28:48but there's a connection,
28:50there's definitely a thread
28:52that connects you.
29:00And now,
29:02let's try this,
29:04because there were players,
29:06and some podcasts
29:08still have to come out,
29:10who said,
29:12yes, there were some players
29:14who had these,
29:16I don't know,
29:18these saints,
29:20those who put you through
29:22the heat of the hands,
29:24they helped you,
29:26maybe unconsciously,
29:28you knew better,
29:30did you know some players
29:32who were followed?
29:34Who I know, who I remember,
29:36no,
29:38I don't remember anyone.
29:40We know it in sport,
29:42in football superstition exists,
29:44there's always a thread.
29:46What about you?
29:48No, I wasn't very superstitious,
29:50but I met
29:52a lot of great players,
29:54like Pippo Inzaghi,
29:56Gennaro Gattuso,
29:58who from the start of the break
30:00until the end,
30:02always wore the same jacket,
30:04from the start of the break until the end,
30:06it was hot,
30:08it was June-July in Germany,
30:10it was hot,
30:12he wore the jacket
30:14for a long time,
30:16he never took it off,
30:18so he was lost.
30:20I can imagine his reaction
30:22when you made him notice.
30:24Exactly,
30:26especially Andrea Pirlo,
30:28who made him notice.
30:30Who was in the room
30:32in that break?
30:34Most of us were alone,
30:36everyone had their own room,
30:38there was someone
30:40to refer to.
30:42I've always been a quiet person,
30:44I did my own things,
30:46I wanted to be on my own,
30:48I didn't go,
30:50I think there was
30:52Pirlo and Nesta's room,
30:54but also in Milan,
30:56they played
30:58on the PlayStation,
31:00so there were two of them,
31:02I remember.
31:04Most of the others were alone.
31:06I'd like you to tell us
31:08about the third match of the season,
31:10Italy vs. Czech Republic,
31:12Pippo Inzaghi's famous run
31:14that Pippo didn't pass the ball
31:16to Barone.
31:18I don't know if Barone
31:20said something to Pippo,
31:22but there must have
31:24been a scene
31:26where you said
31:28oh!
31:30No,
31:32every now and then
31:34Simone Barone
31:36passed the ball to Pippo.
31:38Simone Barone
31:40gave Pippo a hand,
31:42because he gave Pippo
31:44a second chance,
31:46because he could
31:48pass it to him
31:50or decide
31:52to go on on his own,
31:54so it was
31:56a help
31:58for Pippo Simone,
32:00the fact that he was there.
32:02It's clear that
32:04at that moment
32:06the desire of a forward
32:08to score
32:10is so high in a World Cup.
32:12Pippo
32:14couldn't wait to score
32:16and he decided
32:18to go on
32:20on his own.
32:22So,
32:24it's obvious
32:26about this thing.
32:28They both know it,
32:30especially Simone.
32:32So, Australia,
32:34and Ukraine,
32:36when did you start
32:38to understand
32:40that you could do it?
32:42And if in Germany,
32:44which is also a country
32:46with many Italian immigrants,
32:48did you feel
32:50that something was heating up?
32:52The calculation is that
32:54we risked with Australia,
32:56because there was the
32:58expulsion of Materazzi,
33:00and we couldn't win with Australia.
33:02We struggled
33:04in that match.
33:06So, from there
33:08we started to
33:10understand that
33:12it was going well,
33:14from the match with the Czech Republic,
33:16to the match with Ukraine,
33:22Australia in the round of 16,
33:24Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
33:26Then,
33:28you reached the semi-final
33:30with Germany,
33:32where you played in Dortmund,
33:34in a completely white stadium,
33:36because there was only
33:38a shirt of the national team,
33:40except for a slightly blue marker.
33:42On the other hand,
33:44you had a France
33:46that had already beaten
33:48great teams,
33:50important teams.
33:52That was perhaps
33:54the first difficult
33:56and complicated match.
33:58It was a home team
34:00that was one of the favourites
34:02to win the World Cup.
34:04From there,
34:06after that match,
34:08we thought
34:10that we could do it.
34:12Is it true or false,
34:14that you crossed with Germany
34:16before the two goals of Gross and Del Piero?
34:18Before,
34:20there was Gilardino's pass,
34:22and then,
34:24I crossed it.
34:26It was really
34:28a beautiful match.
34:30It was full of
34:32opportunities,
34:34two decisive miracles.
