Ambition, DNA, football being a way of life. Riccardo Sottil tells his story, how to become a footballer, makign sacrifices, what it means, his hairstyle, fashion, communication and friendship in football. Having returned to Fiorentina, he is ready to use his qualities to help the team. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOTBALL

"Football is everything to me. It’s my whole life. 

When I was growing up, my dad was playing in Serie A – and he’s now a coach – so I really was raised on the game. All the gifts I used to get from my relatives were footballs. I always say that football is like DNA – you have to have it inside of you, and then work hard to develop it. You might get advice or guidance from your family or other people, but talent is given to you by Mother Nature.

Growing up in the family I did, with my dad a player and my whole family mad about football, all we spoke about was the game. I’d go to training with my dad – I’d nag him to let me go with him, into the dressing room. I’d get the players’ boots and polish them. It’s been an obsession for me ever since I was really young – from the age of four or five.

My dad played in Genoa, in Reggio Calabria… I’d get out of school and beg him to take me to afternoon training with him. My dad was always amazing with that kind of stuff. 

Football means the absolute world to me."  

BEING HIS FATHER'S SON

"When you’re the son of a well-known player, people talk and kind of expect you to play football. But it’s something you’re born with. I’ve never felt pressure. My dad was always brilliant – pressuring me was the last thing he did. There was nobody more laid-back about it than him. We talk before and after games about things, because he’s been football-mad since he was a kid and he’s a coach now. My mum is at her wits’ end with all this football talk!

There have been lots of times when parents or other kids have said stuff about me only playing because of who my dad is – that’s a shame but it doesn’t happen now that I’m older. It was a thing when I was younger, because the parents can get quite competitive. I don’t think that does their kids any favours. 

Kids should play without any cares – it’s about having fun. Football is about fun."

LEAVING HOME

"Moving from Turin to Florence made me who I am. 

Fiorentina signed me when I was just 16 and it was my first time living away from home in Turin. At home, I had my grandparents, my aunties and uncles, my parents – my dad was coaching in Siracusa that year so was always going back and forth, same with my mum. I always felt their support and they were always there to do everything for me and ferry me places.

To go from that to leaving home, being alone, getting by on my own… I had to get used to living in digs, doing my washing, taking responsibility for my stuff. And that was happening in a city like Florence – beautiful, but big for a lad of 16. I had to adjust when I arrived. 

It really had a big impact on me." 

BECOMING A FOOTBALLER

"When I was younger, about four years old, somebody asked what I wanted to be when I was older. I said a footballer – that was always my ambition. I wanted it so much when I was a kid that I wasn’t even bothered about the sacrifices I had to make. 

Many people only look at what’s on the surface, but behind that there’s a lot more going on. Lots of sacrifices. Being away from your family for many years. Being apart from my brother – him having to grow up without me. So there are sacrifices, but that was always my aim and I always stuck to my path and gave it everything I had. 

And I haven’t achieved anything yet – there’s still so much to do." 

AMBITION

"In football, mentality and ambition make all the difference. You have the quality, but you have to back that up with mentality, in terms of how you train and how you go about your business. Ambition is the main thing a player needs to be able to stay at the top level for a long period of time. Your goal has to be to keep improving. You have to try to perform to the same level every weekend – if not to improve. 

You need to be looking to improve every day in training. Competition is important too. 

But ambition is vital, in football and in everyday life." 

FARE I SACRIFICI

"I’ve always been OK with that. Stuff like not going to clubs, not staying out late, eating well, not drinking, not smoking – all of that always came naturally to me. I’ve never touched any of that stuff. I don’t like it. Even the smell of smoke irritates me. 

It all came naturally to me so I’ve never really felt like I’ve had to give things up. I’ve always been disciplined with stuff like going to bed early if I have training the next day. For a player, recovery is essential. 

It’s not been too much of a burden, because it’s what I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a kid." 

HIS BODY

"In football, our body is our asset. The better shape you’re in, the better you can perform and the harder you can push. Every detail needs to be taken into account – diet, recovery, ice, what you do after training, after games. 

I don’t have any big secret, but I do what I have to do. I keep a close eye on my diet. Obviously there are times when you make an exception, maybe on holiday – we’re not robots. You allow yourself a little something when you have a day off. We’re humans at the end of the day. 

I don’t think the odd dessert or soft drink every now and then has too much of an effect.

Your body is what you work with, so you have to treat it perfectly." 

FRIENDSHIPS IN FOOTBALL

"You have to be careful. Lots of people get close to you because of who you are, because you play for Fiorentina or because they want something out of it. I’ve kept the same friends I had when I was young – the same guys I used to play football with in my hometown. Those are the people that see you for what you are. There’s no jealousy there. They’re my biggest fans, writing to me before and after games, and they always call me to support me. I’ve held on to them. They’re the same people I used to play with and go around town with as a kid. And then there’s my family – I’d do anything for my family.

You have to be careful with girls too. Sometimes it can be real, but there are plenty of girls who get close to you for a reason. You have to use your head. But I always say that if there were no women in the world, it wouldn’t be such a wonderful place. 

If I’m out of an evening and I see a girl that I like on the next table or whatever, I’ll go over and talk to her. I’m not shy like that. I’m not the kind of person that tries to find out their name and then looks them up on Instagram. If she’s there, go and speak to her.

