A heartwarming voice note from an excited Roberto De Zerbi recorded on the morning of Brighton’s Europa League victory over Ajax has been circulated online, with the Brighton coach expressing his continued love and passion for the game of football.
The recording was sent by De Zerbi to pundit, friend and former Brescia, Fiorentina and Inter defender Daniele ‘Lele’ Adani, who has since shared the message to his instagram profile.
Adani also praised De Zerbi, a man who he calls his brother, for his core values in the accompanying caption.
As translated by The Athletic’s James Horncastle, De Zerbi told Adani: ‘Ciao Lele, I’m walking around the city, I’ve got a hat and sunglasses with jogging bottoms on. No-one recognises me.
“Little kits are already walking around in their shirts and scarves, ahead of the game. How great is that.
“Gives you f***ing goosebumps. F*** me. Having this in your head, how can you play badly, lose a tackle, not have a dribble, not be pumped? Football eh, f***ing hell, I’m 44 and it still does this to me.”
De Zerbi and his team went on to record Brighton’s first ever victory in a major European competition with their 2-0 win over Ajax at the Amex later on Thursday evening.