34:36It was a match
34:38with an extraordinary Buffon,
34:40an extraordinary Cannavaro.
34:42In the end,
34:44we deserved it,
34:46because it's not easy
34:48to go to Germany's home
34:50and win a World Cup there.
34:52It was hard,
34:54complicated,
34:56but even then,
35:00the coach always
35:02reminded us of that.
35:04He wanted to win,
35:06so that's a sign
35:08from the coach
35:10that gives you confidence.
35:12In that World Cup,
35:14we only conceded
35:16two goals.
35:18Zaccardo's goal
35:20and Zidane's penalty in the final.
35:22If you think about it,
35:24we were the best defence.
35:26Almost all the players
35:28scored,
35:30so it was an extraordinary
35:32journey for an extraordinary group.
35:34How did you experience the final?
35:36The pre-match?
35:38First, Gilardino's pass,
35:40then the dribbling.
35:42Did you think it was a curse?
35:44No, not that.
35:46They gave us
35:48other chances.
35:50They had great passes
35:52from Gigi.
35:54Then, luckily,
35:56Grosso's extraordinary goal
35:58and Alex Del Piero's counter-attack.
36:02It went well.
36:04Sometimes, it went badly.
36:06Just think about it.
36:08The European Cup in 2000
36:10was something...
36:12I think
36:14that in that year,
36:16my first year as a national,
36:18my first European,
36:20I lost the Scudetto
36:22to Perugia in Juve
36:24on the last day.
36:26We lost 1-0 to Perugia
36:28in Juve.
36:30We had to do it again,
36:32but Collino decided
36:34to wait
36:36more than an hour
36:38and then...
36:40I went
36:42to the European Cup in 2000.
36:44It was a rock'n'roll match
36:46against Holland
36:48in the semi-final.
36:50We deserved to lose
36:52because they really beat us.
36:54But, luckily,
36:58we got through
37:00with a great goal.
37:02In the final, against France,
37:04we deserved to win.
37:06We conceded two goals.
37:08It was a golden goal.
37:10We lost the European Cup,
37:12which was already done.
37:14In the 93rd minute,
37:16I was in the stands
37:18because I was disqualified
37:20and was sent off
37:22after half an hour
37:24against Holland.
37:26I was in the stands
37:28in the 93rd minute,
37:301-0 down.
37:32I stayed in the stands
37:34because they didn't let me
37:36see the goals.
37:38In the World Cup final,
37:40if you make a mistake,
37:42Trezeguet is the only one
37:44to make a mistake.
37:46He was the only one
37:48to score a goal
37:50against France
37:52in the European Cup final.
37:54Football is a wheel
37:56that spins.
37:58How does a champion
38:00approach a World Cup final
38:02which happens very rarely?
38:04Does he not realise it?
38:06Or does he prepare differently?
38:08No, he prepares like every game.
38:10Of course, the tension
38:12is much higher
38:14because you feel it.
38:16But it's like
38:18big competitions,
38:20like a Champions League,
38:22like a Scudetto final.
38:24In the end,
38:26it's like that.
38:28The big matches,
38:30whether they're in Serie C,
38:32or in Serie B,
38:34whether it's a Scudetto final
38:36to go up,
38:38or a Scudetto final
38:40not to go back,
38:42in the end,
38:44you live
38:46the big matches
38:48with a certain
38:50tension
38:52and mentality.
38:54We knew
38:56we could write
38:58the history of Italy
39:00because everyone gave their all
39:02before the World Cup.
39:04It was really
39:06a great recognition
39:08of strength,
39:10of will,
39:12of the group,
39:14of many things.
39:16Did you sleep well the night before?
39:18I always slept well.
39:20We were quite
39:22balanced.
39:24Maybe the day
39:26during the match
39:28was a bit different,
39:30but before
39:32I was quite
39:34calm.
39:36It's a flash.
39:38I can see that
39:40you lived your career
39:42as if it were normal.
39:44Maybe you didn't realise it
39:46because of how you speak.
39:48I imagine that with the Barcelona shirt
39:50you put your finger on it
39:52before you hug it.
39:54Was that normal?
39:56At first
39:58you find yourself
40:00with phenomenal players.
40:02Even at the beginning
40:04when I arrived
40:06at Juve or Milan
40:08or at the first
40:10national matches.
40:12I have always been
40:14a player who
40:16always stepped up.
40:20The pitch
40:22was the one that
40:24gave me a thermometer.