Social media is everywhere now. You can track anyone down in a second. If you want to know somebody’s name, you ask a friend, then look her up and find her. 

I use social media, but if I like a girl and see her out, I’ll go over and introduce myself."   

COMMUNICATION IN FOOTBALL

"I think we footballers are perhaps a bit too formulaic in the interviews we do. We always say the same things – which are the 'right' things to say. If you look at the interviews with a player after a win or a defeat, the words or the order might change but they're basically the same interview. 

It's not as if we're not sincere, because ultimately the questions are always the same too: 'Why did you do that? Why did you make that choice? How are you getting on with your team-mates?' 

[Marten] de Roon and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic are two who are more spontaneous. De Roon is very funny on social media. And Ibrahimovic is a real character. He's a star on the pitch but also in the way he communicates.

It's always the same questions.
A bit more spontaneity every now and then wouldn't go amiss."

STYLE, FASHION, TATTOOS, HAIRSTYLE

"I'll tell you a story about my hair. When I was young I always had long hair. Then up until the lockdown it was always short. During the lockdown I found myself kind of halfway, with hair that was neither long nor short. So I decided it let it grow over the summer and then all last season. I'm going to keep it like this now.

I've got three tattoos. The first is this one on my hand: my brother's name. Then I have my dad's and my mum's names. And on my back I have 'Blessed' tattooed in English. 

I'm mad about clothes. I like to dress well and buy clothes that are a bit different. There's so much stuff on Instagram. I follow loads of people and Instagram is like a shop window. I love rap music, with the cars, the jewels, the clothes and the watches. You see all sorts so you can see what's good and interesting. I go looking for the right garment, the right shoes – the sort you don't come across very easily. 

I'm not really a classic dresser – I don't like to wear shirts all the time but I do wear a shirt and a smart pair of trousers in the evening sometimes. I'm very laid-back, though. I just have a soft spot for fashion. 

I really do love buying clothes."

HIS BOND WITH FLORENCE

"I have very strong ties with Florence. I came here when I was 16 and worked my way up from the Under-17s, two years with the Primavera, my first-team debut, then another season with the senior side. I have a wonderful relationship with the city.

When I come to Florence I always say I feel at home. In Turin there's my family of course but when I come to Florence, I feel really good. Some cities can feel cold but I'm totally at ease in Florence. 

I do have a few favourite spots: Piazza della Repubblica, Ponte Vecchio, Fiesole… But there's this one place up in Fiesole where I often go to eat with my family: La Reggia degli Etruschi. We've been there loads of times and we know them well now. The food is fabulous. I feel at home there. The view is stunning: you can see the whole of Florence. I go to lots of other restaurants too. Florence and Tuscan cuisine is fantastic.

I know how to get around, where to go, I know the city and the people.
I've been here for years and I really like it." 

BREAKING INTO THE FIRST TEAM

"I made my debut against Sampdoria with [Stefano] Pioli and my full debut against Napoli on the opening weekend with [Vincenzo] Montella. That was a superb match with a rocking stadium. Then the coach changed formation and it wasn't exactly ideal for my attributes. We switched to a 3-5-2 and playing at wing-back is totally different to playing as a wide forward. You need to run differently and do different things. If you're a winger who likes to dribble and attack, operating at wing-back is a bit restrictive. Plus we used to sit very deep, with lots of space in front of us.

It's so important to feel the coach's confidence in you. I joined Cagliari after that and did well there, getting lots of games under my belt. [Eusebio] Di Francesco is a bit like [Vincenzo] Italiano: they both like to keep the ball on the deck, passing it forward and building play through the wings. Italiano is a coach who teaches you things. The first thing he said was that he lives for football, and you can see that in his attention to detail and the way he motivates you.

Cagliari and the U21 European Championship were great experiences. 

Now I'm back at Fiorentina and ready for this new season."

OVERHEAD KICKS

"I love doing overhead kicks but I find it harder to do with my right than my left, even though I'm right-footed. People ask my why but it just comes more naturally with my left. No one taught me it; it's just something I've done ever since I was a kid. It doesn't matter if it's in training or a match, if the right ball comes over, why not try it? 

Having said that, it's one thing to pull it off in training and another in a match!"

I COMPAGNI DA CUI IMPARARE

"I've learnt lots of things from my team-mates, especially here in Florence, but I'm only 22 and still have lots to learn. I've always learnt from the older lads – they give you advice and help a lot. Everyone tries to help the younger players and I see that with the Primavera kids. 

It's really important at that age." 

FANTASY FOOTBALL

"I only played fantasy football once, about three or four years ago, when I was still in the academy. I did it with friends but I kept forgetting to name my team so I decided it was the first and the last time I'd play it. You have to pick your team every week, see who's likely to start, decide how to set your team up... it's just not for me. My friends are mad for it and call me telling me they've put me in their team that week. 

Lots of people write to me on Instagram too – loads of people play it." 

RICCARDO IN 20 YEARS' TIME

"Sometimes I think about where I might be in 20 years' time. 

Hopefully I'll be enjoying my family life, with my children and my wife or partner. When I finish my playing career and before going into coaching or whatever else, I'd like to spend a few years making the most of my family and kids. As a footballer, you're always travelling, so I think it will be nice to stay in one place for a while and just relax. 

But that's a long way off at the moment!"  

Interview byVieri Capretta