Atalanta captain Alejandro Gomez wants to bring ‘joy’ back to the people of Bergamo: “They miss, breathe and live for football.”
Bergamo was one of the cities that has been suffering the most during the coronavirus pandemic and Gomez claims the Orobici players have ‘a huge responsibility’ when football resumes.
“It’s a huge responsibility to have, also to be an example,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Bergamo has suffered a lot. I never had the doubt of leaving the city.
Atalanta captain Alejandro Gomez wants to bring ‘joy’ back to the people of Bergamo: “They miss, breathe and live for football.”
Bergamo was one of the cities that has been suffering the most during the coronavirus pandemic and Gomez claims the Orobici players have ‘a huge responsibility’ when football resumes.
“It’s a huge responsibility to have, also to be an example,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Bergamo has suffered a lot. I never had the doubt of leaving the city.
“Not just because the pandemic came to Argentina or because training could resume at any given moment.”
The fan favourite has claimed he is prepared to give his all for the city of Bergamo in the run-in, starting with La Dea’s home game on June 21 against Sassuolo.
“It’s a task but not a weight. We must try to continue doing the extraordinary things we were doing, and that we had stop halfway.
“We are in the limelight, but we have been in the past few years. For us, the resumption means the possibility of restoring joy for those who have suffered in these months.
“We can’t replace the dead, erase the pain, but just give a little joy, make people think of something else for a few hours.
“Bergamo misses football too; they breathe football and live for football. But without forgetting.”
Gomez has revealed he was sceptic about resuming play but with the latest data reports, he is convinced to start again.
“If you had asked me two months ago, I would have given a different answer. Now that security has increased and the virus seems less aggressive, I’ll say I’m in favour.
“Serie A is an industry that moves millions across the country. There are many people who need football to live, not just footballers.”
The 32-year-old, who has contributed six goals and 10 assists in Serie A this term, confessed that he was scared at first and revealed that his teammates are already in great shape despite the two months in quarantine.
“Maybe I was a little scared of it the first week. You didn’t shower alone, but there were also a thousand different questions.
“Today, I only have all the desire in the world. My body needs 15 to 20 days to be OK, but I’ll tell you the truth: When I saw how my teammates were after two months of quarantine, I was excited.
“I’m excited to see how far [Marten] De Roon, [Remo] Freuler, [Hans] Hateboer, [Robin] Gosens and [Timothy] Castagne are running… Freuler is the one that surprised me the most. He player three to four games of 11 against 11, as if he never had stopped.”