23 January 2023
The day after turning out for Juve at Allianz Stadium in their 3-3 draw with Atalanta, Nicolo Fagioli was hosted on Juventus's official Twitch channel.
The midfielder touched on a host of different topics, starting with the moment he joined the club as a young kid.
“I was on trial with Inter at the time,” he recalled. “I was going there when I got the call from Juve, thanks to Gigi Milani. I had no hesitation choosing these colours. Gigi is the most important person for me at Juve. He's always made me love this club. We still keep in touch and he still gives me advice. I look up to him a lot.”
ATALANTA DRAW
“We're disappointed we couldn't win against Atalanta. It's a shame we conceded twice at the start of the second half but we did really well to end the first half in front and to draw level again in the second. At the end of the game we were happy with how we played but we all felt we could have come away with three points. What we can take from it for our next games is the way we responded to going 1-0 down and then again at 2-3.”
THE PRESENT
“We didn't expect to be docked 15 points. It wasn't at all easy going out there to play against Atalanta but we stuck together as a team. Now our target is to qualify for the Champions League. On Saturday we had a meeting with president [Gianluca] Ferrero and chief executive officer [Maurizio] Scanvino. They reassured us and said they will fight to have the penalty erased. It was a useful meeting. They asked us to fight even harder for this club. I'm very happy with the way things are going on the pitch. We won eight games in a row before losing to Napoli and we got through the Coppa Italia last 16 too. Now we have a big match against Lazio with the chance to reach the semis.”
FIRST SERIE A GOAL
“Scoring against Lecce was incredible. It looked like it wasn't going in, then it hit the post and rippled the net. It was an amazing feeling, especially as it was my first Serie A goal for Juventus. My celebration came spontaneously because it was a really important goal. I'd been through a tricky spell and we wanted to build on our wins against Empoli and Torino. Then [Massimiliano] Allegri picked me for my first Champions League start against PSG and again against Inter, when I scored another goal. It was an absolutely incredible week.”
DANILO ROLE MODEL
“Danilo is a role model for me. He's always shown what an extraordinary guy he is, but in the last few games while he's been captaining the side with Leo [Bonucci] absent he's shown just how determined he is. He's got real charisma. For us younger guys it's a massive bonus to have players like him around. We can only get better. Dani and all the more experienced lads are a constant source of inspiration with the way they carry themselves on and off the field.”
YOUTH ACADEMY AND NEXT GEN
“It was a privilege to be part of the Juventus youth academy. All the coaches are very capable and they teach you so much more than just football. The U23 team, now the Next Gen, is the club's flagship project. It gives lots of young footballers the chance to make the step up to professionalism in a very tough league like Serie C. You can see that it's paying off with all the youngsters who have been promoted to the senior squad. The year I spent on loan at Cremonese, in Serie B, was a fantastic learning experience too. All the experiences I've had have been important for my personal development. I think youngsters should spend less time on their phones and more time outside playing football – that's where the biggest talents are born.”
ITALY
“I had another unforgettable moment this season when I made my senior Italy debut. It was a feeling I can't put in words. I remember the first ball I touched, with my chest. I think every child who wants to play football dreams of representing their national team. My dream is to play the 2026 World Cup with Italy - and maybe even win it, why not!”
