«It is a wonderful recognition that will make me remember this season. Having entered this list, where there are among other names of players I admired in Serie A, makes me proud. And then I won the ranking with teammates who are really important players, it was a good challenge and I’m happy.” The prize which contains the average score for the entire season could not fail to go to Elia Galligani, who on the occasion of the award ceremony of the 45th Fedelissimo d’Oro also spent time during the last episode of the season of “At the Club with the Robur ” to retrace his extraordinary year, peppered with 17 goals and 16 assists.
Season – “In terms of numbers I put it in first place, even if in terms of performance perhaps I did better in the Serie C year in Grosseto, where I was much more continuous in beating the man. But this is definitely the best of my career.”
Continuity – “I’m someone who doesn’t stop when he has a problem, until I break something I play. Luckily nothing serious happened to me, apart from a few bumps. I managed to always be available and the coach didn’t make me miss a match, I hope I repaid him with numbers.
Favorite play – “I stop, make the opponent stop and get the ball to me. Being faster, 99 times out of 100 I get it. Even if this year the fields penalized me in this type of play. At the stadium I saw myself a bit with two accelerations, while for the rest of the championship I wasn’t 100% myself.”
Penalties – “The only one in which I crossed the shot was with the Rondinella, while in the others I had opened the plate. I managed to wrongfoot the goalkeeper in all four. On Saturday before the match I put on and kick a dozen, when I go from the spot I’m always very confident.”
The most significant networks – “The top goal with Rondinella. I learned that way of kicking in the summer at five-a-side football, otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to do it. With Baldaccio it was a great shot, the ball passed between the legs. The corner with Rufina? Boccardi had shot and I was making the rebound before the ball went out. The goalkeeper was saying ‘wake up’ to the defence, I took advantage of it and scored him a goal from a corner. I had tried to score from a corner other times, but I had never succeeded. Then it was nice to score a goal at the stadium. I’m happy to have scored on us immediately, otherwise I would have had to risk waiting several months.”
The arrival in Siena – “I received the coach’s call four days before the match against Fortis Juventus. He told me: you’re definitely not coming, but I’ll give it a try anyway. I was waiting for two Serie C clubs, Sestri Levante and Alessandria. They had to play their respective matches and they told me: let’s play the match and let you know. I thought about it and thought about it a bit, but on the one hand they wanted me while they made me wait. The next day I called the coach back and we reached an agreement. I couldn’t have made a better choice, I’m really happy. And now Alessandria is in D like us.”
Hagbe – “He made progress, at the beginning he found less space but the coach saw something in it and in the long run he was right. I also have to thank him because he made me score two more goals for the penalties he gave. Then he scored three goals and won a championship, for 2004 it’s a good result.”
Boccardi – “In my opinion he must be satisfied, he still won another championship. I was hoping he would reach double figures, which he hasn’t managed yet. If there had been the opportunity I would have made him take the penalties to get him to 10 because he deserved it.”
The relationship with Conte – “At the beginning I considered him like a secretary, we greeted each other with good mornings and every now and then I made some requests of him. Since we won the championship early, this friendship has developed, we started having aperitifs and going out for dinner. For a couple of months we have become even closer, he is the best friend I have found here in Siena. His role? Both secretary and team manager are fine. Usually it is said to footballers, but he too is wasted for Excellence.”
Strange – “I define myself as strange because I often kick the ball at the opponent when the game is stopped to restart the action. I like these things, I’ve done them in the past too. Every now and then, however, the referees blow the whistle, misjudging the regulation, something that didn’t happen in Foiano. It might seem unsportsmanlike but in the end it’s legal, in some situations I was sorry to be stopped because I could have scored a goal.”
Stadium – “At the beginning of the season we hoped to enter it in December, then with all the legal things the times took longer but in the end better late than never, the important thing is to have it for next year. Being able to play them in the last home match was important to get used to it. The only time I played there I lost 3-0, but this time we won 3-0.”
Perspectives – “I think that the confirmation of a good part of this year’s team could make the difference, then it is clear that a few players could be useful to lend us a hand. In Serie D this year Trapani has asphalted everyone, but if there is a team that works in the right way and is organized you can do well. The group we could be placed in is balanced, the name Livorno shouldn’t scare us. How would Siena have done this in Serie D? In my opinion, with adequate preparation, we would have been fighting with the leaders.”
Maccarone’s record – “I’m very competitive, when I see these things I find great motivation. I would like to surpass his goal tally, although it will definitely take a couple of seasons. In the meantime, I hope to maintain these numbers next year, which won’t be easy.”
Future – “I haven’t talked about it yet, but if the contract that Gigi Conte made me sign is valid, I’m tied to Siena for another year (laughs, ed.). Maybe we’ll have to talk about it again, in my head I’d also like to lengthen it, but there’s no rush now.”
Goals – “For now we are at 50%, I would like to win the next championship and return to where I started because this summer I dropped two categories. Playing in Serie C with Siena would be the highest point of my career.” (Jacopo Fanetti)
Source: Fol
