Antonio Di Natale turns 37 tomorrow, but the Udinese veteran takes inspiration from Francesco Totti. “I want to have fun.”
Antonio Di Natale turns 37 tomorrow, but the Udinese veteran takes inspiration from Francesco Totti. “I want to have fun.”
The hitman has been at the Stadio Friuli for a decade and his goals have helped take Udinese to fourth place in Serie A so far this season.
“Tomorrow is my 37th birthday,” Toto told La Repubblica. “I have had a good career and I hope to end it well.
“I still want to have fun, get a great result with Udinese and then we’ll see. The example to follow is Totti, who is 38 and says he feels 27.
“Will I celebrate with a goal? That’s just my job, I have to score for the team, the club and the fans.”
He is certainly good at his job, scoring 124 Serie A goals in his last 178 appearances.
Di Natale is still banging them in regularly with an incredible eight goals in seven competitive games this season, but is no longer part of the Italy squad.
“There are many young players now. Antonio Conte is proving himself to be a great Coach, forming a group that he can bring with him for many years. I hope the Nazionale will entertain all us fans.”
Udinese were third in Serie A last week and only a dubious last-gasp penalty for Cesena saw them drop down to fourth.
“We are happy with a great start and a good tally of points already. It’s a shame about the penalty, but at times we make mistakes and referees are the same. We’re humans, we can get it wrong.
“Do I believe in video replays? Yes, I agree and our President also has technology that can be applied to football. It is already used in basketball and other sports.
“Football is faster now and people want to see a spectacle. I like to play and win, as everyone does. There are mistakes, but it depends on what people want from football.”