What did you do when Italy won the European Championship?
“I was in the square, with my friends celebrating“.
How do you feel most Albanian?
“My blood is Albanian, at home I sometimes speak the language. And with my grandparents in Albania I keep my roots alive“.
Do you ever go to Elbasan where you were born?
“Yes, if I’m in Tirana with the national team and I have the afternoon free I go to visit my grandparents“.
Do your parents tell you about their life in Albania and their arrival in Italy?
“Always. My father arrived in Italy by dinghy and tells me how hard life was in Albania. My mother had me at 18 and it wasn’t easy. They suffered a lot and what they did for me and my brother Leonardo who is 13 years old is priceless: I feel like I can’t repay them, but I try“.
“When I signed for Inter I brought everyone with me to Milan, also because everyone speaks well of the city, but at 21 years old, living there alone would have been a mess. My mother worked in a sweets factory, my father for the aqueduct company and in the summer he spent all day in the sun: now life has changed“.
Until three years ago in the summer you served tables at the “stringozzo festival at the Cinta Senese”: is it more complicated to slalom among the people with plates in hand or to start a key match for the Scudetto in Florence?
“It was more difficult to play that match, because I felt it a lot, I hadn’t played from the first minute for some time and Juve were very close to us: there was a bit of stress“.
Jorginho, Modric, Brozovic, Barella, Pedri. A group of great midfielders: do you have a model or is Calhanoglu enough for you to grow?
“Brozovic is also an inspiration. Seeing him and Calha train was one of the best things that could have happened to me“.
Was it a season of growth for you?
“No doubt. I have a great player in front of me like Hakan, from whom I try to learn every day. I thank him, also for the person he is“.
Playing little is not easy.
“I understood that even if you play three minutes, you have to be ready. But I also improved in the defensive phase, on which I worked a lot. And in the ball game: being with the best champions in everything“.
Does Calha use the stick or the carrot more with her?
Lautaro, however, made it clear in an interview with Gazzetta that he used the stick with her. Is that so?
“Of course, but I thank him because he speaks to me a lot, especially off the pitch. I don’t want to tell you what he told me but he helped me a lot. He did well to use the stick“.
You moved from Empoli’s Primavera to Inter in just over six months. Was it difficult to maintain balance?
“I always think about it, because I arrived in Milan after 13 games as a starter at Empoli“.
Does Inzaghi help you become a great team player?
“He knows when to come and talk to you and when it’s not the right time – he helps me a lot“.
It was born on March 9th like Inter: is it also your favorite team?
“Yes, the passion was born from an uncle, a very Inter fan. But I also really liked Kakà“.
Is an Italy with an Inter block even more dangerous?
“Yes. And she is clearly favored“.
His companions in one or two words: Stretcher?
“Stretcher: quality and quantity. He is one of the strongest in the world and I hope he will be there tomorrow. Sticks: elegance. Dimarco: fairy foot. Darmian: our prince. Frattesi: stupid! No, I’m joking (laughs). Great physical strength and a great friend: I heard it, let’s hope he doesn’t score with us“.
“We talk often, he too has very strong players up front at Inter and must be happy with his season. He is a great professional“.
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