Marchisio thanks Calciopoli for his rise
June 02, 2010
ROME: Juventus and Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio on Tuesday was looking at the silver lining around the cloud that was the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, saying it had benefitted him.
Four years ago Marchisio was a youth team player at Juve when the 27-time Italian champions were punished for their role in the match-fixing scandal and relegated to Serie B.
That saw the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira, Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson and Gialuca Zambrotta move on to pastures new.
The upside was that young players such as Marchisio were given their chance under then coach Didier Deschamps.
“I have to thank Calciopoli because if it hadn’t happened it would have taken me a lot longer to arrive,” he said from Italy’s pre-World Cup altitude training base in Sestriere.
“With Deschamps I played a lot with the youth team but then I found a space in the first team.
“Of course a train passes for everyone and I managed to get on mine. But for all young players in Italy it was an opportunity, not just at Juve.
“Even AS Roma and AC Milan turned to young players. From the scandal to the financial and image problems, many clubs found the courage (to play youngsters) that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.”
Meanwhile, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon joined the chorus of players criticising the World Cup ball. “Usually you get used to it, but in this case every touch comes with the unknown,” Buffon said on Tuesday. “The trajectory is really unpredictable.”
Buffon said he realised there was a problem with the Adidas “Jabulani” ball the first day he encountered it, adding that all players — not only goalkeepers — will be affected.
Buffon suggested that when midfielder Andrea Pirlo makes a bad pass, he’s usually off by 10 centimeters (4 inches), “but with this ball he risks missing by three meters (yards).”
Buffon’s counterparts, Spain’s Iker Casillas and Brazil’s Julio Cesar, have also criticized the Jabulani, comparing it to balls on sale at a supermarket.
Four years ago Marchisio was a youth team player at Juve when the 27-time Italian champions were punished for their role in the match-fixing scandal and relegated to Serie B.
That saw the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira, Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson and Gialuca Zambrotta move on to pastures new.
The upside was that young players such as Marchisio were given their chance under then coach Didier Deschamps.
“I have to thank Calciopoli because if it hadn’t happened it would have taken me a lot longer to arrive,” he said from Italy’s pre-World Cup altitude training base in Sestriere.
“With Deschamps I played a lot with the youth team but then I found a space in the first team.
“Of course a train passes for everyone and I managed to get on mine. But for all young players in Italy it was an opportunity, not just at Juve.
“Even AS Roma and AC Milan turned to young players. From the scandal to the financial and image problems, many clubs found the courage (to play youngsters) that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.”
Meanwhile, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon joined the chorus of players criticising the World Cup ball. “Usually you get used to it, but in this case every touch comes with the unknown,” Buffon said on Tuesday. “The trajectory is really unpredictable.”
Buffon said he realised there was a problem with the Adidas “Jabulani” ball the first day he encountered it, adding that all players — not only goalkeepers — will be affected.
Buffon suggested that when midfielder Andrea Pirlo makes a bad pass, he’s usually off by 10 centimeters (4 inches), “but with this ball he risks missing by three meters (yards).”
Buffon’s counterparts, Spain’s Iker Casillas and Brazil’s Julio Cesar, have also criticized the Jabulani, comparing it to balls on sale at a supermarket.
