Lorenzo Insigne on being rejected by clubs for being too short, romantic motivation, pride in his city and "only focus on winning Napoli's first Scudetto in my lifetime."
The Partenopei hero told his story to The Players Tribune, starting from when he watched his older brother play at the football school and had a tantrum so violent that in the end they let him play too.
Lorenzo Insigne on being rejected by clubs for being too short, romantic motivation, pride in his city and "only focus on winning Napoli's first Scudetto in my lifetime."
The Partenopei hero told his story to The Players Tribune, starting from when he watched his older brother play at the football school and had a tantrum so violent that in the end they let him play too.
“My dream, always, was to play in the Napoli shirt at the San Paolo. For me, there was no other dream. I didn’t play any other sports. I didn’t think about anything but football. But as I grew up and got tryouts with different youth teams — Inter, Torino, even Napoli — the scouts always told me the same thing.
“Well, actually they did not tell me. They told my father, and then he broke the news to me. And it was the same verdict every time. “We like him, but he’s a shorty.”
“In Italy, people are very honest like that. They all discarded me because of my height. After I was told this by Torino at 14, let’s just say that I didn’t want to play anymore. I told my family that it was useless. I was too short.
“Technique, strength, speed — you can just work harder and improve. But your height? What can you do? I’d wake up every morning hoping I’d grown overnight. But nothing. So I told my dad, “It’s impossible, I’m done.” But then he said, “O.K., so what are you going to do if not football?” And I thought about it, and I said, “Oh, what am I gonna do?”
“So I kept playing with the local football school, and finally, Napoli came along and gave me another shot when I was 15 years old. There were so many kids at the tryout. So many. But for whatever reason, the scout saw something in me, and he chose me.
“When I got into the youth academy, it was just incredible because my family were always huge Napoli supporters, but we could not afford to go to many matches when I was a kid. So when I was in the youth system, I would always beg to be one of the ball boys just so I could go to the San Paolo and stand on the sidelines.
“That feeling of being in the stadium, and feeling that energy as a Neapolitan … I can’t express it in words. I thought, Damn, if I can just play one match here in the Napoli shirt someday, I can die happy.”
Insigne revealed that when he returned home from his first game for the senior squad, an away match at Livorno, he returned to find the entire neighbourhood put on a party with a special cake and fireworks to celebrate the event.
“Napoli is in our blood. And I owe everything to the club, because they stuck with me in hard times. After I made my debut in 2010, I spent two years on loan at Foggia and Pescara in the C and B leagues.”
There was even a romantic reason for his determination to play for his hometown club, as it was while playing for Pescara that he met his wife, Jenny.
“Her parents were not going to let her come with me. Not a chance in the world. So I had double motivation that season. I had to convince Napoli to bring me back, so I could live my dream of playing for the club, and also so that I could be with Jenny. That season, I wasn’t going to be stopped. I scored 19 goals.
“It has been six years now that I am wearing this shirt, and I still have that same emotion when I score a goal for Napoli. It means so much to me, because I am so proud to be from my city.
“You know, I hear some people speak bad about Napoli, and it’s very frustrating for me, because they don’t know the city. To me, it’s the best city in the world. And if you don’t believe me, just look at my teammates. Look at how many players have stayed here instead of moving to bigger clubs. Some have been here three or four seasons, and they don’t want to leave.
“Our captain, Marek Hamsik, the guy is Slovakian, and he’s been here for 11 years. I ask my teammates why they want to stay, and they say, “I love the city, I love the life here, I love the fans.” So maybe when people speak bad about Napoli, they need to wake up.
“Even God himself loved it here. And by God, of course I mean Mr. Maradona.
“My only focus now is on winning Napoli’s first scudetto in my lifetime. I want to do it for my city, my neighborhood, my friends, my family, my children.
“Every time I go out to play at San Paolo, I get goosebumps. Because I think about what it means for my family, and I think about everything my father sacrificed over the years to keep me going. I don’t know what he had to do to get that money for my boots, but I know it was a struggle. That sacrifice started the whole dream.
“And now I get to walk out on the pitch in my hometown, and I always get goosebumps because I think: “This is where the greatest player in the world played. This is where Maradona played.”