Former Italian defender Stefano Bettarini, 53, shares candid insights into his life and career. From his public persona as a `womanizer` and controversial moments in football and reality TV, to his marriage with Simona Ventura and the profound fear he experienced following his son`s stabbing, Bettarini speaks openly about the highs and lows.
Life After the Pitch and Screen
The wind in Versilia is strong enough to keep one awake, stirring memories. Stefano Bettarini, a 53-year-old former left-back with over 300 professional matches and 15 years in reality television, reflects with the sound of the wind in the background. “I live in Viareggio with Nicoletta, my partner. I don`t miss football or television. Over the years, I`ve invested in real estate, and it`s going well. Today, I can genuinely say I don`t work and I enjoy life. I didn`t squander my earnings; my parents taught me never to waste anything, though I certainly indulged my passions.”
Q: What was the first significant purchase you made with your first salary?
A: “A BMW. It was during my military service, and I was playing for Baracca Lugo in Serie C1, earning 24 million lire. The car cost 48 million, so my father covered the remaining half. I paid him back in installments.”
Q: How did your father, Mauro, motivate you?
A: “He always told me I`d never reach Serie A. The day before my debut, Cagliari-Torino, I called him, full of bravado. `See, I made it?` He delivered a cold response: `The important thing isn`t reaching high levels, but staying there.` He passed away in December, and I miss him dearly. He played in Roma`s youth team, but my grandfather made him quit after he failed classical studies twice. Everyone else in my family is a university graduate. I`m the only `donkey` who chose to chase a dream.”
Q: Describe yourself as a footballer.
A: “I was a left-sided full-back with a great foot, covering the entire flank. Honestly, there were very few players like me at the time. Pancaro and Zambrotta were right-footed and adapted to the left. Then there was Paolo Maldini, my everlasting idol. He was in a different league.”
The “Too Handsome” Label and Public Persona
Q: Did you ever feel undervalued?
A: “Again, to be honest: I had a suitable career. What I missed was playing for a truly big club. I believe I deserved it, but my agent always heard the same comment…”
Q: What was that comment?
A: “`Bettarini is too handsome to be a footballer.` Galliani and Moggi said that when I was being considered by Milan and Juve. This reputation actually hurt my career. Once, I participated in a fashion week show, and I was heavily criticized. Even my club was furious. Nowadays, players release music, launch brands, they do everything.”
Q: Did you ever escape from a training camp?
A: “Never. I was always seen as someone who caused chaos, but it wasn`t true.”
Q: And the reputation as a womanizer?
A: “It both angered and amused me. I`ve always been attracted to women, but I never received a fine or any disciplinary action for going out at night. In Lucca, Orrico weighed us daily. Some guys would run sprints in heavy jackets just to lose half a kilo after a night out. I, on the other hand, had paparazzi following me everywhere. When I was married to Simona Ventura, I must have turned down two hundred events.”
Marriage to Simona Ventura and Personal Challenges
Q: How did you and Simona Ventura meet?
A: “In Sardinia. At the time, I was playing for Cagliari, and she came to the team presentation. Initially, we wanted to keep our relationship private. She even went around wearing a wig.”
Q: Is it true that you uncovered her infidelities through a private investigator?
A: “Yes, but discussing it now serves no purpose.”
Q: What is your relationship like today?
A: “We separated twenty years ago; everyone leads their own life. Our children are now 27 and 25; we no longer need to maintain an `extended family` dynamic.”
Q: In 2018, your son Niccolò was stabbed 11 times outside a nightclub.
A: “And his attackers are still free; don`t even get me started on that. Today, he`s a personal trainer, built like a brick wall, channeling his anger in that way. He narrowly escaped death; it`s something you never truly overcome.”
Q: Did you fear he would die?
A: “Yes. I felt true fear.”
Anecdotes from the Football World
Q: A quick memory of Maurizio Zamparini?
A: “I played under him at Venezia. When things were going badly, he`d consult a wizard. He once convinced me to spread an ounce of calf kidney on my chest to ward off bad luck.”
Q: Massimo Cellino, from your time at Cagliari?
A: “Just to avoid my agent, he once escaped through a hotel window. Fiorentina wanted me, but he simply wouldn`t agree to the transfer. I had an incredible time in Sardinia.”
Q: Edmundo, your former teammate at Fiorentina?
A: “Fiorentina missed out on a Scudetto because he ran off to Brazil for Carnival. Cecchi Gori told him that Florence had `Bagno a Ripoli,` implying it had a sea. When Edmundo discovered that wasn`t true, he went berserk. Cois and I used to take him to Viareggio for seafood. He was a phenomenon: in Empoli, he single-handedly won a game after throwing a slipper at Trap`s assistant before a team meeting. He had slept in very late that day.”
Q: And Gabriel Batistuta?
A: “A phenomenon. Although, he was a bit stingy. He had that reputation in Florence.”
Controversies and Reality TV
Q: In 2004, Giovanni Trapattoni gave you your debut for Italy.
A: “I debuted in Palermo against the Czech Republic during the period when Simona was hosting the Sanremo Music Festival. It was a lifelong dream. I regret stopping playing at 33. I could have continued for another four years, but the five-month disqualification for `omitted report` was utterly disgusting. There are people who sold their souls and continued playing. Twenty people showed up to search my house, and dozens of journalists were waiting outside. It was a disgrace. I was finally acquitted after a 9-year ordeal.”
Q: You were also investigated for betting in 2011. Ilievski accused you of paying players.
A: “Absolute nonsense. Chievo signed me simply to help me out: I needed one more year to qualify for a pension. Seventeen years of professionalism are required, and I was at sixteen. I was officially registered, but I never showed up for training. I didn`t even know the players. The truth is that the prosecutor promised reduced sentences in exchange for names. I was a well-known media figure, and he dragged me into it.”
Q: Then came fifteen years of reality TV. How did that begin?
A: “I wanted to have fun. I never considered becoming a coach. I needed a break after my separation. I went to Africa for three months for `La Talpa` (The Mole) in 2005. I wrapped up my reality TV career in 2020 after `Grande Fratello Vip` (Big Brother VIP). There, I was disqualified for a blasphemy I never actually uttered. In reality, my ex-girlfriends pressured the producers to get rid of me because they were afraid I`d reveal something about them. I would never have done that.”
Q: How are things with Nicoletta Larini? A 22-year age difference is quite significant.
A: “It`s true, but we`ve silenced the doubters. They told us we`d only last six months, but we`ve been together for eight years. She stood by me when the `Bettarini character` – the media personality and all that came with it – was no longer what it was. She truly is a gift from life.”
