Sampdoria forward Federico Bonazzoli has revealed he has ‘changed’ after a tough period away from football: “The coronavirus took my grandfather.”
The Blucerchiati were one of the Serie A sides hit by a wave of positive tests and when the numbers started to rise, the club released a note warning they would no longer name every player or member of staff who was positive, in order to protect their privacy.
Sampdoria forward Federico Bonazzoli has revealed he has ‘changed’ after a tough period away from football: “The coronavirus took my grandfather.”
The Blucerchiati were one of the Serie A sides hit by a wave of positive tests and when the numbers started to rise, the club released a note warning they would no longer name every player or member of staff who was positive, in order to protect their privacy.
In April, a statement confirmed all those who had been positive for COVID-19 have been given the all-clear and almost two months later, Sampdoria are ready to resume action.
But Bonazzoli lost his grandfather to the disease and wants to give everything to help save Sampdoria and make his relative proud.
“Now I want to start over again. This is a new beginning,” he told the club’s official channels. “Coronavirus took my grandfather away.
“He was my No1 fan, now I feel the duty to give something more every time I enter the pitch, to make him proud of me.
“Even if the situation seems to have improved at the moment, let’s not underestimate the virus and keep our attention high. Many people’s lives are at stake.”
The 23-year-old has played 11 games in Serie A so far this term, contributing one goal, and he has claimed he has changed with experience.
“I have changed. Now I can interpret training and games better, every experience has helped me grow.
“I have always considered Sampdoria a point of arrival but now I need to think of it as a starting point.
“The five substitutions will be an advantage that coach [Claudio] Ranieri will be able to make the most of. If I play 90, 60 or only five minutes, it will be up to me to be ready and eat the grass, not to waste this opportunity.”
Sampdoria return to the pitch against his former club Inter, and Bonazzoli will be hoping to get a chance against the Nerazzurri, where he came through the youth academy before moving to Samp in 2015.