Liam Brady looked back over his time at Sampdoria, a difficult departure from Juventus, Trevor Francis and Roberto Mancini. “Those were good times.”
The 61-year-old returned to Marassi and was presented with a special commemorative jersey for his time at the club from 1982-84.
Having also played for Juventus, Inter and Ascoli, Republic of Ireland international Brady gave his interview with Samp TV in Italian.
Liam Brady looked back over his time at Sampdoria, a difficult departure from Juventus, Trevor Francis and Roberto Mancini. “Those were good times.”
The 61-year-old returned to Marassi and was presented with a special commemorative jersey for his time at the club from 1982-84.
Having also played for Juventus, Inter and Ascoli, Republic of Ireland international Brady gave his interview with Samp TV in Italian.
“My memories of those two years are wonderful. I arrived here without really understanding the city or the club, but speaking with (then-President) Paolo Mantovani, he convinced me to try.
“Juventus were happy, because I wasn’t leaving them to join another club competing with them. I settled in very quickly, found a home within a month and my wife was pregnant with our first child. Those were good times, really.
“It was difficult for me to understand the Juventus decision, but one door closes and another opens. I had a great friend here in Genoa that convinced me to come to Samp. To be honest, I wasn’t that eager to come here, but he told me living here was great, the club was serious and the President had great plans.
“When I met with Mantovani in Geneva, I realised he was an honest man. He’d just signed Roberto Mancini a couple of weeks earlier, who at the time was the most talented young player in Italy. He wanted to make the fans enthusiastic.
“I had wanted to come home to England, as I didn’t understand Juventus’ decision. My wife said we were happy in Italy, the people treated us well, so I decided to come to Samp.”
It turned out that Brady wasn’t the only English-speaker within the Blucerchiati locker room.
“I knew Trevor Francis from England, we played against each other many times. He was two or three years older than me, was sold by Birmingham to Nottingham Forrest for a record transfer fee and he was an England international. He really was a star of English football.
“When Mantovani told me that Francis was coming to Sampdoria, I didn’t believe him! I had been in Italy for a couple of years, so I helped him understand the language, the lifestyle, the football and he was one of the best strikers I ever played with.
“You could tell straight away that Mancini was destined to be a great player. I remember a goal we scored against Roma in Week 3, he came to meet me, turned and I put the ball over the top. He was 17 and it was obvious he would go far in football. He became world class in three or four years.
“Alessandro Scanziani was the player who helped me the most. He was the captain, set the example to all the others and always gave 100 per cent.
“I was probably friendliest with Casagrande, but we all got on very well, creating an environment where we were all together.
“I have fond memories of Renzo Ulivieri, as he had a great sense of humour. He was serious, but also understood the issues in life and treated everyone the same, so there was nobody given special treatment. I like that attitude in a Coach.”
Brady was recently invited to a match at Marassi and was impressed by the current Blucerchiati squad under Coach Marco Giampaolo.
“I like this current Sampdoria side, as they play to attack above all else. There are some teams in Italy who are negative, but not this Sampdoria. They pass the ball forward and have talents like Fabio Quagliarella, Dennis Praet – who I wanted when he was 15 playing in Belgium – and the very talented Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira.”
“I had already been to Liguria on holiday before I came to Juventus. I liked the climate, the food and the city. It’s always a pleasure to come back here.
“I am a pensioner and full-time grandfather now! I worked at Arsenal’s youth academy for 21 years and there are many players in the senior squad who I saw grow up.
“I spoke to people who work with Sampdoria and know they are serious about developing the youth academy. I met up with old friends here, including (director of sport) Carlo Osti, who I played with at Juventus. I am not one for nostalgia, but I was so pleased to see Marassi and Samp.
“I want to thank the Samp fans, as when I left, they gave me a big salute and didn’t criticise me. They understood I wanted to play at the highest level in Europe. I think they still love me and that’s why it is always a pleasure to come here.”