Sampdoria striker Luis Muriel wants to end his reputation for inconsistency. “I let people down, but this is the right year for me.”
The Colombia international has always flattered to deceive and he’s well aware of it.
“I have been told that many times – that I flattered to deceive. I did that to others, but also to myself,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Sampdoria striker Luis Muriel wants to end his reputation for inconsistency. “I let people down, but this is the right year for me.”
The Colombia international has always flattered to deceive and he’s well aware of it.
“I have been told that many times – that I flattered to deceive. I did that to others, but also to myself,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I was at Lecce and there was talk of Milan and Inter wanting me. I joined Udinese and it seemed as if Atletico Madrid or even Barcelona were eager. Instead, I started so well and then fell so far.
“I let people down, above all those who believed in me, like my father and my agent Alessandro Lucci. But enough is enough, this is the right year for me.
“I don’t know what clicked in my brain, but I said to myself: ‘If you fail, everyone is expecting it. So this time surprise them. Not with a fancy flick, but with a new mentality.’
“Marco Giampaolo also helped, as he has a very special way of dealing with the squad, of explaining things and getting what he wants. Knowing about football isn’t enough, you need to express those ideas clearly. He found the right words with me.
“The Coach told me I deserve an even better future than what Samp can give me.”
Francesco Guidolin was famously harsh on Muriel, freezing him out of the squad in pre-season training for being overweight.
“My ideal weight has always been 82-83kg and when Guidolin said I was fat I weighed 84kg. I dropped down to 81kg and people still said I was fat.
“There are people who can swallow anything and remain thin as a rake, like Juan Cuadrado, whereas the moment I eat anything I get fatter: it’s genetic.
“I don’t deny I like food, but fortunately I am not fond of desserts. As a kid I was allergic to chocolate. Admittedly, coming to Italy and discovering trofie al pesto did not help.
“Am I lazy? Well, I did once set a record at Granada – I went to bed on Friday afternoon and got up on Monday morning. At Lecce Cuadrado would knock at the door for half an hour and I just wouldn’t hear him.
“At least there’s an advantage: I don’t get insomnia before a big game.”
Muriel has met some legends in his time, though it went better with some than others. He recalled scoring a splendid goal in Sampdoria’s 3-2 defeat to Roma in September and hearing someone behind him give a compliment.
“I thought it was one of my teammates, but I turned round and there was Francesco Totti. Imagine that? Totti told me I scored a great goal. In South America he is considered one of the all-time greats of Italian football, he represents the sport in its purest form.
“I sort of met Ronaldo when I was nine years old and a ball boy in Colombia-Brazil, but I didn’t have time to shake his hand when he had already moved away from the touchline.
“Finally I got to shake his hand last year, but I was almost too embarrassed to do that too. During the Copa America in Chile we had just beaten Brazil and he was in our hotel.
“I implored Cuadrado to go over and ask for a photograph. I couldn’t find my voice to ask myself. I wanted to ask him a thousand things and not a word came out of my lips. I was dumbstruck, like a three-year-old child.”