Empoli striker Massimo Maccarone believes Riccardo Saponara 'can still give more' while looking forward: 'I'll play till I'm 40'.
The Azzurri are enjoying a strong campaign and may even think of qualifying for the Europa League, though their veteran poacher recommends taking things 'one step at a time'.
“I'll keep playing till I'm 40, perhaps even beyond,” Big Mac told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “What matters is that you're always driven.
Empoli striker Massimo Maccarone believes Riccardo Saponara 'can still give more' while looking forward: 'I'll play till I'm 40'.
The Azzurri are enjoying a strong campaign and may even think of qualifying for the Europa League, though their veteran poacher recommends taking things 'one step at a time'.
“I'll keep playing till I'm 40, perhaps even beyond,” Big Mac told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “What matters is that you're always driven.
“Now that I'm 36 I've become rigorous with myself, like Filippo Inzaghi used to be. I want to do that so we can keep Empoli in Serie A. That's still our objective.
“Every Thursday I set up a dinner in which all the lads join me around a table. We talk about everything, perhaps with a glass of wine.
“[Manuel] Pucciarelli, [Marko] Livaja, [Levan] Mchedlidze and [Alessandro] Piu are all very strong.
“After the third goal against Chievo I went to hug Levan, who's been out with injury for four months. It was not a random gesture.
“And I'm never reluctant if President [Fabrizio] Corsi asks me for advice. I've known him for 20 years.”
Maccarone never played in a big team, but he wouldn't have minded a chance with Milan.
“Maybe if I'd played there, I wouldn't be enjoying this marvellous Empoli. I'd have liked to explode in Milan, as I grew up there. But there were too many champions ahead of me.
“Saponara? I think he's more complete than Javier [Pastore]. Riccardo can still give a lot more.
“The best in Serie A? No doubt [Napoli's Gonzalo] Higuain. He moves everywhere on the front and he's ruthless near the goal.”