Leonardo Bonucci concedes failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup “is a black mark that will never be wiped away. It was catastrophic.”
The Azzurri host Portugal this evening at San Siro for the Nations League at 19.45 GMT.
This is the first time Italy have been in Milan since the 0-0 play-off draw with Sweden in November 2017, which ruled them out of the World Cup, 1-0 on aggregate.
Leonardo Bonucci concedes failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup “is a black mark that will never be wiped away. It was catastrophic.”
The Azzurri host Portugal this evening at San Siro for the Nations League at 19.45 GMT.
This is the first time Italy have been in Milan since the 0-0 play-off draw with Sweden in November 2017, which ruled them out of the World Cup, 1-0 on aggregate.
“It’s a black mark that will never be wiped away from the career of a player,” Bonucci told Eleven Sports.
“Not going to the World Cup for the Italian Nazionale is truly something catastrophic. That’s the way I experienced it.”
Italians hadn’t missed out on the tournament since 1958.
“It would’ve been nice to experience the World Cup with so many young players ready to carry their enthusiasm with them.
“Now there’s no point going back over it, the important thing is to get back on track the way we have done under Roberto Mancini. We’ve made changes on the pitch, now we hope FIGC President Gabriele Gravina can make a big step forward off the field too.”