40:26I have always been
40:28a humble guy
40:30who worked a lot
40:32and always wanted to improve.
40:34I have never
40:36argued with
40:38anyone.
40:40It was difficult
40:42to argue with me
40:44on and off the pitch.
40:48I arrived at
40:50Barcelona as
40:52a world champion.
40:54They had just won the Champions League
40:56in London
40:58against Arsenal.
41:00Paris, I think.
41:02Yes, it was Paris.
41:04In the 2006 final
41:06they had won with Arsenal.
41:08Yes, it was Paris, not London.
41:12There were a lot of players.
41:14There was Deco,
41:16Vignesta, Pujol.
41:18You have always had these champions.
41:20Let's take
41:22the foreign players
41:24who played in Italy
41:26like Turan, Navarro,
41:28these great champions like the USA.
41:30The same can be said
41:32about you. Did they have
41:34a different allure?
41:36When you watched them
41:38were you a humble guy
41:40or did they have
41:42something more?
41:44They had something more on the pitch.
41:46Even off the pitch?
41:48No, I didn't watch them.
41:50On the pitch
41:52they were simple guys.
41:54Ronaldinho,
41:56who I also had at AC Milan.
41:58Very simple guys,
42:00humble,
42:02so
42:04the same goes for Xavi,
42:06Ignesta, Deco.
42:08All of them
42:10were very simple,
42:12calm,
42:14absolutely.
42:16I want to quickly
42:18end the World Cup.
42:20First of all,
42:22did the fish from Rino taste that bad?
42:26No,
42:28the fish from Rino
42:30was good.
42:32It was good.
42:34You would take it around.
42:36Especially at Milanello
42:38the various
42:40Pirlo, Nesta,
42:42Oddo, Ambrosini
42:44they would take it around.
42:46It was meant to be a group.
42:48But the fish was good.
42:50It tasted bad,
42:52but it was good.
42:54Did you play
42:56120 minutes in the final?
42:58At the 2006 World Cup?
43:00Yes, until the end.
43:02So you had the chance to score?
43:04Thank God it didn't happen.
43:06How did you live it?
43:08I was hoping
43:10it would happen.
43:12It was a disaster.
43:14Luckily we scored
43:16five spectacular goals,
43:18one better than the other.
43:20Otherwise there was a risk
43:22I don't remember
43:24if I was 7th or 8th,
43:26but I was one of those.
43:28A lot of people told us
43:30that they came here
43:32and even in the Intercontinental Finals
43:34of the Champions League
43:36someone was under the bench.
43:38You know,
43:40I never trained
43:42to shoot.
43:44There are players
43:46who are used to
43:48shooting corners,
43:50penalties,
43:52penalty kicks.
43:54So the more technical players
43:56were able to shoot.
43:58Then, of course,
44:00from 6th forward
44:02it's all a matter
44:04of luck,
44:06of approach
44:08to shoot penalty kicks.
44:10You're not used to
44:12shooting penalty kicks.
44:14How did you get to Milan?
44:16Who told you
44:18you wanted Milan?
44:20How did it work?
44:22After two years
44:24in Barcelona
44:26I had four years
44:28of contract.
44:30I needed to
44:32go back to Italy
44:34for personal reasons.
44:36I needed to go back
44:38to Milan for personal reasons
44:40through Gattuso,
44:42Neste and Pirlo.
44:44I wanted to go back
44:46to Italy
44:48and my priority
44:50was to go back
44:52to a great team like Milan.
44:54I had a lot of friends
44:56from Gattuso, Pirlo,
44:58Brosini.
45:00It all started
45:02because I wanted
45:04to go back to Italy
45:06and also
45:08because of the insistence
45:10of my friends
45:12who played for Milan
45:14at that time.
45:16I have to ask you
45:18what does
45:20Milan mean to you?
45:24In those years
45:26it was
45:28Milan
45:30that played
45:32for Juventus.
45:34In 2001-2002
45:36it was
45:38Milan and Juventus
45:40until
45:422003-2004
45:442005-2006
45:462007-2008
45:48so it was
45:50the two teams
45:52in Italy
45:54that made the difference.
45:56So
45:58Milan and Juventus
46:00have a history
46:02on their side.
46:04Milan has a history of great successes,
46:06of great victories,
46:08of a great club,
46:10of a great president,
46:12of a great family.
