Michele Padovano Exclusive: Mateta Is A Must Sign Player

335 professional matches, 91 goals scored. Michele Padovano was the rock of every Juventus fan during the glorious years of Lippi at the helm of Juventus. Every Juventus fan knew that when Padovano came on during a match, he would make his mark. Always and without fail.

What kind of guy was Michele Padovano before football became the center of his life?

An exuberant guy with a great passion for football. As a child, I played a lot. It was a passion of mine, and I knew I wanted to make it my profession. Fortunately, I succeeded.

So you thought football would also be a test of life, not just a career?

Well, yes, I would say so, because football is a sport that I recommend everyone to play. The locker room is full of characters, there’s a bit of everything in there. So in my opinion, from childhood you get to interact with people who can be useful and helpful in life.

What was the first thing that made you smile or surprised you when you arrived to play abroad? Was there a culture shock that you didn’t expect? Food, language, customs…

There are so many! I have to say one in particular was exceptional. When I was at Crystal Palace and we were traveling to training, the so-called “athletic” training, we would go from the training center to another place, and so we would go by car.

I remember one training session that was quite intense, quite tough. After training, some of my teammates stopped at the pub [laughs] to have a beer. This is truly unthinkable for any normal, self-respecting athlete. But in that case, they stopped at the pub to drink beer. [laughs].

Since then, let’s say that the English have learned a lot from us in terms of sports culture, because at that time there were already Vialli, Zola, Di Matteo, Di Canio… players who left their mark.

Do you still follow Crystal Palace, even if, let’s say, from a distance?

Yes, I follow them. In general, the English Premier League is by far the best, and I really like it. Working at Sky Sports, I follow Serie A more, of course.

So you know Jean-Philippe Mateta well. According to the latest rumors, Milan is in the lead to sign the French striker. What do you think of him?

He’s a strong player, I like him. In relative terms, he resembles Osimhen. A player with those characteristics would be useful to anyone. Juventus, for example, could use a player like him, especially in those games where the team creates chances but struggles to finish, even in a less than brilliant manner. However, I must emphasize that Jonathan David is still developing, and given the significant investment in him, I think it’s right to give him space.

Michele Padovano chatted with us about his time with Juventus and Serie A title race. Check out the next article to learn more.