Di Natale: I was as happy as a child when I saw Messi; Yamal is phenomenal

Hupu News on October 9th, Italian star Di Natale has scored 209 Serie A goals in his career, ranking sixth on the Serie A historical scorer list, but he himself is reticent and focused on hard work. Recently, he accepted an exclusive interview with Tuttosport and talked about the current situation of Italian football, the national team, and Messi and Yamal. Below is the second half of his interview.

You have a football school that trains kids from a young age, but why don't we produce geniuses anymore?

There are many reasons. The first is because the club lacks courage and never gives Italian young people a chance. There are a lot of foreign aids, even some with low levels. But why? I remember that the Lecce Youth Team won the Youth League Championship in 2023 and the team was full of foreign players.

Are parents the factor hindering the growth of their children?

To a certain extent, yes: many parents think they have a Maradona at home. This is a problem for coaches and instructors. But the picture is more complicated: training facilities are too few and substandard. Many clubs are forced to divide the field into 4 areas for everyone to train without decent facilities. Fortunately, the Municipality of Udine provided us with suitable spatial conditions: something rare in Italy. I understand families: they want the best for their children, and when it comes to facilities, we are behind.

The national team returns to play in Udinese, will you watch it?

I don’t know yet, the 13th is my birthday, and I don’t know when I will celebrate it with my family. The Italian Football Federation invited me: if I could go, I would love to go, there is always something special about the national team.

Is playing against Israel the right decision?

Yes, correct, politics must stay away from sports. And that doesn’t change anyone’s mind: The ongoing war hurts, and the images we see every day are a wound that has yet to heal.

Back at Juventus, you had two opportunities to make the leap from Udinese to joining a giant. Were you ever afraid that you would not be able to cope with the pressure of a big team?

No, one should only be afraid in life when a doctor diagnoses you with a disease. Football is too good to have fear. To put it simply, I have been doing well at Udinese and I have had the best 12 years of my career. Why should I leave?

Why do so few players make the same choice as you?

Because agents are now in charge, some people are creating war between clubs and players. I am of the generation of Maldini, Totti and Del Piero, and for me gratitude is everything.

Can Italy qualify for the World Cup?

I hope so, otherwise it will be a tragedy. There are two important games now. It's certainly not the coach's fault: Spalletti is a master. If even he can't revive the national team, that means the problem is much deeper.

Which players still make you fall in love with football?

Yamal, an absolutely phenomenal player. He made some even unimaginable moves, and hopefully he won't "burn out," but there won't be another Messi anytime soon.

Have you met Messi himself?

Yes, it was Alexis Sanchez who introduced me to him in Barcelona. We met privately, and I rarely get excited, but that time I was as happy as a child. Then I understood why Messi is the greatest: he is an extremely simple man and it is impossible not to admire him.

Which coach would you like to have coached you?

I have met many very good coaches and I have learned something from each of them. Maybe if I had a coach like Gasperini, I could have scored more than 30 goals, but I was not very willing to run and he was very demanding (laughs). Now he has a huge opportunity in Roma to prove his worth: this time he will succeed too.

Who will win the Serie A title?

This will be a showdown between Conte and Allegri: they are both phenomenal figures.

Speaking of which, Conte would have been better off returning to Juventus in the summer

. For me, a Naples native, Conte is great and I hope he can achieve great results again this year.