46:14For me
46:16the important thing was to go back
46:18to a great team in Italy
46:20close to home.
46:22Milan, Como,
46:24Milano were close to home.
46:26You lived in Como.
46:28I lived in my home
46:30and I went to Milanello
46:32or San Siro.
46:34I wanted to go back
46:36to a great level.
46:40In those days
46:42Milan was
46:44the priority.
46:46Where did you have
46:48all your teammates
46:50even before the World Cup
46:52like Mandini
46:54but also Ronaldinho, Pato,
46:56Beckham,
46:58Robinho?
47:00In those years
47:02there were
47:04the last two years
47:06of Allegri
47:08where
47:10there was the Scudetto,
47:12the first year of Allegri
47:14and the next one
47:16that we lost
47:18having a lot of points
47:20on Juventus.
47:22There were Ibrahimovic,
47:24Cassano, Boateng,
47:26Van Bommel,
47:28Seedorf, Nesta,
47:30Tiago Silva,
47:32Ambrosini,
47:34Pier,
47:36if I'm not wrong.
47:38It was
47:40a great team.
47:42Who impressed you the most
47:44individually?
47:48There was Pato
47:50who was one of those
47:52players who
47:54I think
47:56showed less of his potential
47:58because Pato was
48:00a great talent.
48:02I wasn't able to
48:04express the best
48:06of his potential but
48:08he was a great talent.
48:10Then there were
48:12Andrea Pirlo,
48:14Ibra,
48:16Juventus,
48:18Clarence,
48:20Tiago Silva,
48:22Nesta,
48:24Pippo,
48:28extraordinary players.
48:30What about Ibra?
48:34Ibra...
48:36I saw him young
48:38at Juventus when he joined Ajax.
48:42I saw the growth
48:44he had
48:46at Juventus
48:48and then I saw him again
48:50at AC Milan.
48:52He was a player
48:54with a strong personality
48:56who always wanted
48:58to improve day by day
49:00and he wanted to improve
49:02those who stood by him
49:04and played with him.
49:06Maybe he had
49:08a tough attitude
49:10because he wanted
49:12the best for everyone.
49:16Not everyone has the personality
49:18to keep his head up.
49:20In that team,
49:22in those years,
49:24there were a lot of players
49:26with personality.
49:28One last thing
49:30and then we'll thank Gianluca.
49:32I have tears in my eyes
49:34from the last day
49:36at AC Milan
49:38when everyone said goodbye.
49:40It was a beautiful moment
49:42for the fans,
49:44even if it was sad.
49:46It was a day
49:48dedicated to Rino,
49:50Pippo
49:52and Sandro Nesta.
49:54It was your last goodbye
49:56and Marc van Bommel's too.
49:58You let it all go.
50:00They pushed me.
50:02I didn't know
50:04if I wanted to quit
50:06or I didn't have a clear idea.
50:10It was my last game
50:12at AC Milan
50:14because I lost the contract.
50:16They pushed me.
50:18It all happened
50:20automatically.
50:22The goodbye
50:24is a part
50:26of your career
50:28and your story.
50:30It was a very special day
50:32because a lot of those
50:34who had to leave
50:36were my friends
50:38who had gone through
50:40Pippo, Sandro,
50:44Rino,
50:46van Bommel
50:48whom I got to know recently.
50:52These are always special days.
50:54They remind you
50:56of the past.
50:58It was a very emotional day.
51:00Do you have any photos
51:02at home
51:04of AC Milan?
51:06That's a beautiful photo
51:08with that emotion.
51:10I have photos
51:12of all the teams
51:14where I played.
51:18I always say
51:20that
51:22the World Cup
51:24is for a few.
51:28Not everyone
51:30is lucky enough
51:32to win it.
51:34If you look at the stars
51:36one is from 1934,
51:38one from 1938,
51:40one from 1982
51:42and the other one
51:44is us from 2006.
51:46There are still
51:48a lot of players
51:50but the last ones
51:52are us from 2006.
51:54The star is here
51:56on the left chest
51:58of the national team.
52:00We did something extraordinary
52:02to be world champions
52:04in the history of football.
52:06There are very few of us.
52:10The most difficult thing
52:12is to become world champions.
52:16I didn't win the Champions League
52:18like many other great players
52:20who didn't win it
52:22but it's not because I didn't win it.
52:24I won the Champions League
52:26every year.
52:28If you have the chance
52:30to watch Real Madrid now
52:32you have the chance
52:34to win it every year.
