Reflections on Passion and Sacrifice in Sports

I have the addiction gene.

Whenever you decide, the fact is that you don't develop some

aspects of your personality that you could have developed in your

life.

I feel guilty.

My passion created selfishness.

Every night,

like I have my dinner, I have my football game.

Sometimes, of course, on Sundays you have so many games that,

uh, in the end

you go to bed, you don't know what you have seen anymore.

My passion made me, uh, not to take care enough of people around

me.

I would have loved to have a bigger family,

and the fact that I was so focused on football, I'm today

very grateful to have a daughter.

Certainly my balance was too much in favor

of the club and not enough in favor of my family.

I try to repair that now.

Competition at all costs is something that destroys

a, a part of your personality.

This desire of hating to lose makes you sometimes

somebody inhuman.

The way he lives his life is, is not normal.

He was driven,

wonderfully driven. I mean, so focused.

I lived in my bubble,

my own little world.

I had only a triangle, home,

training center, Highbury.

I prepare the game exactly like a player.

I never go out 48 hours before a game for dinner or

anything.

You have to sacrifice your life for this job.

People love you when you were born,

they love you when you die, and it was a little bit like that.