Four Four Two - UK (2022-06)

I n TERVIEWSI n TERVIEWS

been a dream for me. I also got the chance

to play with the likes of Christian Karembeu,

Sinisa Mihajlovic, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ariel

Ortega and many more, for a wonderful club.

Genoa supporters didn’t appreciate my move

at first – they saw it as betrayal – but nothing

serious ever happened.

Over the next three years you played under

Sven-Goran Eriksson and David Platt. What

were they like?

Eriksson was kind, and during his tenure the

atmosphere in the team was very good. He

transmitted a serenity to his players, and we

then showed it on the pitch. Platt came in at

a peculiar moment for the club; I don’t even

think he had a full training licence when he

In 1995-96, you won the last Anglo-Italian

Cup with Genoa, defeating Port Vale in the

final. What are your memories?

I have great memories of that game – it was

the first final I ever played in. It was at the old

Wembley and the atmosphere was fantastic;

we won 5-2 and I scored a bicycle kick! I was

still young and couldn’t have asked for more.

You left Genoa for city rivals Sampdoria –

that was a brave decision...

The city and its clubs had always fascinated

me as a youngster. I’d played just one year

with the Rossoblu in the second tier before

Sampdoria, an ambitious Serie A side, made

a move for me. I barely had to think about

it, as playing alongside Roberto Mancini had

career. Little did I know, that was the closest
I came to playing in an FA Cup final – Chelsea
reached the final in 2000, but I was left out!

During your Norwich days you often played
at centre-half, while Celtic also used you in
midfield. Quite the Mr Versatile, eh?
Mike Walker moved me to centre-back when
he was in charge of the Norwich youth team

• probably because I was tall. As a teenager
  I came up against some decent strikers and
  it toughened me up. Because I now had two
  strings to my bow, it helped me to break into
  the first team quicker. Years later, when John
  Hartson joined Celtic and played with Henrik
  Larsson, I was asked to drop into midfield. Of
  course, I’d have played anywhere for Martin
  O’Neill as I respected him so much, but I was
  also scared of him so wouldn’t have said no!

Larsson or Shearer?
I’ve been asked this a million and one times,
and it’s almost impossible to separate them.
They were very different players. Alan was an
out-and-out No.9, leader of the line, ruthless
and an amazing finisher. In the air, both were
phenomenal, despite not being the biggest.
Henrik was the more versatile footballer, and
sometimes I marvelled at what he could do
and how unselfish he was. In England there
was this perception that Scottish football was
easy, but he joined Barcelona and turned the
2006 Champions League Final on its head.
After that, when he was done physically, he
had a short spell at Manchester United and
their fans still hold him in the highest regard.
Can I just say they were both very, very good?

You’re known as a prankster, but was there
anyone you wouldn’t dare play a prank on?
Oh yes quite a few, Bobo Balde being one. He
was a good, funny guy, but not someone you
wanted to get on the wrong side of. Just ask
Stiliyan Petrov. Bobo once threw me and Alan
Thompson into the lockers in his bid to get at
poor Stan, who’d done something to irk him.

You and Ally McCoist enjoyed winding each
other up when you were on TV together. Is
there no love lost between the two of you?
He’s a great bloke and I rate him very highly
as a broadcaster too – he’s always got a line.
He’s as sharp as they come and a funny guy.
Ally’s only issue is that he played for Rangers

• but I don’t hold it against him all the time!

What about your partner in crime on 606 ,
Robbie Savage. Do you ever socialise after
poking fun at each other on air so often?
I like Robbie a lot and have so much respect
and admiration for what he’s been doing at
Macclesfield. His commitment to grassroots
football is quite extraordinary, and I’d urge
anyone who hasn’t seen his documentary to
watch it – the man is relentless. Robbie lives
in the posh part of the North West and I live
in the better part of the country in Norfolk,
but we do try to meet up now and again. He
might tell you differently but we get on well.
He’s a passionate bloke who’s mostly wrong
with his opinions on the radio, so people like
me need to put him right.

Interview Daniele Verri

The Italian teamed up with Batistuta and fired Roma to the

title, before making a popular cameo in the Premier League

“I DOn’T KnOW IF SOMEOnE

PROMISED BATIgO L THE nO. 9

S HiRT, BUT iT WaS M inE! ”

I n TERVIEWS

TEAMS

Empoli

Genoa

Sampdoria

Roma

Fulham (loan)

Italy

VInCEnZO MOnTELLA

FourFourTwo June 2022 93