Milan Badelj says he has been dreaming of a move to Fiorentina since his childhood, but he won’t encourage comparisons to David Pizarro.
The 25-year-old completed a deadline day summer window transfer to La Viola for a fee believed to be around €5m, and today has been officially presented.
Milan Badelj says he has been dreaming of a move to Fiorentina since his childhood, but he won’t encourage comparisons to David Pizarro.
The 25-year-old completed a deadline day summer window transfer to La Viola for a fee believed to be around €5m, and today has been officially presented.
“For me it is important to be here, it is an honour. I hope to help my teammates to win and to improve,” Badelj has told reporters gathered.
“As a child I dreamed of coming to Florence. From when I was little in Croatia I watched the Italian teams.
“Fiorentina also wanted me very much. I don’t know when the first contacts were made, I have only worked in the field to do my best. I don’t know if there were other clubs interested in me.”
The Croatia international has been compared to David Pizarro.
“It is very difficult to compare me to Pizarro – it would be too presumptuous to do so since Pizarro is a very important player, who has given so much to football.
“I have just got to learn from Pizarro, it is an honour to play with him. And can I play alongside him? For me it would be no problem.
“I like to play offensively and defensively. Picking the No 5? No particular reason, there is no number that I am particularly fond of. Zinedine Zidane wore No 5 and he is one of my idols.”
Badelj’s arrival in Serie A ends a difficult spell in the Bundesliga.
“In the two years at Hamburg, I did well in the first season and then some changes were made, both from a tactical point of view and in the selection of players.
“These differences soon created difficulties but went well for the team. As soon as I learned that Fiorentina were interested, I could not resist and I decided to come.
“I was in Florence two years ago as a tourist – I don’t know it very well, for now I will be living in a hotel…”