For my whole life, I’ve always been the kind of guy who constantly asks himself, ‘Will I be good enough? Can I do it? Can I live up to the expectations?’ It’s probably because I had a peculiar playing career, almost unique. I endured many years in Italy’s lower leagues before I made my breakthrough – ahead of the 2006 World Cup, I’d spent 12 seasons as a footballer and played below Serie A in eight. When I arrived in Germany for the World Cup, the first thing I asked myself was, ‘What am I doing here?’
My career started far away from the World Cup, at Renato Curi in the regional leagues, then at Chieti in the fourth tier. When I finished school, I went to university so that I could postpone my mandatory military service. I loved going to uni with all my friends, and I also did exams – I wasn’t thinking about what would happen next.
Up until the age of 23, I was a carefree