52:36There are a lot of things
52:38that make the World Cup
52:42an unobtainable trophy
52:44for a lot of people
52:46but that's the way it is.
52:48I'm really proud of it.
52:50So you have the trophy at home.
52:52The World Cup, yes.
52:54Absolutely.
52:56But because
52:58I managed to win it
53:00that's the best thing.
53:02The best thing is that we managed
53:04to find something so special
53:06that is special for you as well.
53:08It's normal for you
53:10to have such an extraordinary career.
53:12I wanted the Milan trophy
53:14because I wanted it
53:16when I came back from Barcelona
53:18and we're talking about a strong Barcelona
53:20that from then on
53:22won with Guardiola
53:24a lot.
53:26I could have stayed there
53:28with Guardiola
53:30and had a different career.
53:32I wanted to come back to Italy
53:34and go to Milan.
53:36I really wanted to go to Milan.
53:38I won't deny
53:40my story with Milan
53:42because it was
53:44a great family, a great club
53:46and it was the last team
53:48that I wore
53:50as a shirt.
53:52I'll always have it
53:54in my heart
53:56like all the other teams
53:58I've played for.
54:00Every team, every shirt
54:02has always left a positive
54:04or a negative impression on me.
54:06I think that's important.
54:08The great thing
54:10is that both the Milan and Juve trophies
54:12remind you of something.
54:14You're not associated with one of the two.
54:16Leave Barcelona alone
54:18but they're two big clubs
54:20and it's hard for a Juve shirt
54:22to be so special.
54:24Maybe the Juve trophies
54:26remind you of something
54:28because I left in 2006
54:30when Juventus
54:32were in Serie B.
54:34I think it's part of the choice
54:36and the respect of a person
54:38and not a player.
54:40I made a choice
54:42on a personal and professional level
54:44that has to be respected.
54:46You can disagree
54:48but you have to
54:50respect the person's choice.
54:52Let's ask for the last minute.
54:54Go ahead.
54:56We have this game
54:58with all our guests
55:00which is the pyramid.
55:02I'll give you 10 names of right-back.
55:04Milan history.
55:06You didn't go digging in the Middle Ages
55:08but all the players you've seen.
55:10We didn't include the current ones
55:12for personal reasons
55:14but you don't know the order
55:16so you can randomly
55:18put the first one that doesn't deserve it
55:20Let's start with the oldest one.
55:22Anquilletti.
55:24Anquilletti?
55:26You went too far back.
55:28Maybe I went too far back
55:30so I'll put him
55:32here.
55:34Fourth.
55:36Exactly.
55:40Another one who shared the World Cup with you.
55:42Massimo Oddo.
55:44Third.
55:46Abate.
55:48Abate here.
55:50Third.
55:52Helweg.
55:56Helweg...
56:00Here.
56:02Third.
56:04Panucci.
56:06Let's put him here.
56:08Second.
56:10Reiziger.
56:12Fourth.
56:14Four left.
56:16Contra.
56:18Fourth.
56:20Tassotti.
56:24Second.
56:26We're missing a first and a fourth.
56:28Gianluca Zambrotti.
56:32There's only this one left.
56:34What do you mean only that one?
56:36The first one could be
56:38a clamorous top or a clamorous flop
56:40or a midfielder.
56:42I'll put him here.
56:44You did quite well.
56:46The first one is Marcos Cafu.
56:48Cafu...
56:50He was the first one.
56:52Panucci...
56:54Come on!
56:56I would have put myself
56:58between third and second.
57:00But let's say third.
57:02Let's finish with this one.
57:06Can you express three desires?
57:10It seems banal
57:12The first desire is
57:14good health for me and my family.
57:16I think this is
57:18the biggest desire.
57:20Another desire is
57:24to achieve
57:26the goals
57:28that I have set
57:32during my life
57:34and for the future.
57:36I want things to go
57:38in the right direction
57:40without obstacles
57:42or delays.
57:44Let's put it this way.
57:46If you have a desire,
57:48a job,
57:50a goal
57:52or any other project
57:54that can go well
57:56in the end
57:58I think this is
58:00the other thing.
58:02Health
58:04and the fact
58:06of achieving
58:08your goals and desires
58:14and being good to yourself.
58:16I think this is the third one.
58:18You have to be lighter
58:20and positive
58:22and smile.
58:24This is the third thing
58:26I have to say.