14/11/2015 08:38, Report by Adam Marshall
MATTEO DARMIAN'S ROAD TO OLD TRAFFORD
Matteo Darmian provided an exclusive interview for Inside United, the official club magazine, detailing his road to Old Trafford...
Tell us about your early days growing up in Italy…
I am from Legnano, a small village near Milan. I grew up, like most boys, with the dream of playing football. I was always outside with my friends playing football but I did all my schooling there too. My parents were very keen on me studying and getting ahead with my schoolwork. From there, the call arrived from AC Milan when I was about 10 years old.
What did being at such a huge club teach you?
I started playing in the youth team and spent nine years there. They helped me grow both as a footballer and as a human being. I consider it a school of life in the sense that they made me grow as a football player and gave everything for me to improve. They used to also ask me about my school grades all the time so they were following me very closely as a human being as well as a sportsman. They were nine fantastic years with them. It felt like a family there and I managed to get into the first team.
It must have been a daunting experience to make your debut as a 16-year-old in the Coppa Italia?
It was certainly a huge emotional experience to play in the Cup but I was very proud considering all the sacrifices I had made over those early years. It was like they were being paid back but I knew I had to see it only as the beginning and not like an already completed achievement.
The competition for places at the Rossoneri was tough with some legendary older figures in your position. Did you look up to them and how much advice did they give you?
It wasn’t easy to get into the team because there were all these big champions in my place but, for me, it was an honour to train with them. Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini were legends, not only for Milan, but also for Italian football and world football. I obviously tried in those years to observe them as much as possible and to take as much as I could from their way of playing.
Did you have any other heroes growing up?
I think Nesta and Maldini were the two for me as they were two of the best defenders in the world at that time. They were my idols.
Why are Italians notoriously so good at defending? There have been so many greats over the years in addition to Nesta and Maldini such as Cabrini, Gentile etc…
I don’t know the reason but maybe it is because of the way the tactics are in Italian football. Perhaps it is a bit more safe and defensive but I couldn’t say why exactly.
In terms of your early career, you looked to gain experience in Serie B with Padova – how did the move come about?
I’d got to a point where it was difficult to find a place for me in such a strong team like Milan. I wanted to play all the time and needed to do this to demonstrate my worth so I came to an agreement with the club to go on loan to Padova. I wanted to play more often and show my value.
Tell us about your time with Palermo. It must have been something of a change to move to Sicily…
Life wasn’t very different in Sicily apart from the supporters in the south are maybe a bit less invasive but more emotionally attached to the team. They were very warm. I think this is the main difference to the north of Italy but, for me, it was just another step in my career. It’s definitely a choice I would make again because it helped me get to where I am now. I don’t regret anything.
What convinced you to join Torino as they were in the second tier at the time?
Let’s say that I didn’t play as much as I wanted to in Palermo and so, for the same reason I went to Padova, I moved to Torino because I wanted regular football. The club placed a lot of trust in me straight away, from the president to the coach, and I tried to repay them with my performances on the pitch. Torino are an important club with a lot of history so, when I went there, they had a real plan and project to go back up to Serie A and, consequently, remain in the top division.
It worked out as you soon gained promotion and you became a regular in the team. Did you now feel you would always be a right-back?
Well, I was mainly a centre-back at Milan but, when I got into the first team, they moved me to the flank. I always played right-back after then until just the last two seasons at Torino when, out of necessity, I played on the left. So I can play both full-back positions when it is needed, as well as in the middle.
The call-up for Italy came on the eve of the World Cup. Did it all happen very quickly for you? How nerve-wracking was it to be thrust into the team?
Everything happened very quickly. I first played for Italy in a friendly [against Republic of Ireland] at Craven Cottage. I didn’t really expect it but I tried to live it in a calm and serene manner. Personally, I think it went very well because I was called up and was then able to play in the games at the World Cup. For me, it was very emotional for me to be representing the national team for the first time in competitive games but I tried to do what I always do – to play my best and give my all for the team.
Did it boost your confidence knowing you could handle playing on the biggest stage of all?
Of course it gave me confidence. Playing in a World Cup means you are competing against the strongest teams in the world and also the strongest players. So, on a self-esteem level, it gives you more certainty and security.
When did you first consider a potential move to England as a possibility? Was playing in the Premier League always an ambition of yours?
I used to watch the Premier League on television and it was well known that it was perhaps one of the best leagues in the world. So, when I got the call from United, I didn’t have to think twice about it at all. For me, it was a big step in my career and a really big opportunity personally that I didn’t want to let slip away. Of course, Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs, not just in England but the whole world, and, because of the history as well, all these factors made it an easy decision for me.
How is your English coming along? Does anybody speak Italian around the club?My English is improving bit by bit. I am trying to learn it and my teacher will keep helping me to pick it up faster. None of my team-mates speak the language but Paolo Gaudino works in the fitness staff here and he helps me understand some things because he talks Italian.
Despite any language barrier, your performances have suggested you have immediately fitted in on the pitch…
Well, when you arrive at such a big club with lots of great players, you realise there is stiff competition. So, like I have always done and I always will do, I will fight for my place and try to get better and better.
We used to say Gary Neville was a ‘7 out of 10’ performer every week at right-back because he was so consistent. Do you think you could enjoy similar success in this respect?
I don’t know. Obviously Gary Neville was a great player for the club and just the thought of being compared to him is a marvellous thing for me. I will try to go out on the pitch every weekend and play my best for the team.
Is it fair to say you are very tactically adept and able to follow the coach’s instructions? Has this been a trait of yours for some time?
I just think I do manage to understand what the coach wants and put it into practice during the training sessions and on a matchday.
How would you describe your personality? What are you like away from the pitch? Are you finding many things different about English life?
I am a very chilled person, maybe a little bit shy. I like spending my free time with my girlfriend, just hanging out together and going to the cinema or watching a film at home. I’m just the same as everybody else, really.
What are your ambitions for the season and the long term at the club?
United are a club that is used to winning lots of trophies and my ambition is to win as many games as possible in order to help us lift this silverware as we go forward.
www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Exclusive-Interviews/2015/Nov/matteo-darmian-road-to-manchester-united-interview.aspx
