Among the great protagonists of Carrarese’s incredible promotion to Serie B there is also a former viola player: Leonardo Capezzi, born in Figline in 1995 and raised in the Fiorentina youth team, with whom he also made his debut in the Europa League in the 2013-14 season. Speaking on Radio FirenzeViola, Capezzi spoke thus of the path taken: “We are very satisfied, also and above all because we managed to bring many kids from the city closer to this team and it wasn’t easy. Here the love for football, for the territory and for this city. They didn’t take us as favourites, when I signed for Carrarese I was coming off a difficult period from Salerno and a year as a free agent. Then the president’s enthusiasm infected me and convinced me. When I arrived I understood just the value of this team in which talent abounded. I’m happy to have given a hand both on and off the pitch to many kids, I’m convinced that this promotion will give them a lot of boost because I’ve met so many good players.”
After a first-tier career, with Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Salernitana and also an experience in Spain, have you felt the move to the Lega Pro?
“Yes, I would say that it was a situation that cost me a lot. I felt a lot about having to go down to the Lega Pro, there were months of reflection and then there was a difficult start with an injury. My season It started with Calabro’s arrival in mid-January. It’s been a difficult few months but now I’m ready to raise the level.”
He is becoming a promotion specialist, what is the best one in your opinion?
“The first one, in Crotone, becomes indelible. The last one with Carrarese, however, had a lot of value for everyone but also for me. Then I also include the one in Salerno, it’s difficult to decide even if my heart remained partly in Salerno Winning with the Salernitana shirt also leaves you with a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the entire city.”
In Florence she was one of the most interesting talents, with her debut in the Europa League and also the words of investiture from Pizarro who defined her as ‘his possible heir’.
“Yes, I remember his words very well. That sentence made me responsible and in part also made my growth more difficult. It’s not that it put a spoke in my wheel, but it still tied me to a role, to a type of player, different from mine, also because I have always expressed myself better in a two-man midfield while Pek, as we know, was one of the best in the role of director in front of the defense. However, these are words, spoken by a champion like him, they pleased me and I will always carry them with me. Regarding the years in Florence, I remember the great talent that was in the first team and the growth on a personal level. In midfield there were professors, from Borja Valero to Aquilani , passing through Pizarro, then there was a lot of talent in the other roles too, which is a shame because that team could have done even more.”
And what do you think of the Italian cycle regarding Fiorentina in recent times?
“I think this team deserved a title. Unfortunately the bad part of football concerns this, in the final there are those who celebrate and those who don’t, but little changes compared to the path”.
What do you think of the new coach, Raffaele Palladino?
“Perhaps I didn’t expect the career he is having in terms of precociousness. I remember him in Crotone, I found an exceptional teammate, a great protagonist and already a coach on the pitch. He was certainly someone who showed a glimpse of the quality of a coach” .
