Roma defender Gianluca Mancini confesses he's working and studying to become as good as Italian greats Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi.
"In 20 years I hope to be a good family man and to have something beautiful in football for generations to come, just as I experienced the players I saw on TV like Nesta, Cannavaro and Materazzi. They were unique," he told Goal.com.
The centre-back made his name with Atalanta and moved to Roma over the summer, but due to an injury crisis, has been used in midfield over the last few games.
Roma defender Gianluca Mancini confesses he's working and studying to become as good as Italian greats Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi.
"In 20 years I hope to be a good family man and to have something beautiful in football for generations to come, just as I experienced the players I saw on TV like Nesta, Cannavaro and Materazzi. They were unique," he told Goal.com.
The centre-back made his name with Atalanta and moved to Roma over the summer, but due to an injury crisis, has been used in midfield over the last few games.
"I immediately settled in well at Roma. I am friends with everyone and I speak to a lot of people. To tell the truth, it doesn't seem like I have changed teams from this point of view.
“It was a shift in tactics, from three at the back to four. La Dea have a completely different approach to football than the rest of Serie A, so it was a little difficult to begin with, but thanks to my teammates and the coach, I was able to adapt.
“After my games, I’ll watch my moves again three or four times, to understand where I went wrong and what I can improve. I love football and watch many matches, also so I can study all the forwards in Serie A and get to know them better.”
Mancini played in Bergamo for two seasons, and had previously played for Perugia in Serie B. He made his Italy debut against Liechtenstein this year.