Sampdoria's Luis Muriel says he has found a club that shows faith in him, whilst he reflects on how he has had to grow in Serie A.
The Colombian joined the Blucerchiati in January on a loan from Udinese, and could be purchased in full this summer for an agreed fee.
In an extensive interview with la Gazzetta dello Sport, the 23-year-old has admitted that the football he encountered in Italy boosted his development.
“I used to take everything lightly,” he said. “After all I came from a place where we were always partying.
Sampdoria's Luis Muriel says he has found a club that shows faith in him, whilst he reflects on how he has had to grow in Serie A.
The Colombian joined the Blucerchiati in January on a loan from Udinese, and could be purchased in full this summer for an agreed fee.
In an extensive interview with la Gazzetta dello Sport, the 23-year-old has admitted that the football he encountered in Italy boosted his development.
“I used to take everything lightly,” he said. “After all I came from a place where we were always partying.
“My time in Italy made me grow a lot, just like the birth of my daughter.
“On the field I no longer wait for the ball. Where I come from you can turn around three times with the ball and nobody comes to press, here football is different.
“Tactics, physical form and sacrifice are much more important.
“An old Coach of mine, Alvaro Nunes, once wrote to me and said: 'Have fun, but be responsible'. I grew up with that motto.
“Each time I had the ball I wanted to perform some trick. And if I'm having fun on the pitch, the supporters have fun on the stands.”
Muriel then went on to discuss his football models, indicating Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as the most prominent.
“He was my first icon at international level, among other things because I learnt about skills that I didn't have when I was younger and that he was already using at the highest levels.
“I mean speed, progression, changes of pace.”
The Colombian then discussed the process that took him from Udinese to Sampdoria.
“In the year when I scored 11 goals I had greater liberty. Then they started asking things that they didn't require of me before, like running after everyone.
“That was the role of Alexis Sanchez, who did that well. But I didn't have the same characteristics, so I struggled a lot.
“I started from the back and came to the final metres feeling very tired.
“I was no longer thinking straight, so it was time to find a new scene and start again.
“My agent [Alessandro] Lucci and I wanted at all costs to come to Genova. If things had fallen through, I used to think it would be the end of me, that I wouldn't make it in Udine.
“[Sampdoria President Massimo] Ferrero didn't know me, but he showed me affection right off the bat. His words represented an added incentive.
“And [Coach Sinisa] Mihajlovic showed me how much he cared for me from the first meeting.
“After a year-and-a-half in which you're not doing very well, finding a Coach who really believes in you is fundamental.
“As for [Samuel] Eto'o, in training he has all the skill that I've always seen him display, and above all he has a great drive to show what he can do. He's doing really well.”