The acclaimed writer delves into the worlds of football and tennis, advocating for the return of Juventus`s traditional identity and asserting that Italy`s national team is suffering from the consequences.
Sandro Veronesi, born in Florence and raised in Prato, is a staunch Juventus supporter. This might seem peculiar, given the long-standing animosity many Florentines and Tuscans hold for “the Old Lady.” However, Veronesi explains that Prato has historically been Florence`s arch-rival. “Like all cities with a history of oppression by Florence, there are millennial antagonisms,” he states. “When I was in elementary school in Prato in the sixties, supporting Fiorentina wasn`t even an option; it was either Juve or Inter. I chose Juventus when I discovered the word means `youth.` The Juventus team featuring Cinesinho and Del Sol was the first one I fell in love with.”
Early Football Heroes and Prato`s Prodigies
Q: Paolo Rossi was born and raised in Prato. You were born in `59, he in `56. Did your paths ever cross when you were young?
A: “No, but some of my friends played with him at Cattolica Virtus and spoke highly of this child who scored many goals. In Prato, I also met Christian Vieri. They were opposite types of strikers, Bobo and Paolo. Paolo`s goals seemed like miracles, while Vieri`s were expected. Rossi was slender, yet what a powerful shot for his second goal against Brazil in Spain in 1982! Rossi possessed great technique. Prato has provided two superb center-forwards to both Juve and the National team.”
Q: Who was your first Juventus role model?
A: “Roberto Bettega, for the elegance of his play. But I chose to be called Sandro, instead of Alessandro, my given name, in homage to Sandro Salvadore, a great black and white defender from the sixties and seventies. Then I also liked the German player Haller. I remember that attack: Haller, Causio, Anastasi, Capello, Bettega. Anastasi combined excellently with Gigi Riva in the National team. Who knows how Mexico `70 would have ended if an injury hadn`t deprived us of Pietro Anastasi?”
Q: Who is your favorite among Platini, Del Piero, and Baggio?
A: “Platini, for his blend of technical beauty and nonconformity. He often seemed nonchalant; the rhetoric of a sweaty jersey and the smell of grass didn`t resonate with him. If I had to choose between Platini and Maradona, nine times out of ten I`d vote for Platini. When his goal was disallowed in Tokyo during the Intercontinental Cup – an incomprehensible decision – he just lay down and wore a look of disillusionment. That was the most `Juventino` thing I`ve ever seen, in the best sense of the word. Maradona would have grabbed the referee by the throat. Michel had a special aura, a nobility. He was much liked by `L`Avvocato` (Gianni Agnelli), and we followed Gianni Agnelli`s preferences. However, I want to say something else: today, the player I miss the most is Mandzukic.”
Q: Mario Mandzukic, the Croatian striker?
A: “An extraordinary and underrated player, capable of scoring an overhead kick against Real Madrid in the 2017 Champions League final. We could really use Mandzukic now.”
Juventus`s Lost Identity and the State of Italian Football
Q: How and when did today`s problems begin?
A: “When the `rumba` of Champions League obsession began – a trophy you can`t simply plan to win. PSG only managed it this year after many, many years. Tradition has been sullied, the logo changed. The black and white stripes have been mistreated in a bid to conquer the US market, and in America, vertical black and white stripes are worn by hockey referees. Italy is divided over our stripes, with both love and hate; if you discard them, you lose your identity. Our true jersey is Platini`s, with thin stripes and the `Ariston` sponsorship. Then, between Paratici and Marotta, Paratici was chosen, and that explains quite a lot. Thiago Motta has been a footballing assassin. We are victims of an autoimmune disease. Cristiana Girelli is a `rotten gobba` (a derogatory term for a Juve fan, here used affectionately) and is leading the Italian women`s team to the Euros. When our national teams win, Juve is always involved. It happened in 1982, in 2006… Now we risk missing a third World Cup in a row. Having said all that, for me, the main problem in football today is agents with their mega-commissions, which are essentially legalized kickbacks.”
Jannik Sinner: A Natural Phenomenon Destined for Greatness
Q: Tennis, your other great passion. Perhaps those who grew up idolizing Panatta find it hard to understand Sinner`s game. What are your thoughts on this?
A: “I would hold off on giving a definitive technical judgment on Sinner. He hasn`t finished developing; he`s a talent in the making and has a top-tier staff. The Cahill-Vagnozzi duo will help him grow even further. Alcaraz will need to improve more to surpass him. Sinner has gained an advantage through his methodical approach, and he will soon acquire more variety in his game. Against some opponents, you need to pound them with rhythm, while against others, you need to vary your technique – Federer taught us that. Sinner is a natural sporting phenomenon. As a child, he scored tons of goals in football and was an excellent skier. He would have become great in either football or skiing. He chose tennis and became number one. Maradona, on the other hand, could only have played football.”
Q: Can he achieve the Grand Slam, winning all four major trophies in the same year?
A: “Today, the Grand Slam requires a physical consistency that is difficult to achieve and maintain. He will win all the Slams, for sure, perhaps across two seasons. He has already made us win Wimbledon, something never achieved before. He will bring us all four Slams. What more could we ask of him to amaze us?”
Q: He`s from South Tyrol, so an Italian far from the usual stereotypes.
A: “That seems like a superficial interpretation to me. We`ve had other champions from South Tyrol, like Gustav Thoeni in skiing and Klaus Dibiasi in diving. Sinner follows in that tradition. Be careful not to fall into the caricature of the `Pulcinella` Italian. We are no longer just spaghetti, guitar, and mandolin; this idea of the flamboyant and undisciplined Italian is outdated. In tennis, I saw John McEnroe, an American: if you took away his anger, you stripped him of his genius. I saw Boris Becker, an anomalous German, yet one of the greatest ever. I saw another American, Jimmy Connors: a scoundrel, but he won.”
