Sampdoria defender Lorenzo Tonelli admits he was so distraught during his Napoli injury nightmare that he “wanted to just retire.”
The 28-year-old made only nine appearances in a Napoli jersey over two years, but still managed to score three goals.
He is starting a new chapter of his career at Marassi and reveals just how close he came to giving up.
“My career has always been characterised by really high highs and extremely low lows,” he told Il Secolo XIX newspaper.
Sampdoria defender Lorenzo Tonelli admits he was so distraught during his Napoli injury nightmare that he “wanted to just retire.”
The 28-year-old made only nine appearances in a Napoli jersey over two years, but still managed to score three goals.
He is starting a new chapter of his career at Marassi and reveals just how close he came to giving up.
“My career has always been characterised by really high highs and extremely low lows,” he told Il Secolo XIX newspaper.
“In the past, I wanted to just retire because I felt a wreck psychologically after some football situations. I also had fitness problems that wouldn’t allow me to give my best.
“Yet it was at that time I learned that if you let events knock you over, you cannot choose your own destiny. If you fight hard and set targets, you are the one who can get there.
“I had this terrible regret in me of reaching a top club like Napoli and not being able to play my football due to fitness issues. I do feel somewhat reborn at Sampdoria, as there is a more individually-tailored approach to fitness training and it allows me to reach the game in good shape.
“Since December, I got back to being a football player and also started some specific exercises.”
Tonelli is also brutally honest about his own shortcomings when playing for Empoli.
“I did do some stupid things and they were more or less all in the same period. I was soaring on the wings of enthusiasm and felt invincible. I got some good results on the field, but went overboard off it.
“I wasn’t a kid anymore, but also not quite old enough to know better. In any case, I stopped smoking a while ago.”
It is fitting that he has continued his career with Sampdoria and Marco Giampaolo, a tactical heir to Maurizio Sarri.
“This style of football changed my life and everything I am as a player, I owe to that approach. Thanks to Sarri I was able to learn and understand certain tactical concepts, while Giampaolo gave me back confidence in myself.”