Inter and Italian national team defender Alessandro Bastoni has admitted that he is doing fine at Inter as part of a long interview with the Giacomo Sintini Association.
“When I arrived in Milan I found a fantastic environment, from the fans to the staff they all welcomed me really well, I’m really fine here,” he explained in an Instagram Live chat with the association on Wednesday evening.
Bastoni then went on to discuss what it is like for him to be playing in stadiums without any fans in them due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“For sure stadiums are greatly lacking fans, especially a stadium like San Siro where the fans are really the extra man who give you the extra gear to move forward.
“Children are the same, maybe it makes you go back in time to when you were a child when I happened to be a ball boy as a child and it was an incredible feeling.
“When I go back to my hometown I see all the children who look at me as if I were who knows what, but in my heart I know that I am the same boy as always.
“So the children are missing out on a lot and I hope we can get back to normal soon.”
Next Bastoni spoke on what the best match of his life has been so far: “My debut at San Siro was an incredible thing. Playing in front of 70,000 people screaming your name is really nice, but maybe right now I struggle to realise that.
“The most important match was the Europa League final, even if we lost it I think it was very important because getting to play a European final is always a great result.
“I’m 21, I can still grow and these matches make me grow and therefore I’m confident for the future.”
The former Atalanta player then went on to speak on his recent debut for the Italian national team.
“Playing for the national team is just on another level. You see that all the teams have great values.
“Even the less famous teams still have some strong players that you know can put you in difficulty, and this also helps a lot in terms of concentration in the 90 minutes.”
Bastoni, who is under contract with Inter until the end of the 2022/23 season, was then asked what match from the past he would choose to participate in if given the opportunity.
“I’m doing one with Inter and one with the national team. With the Azzurri I would say the best memory ever so the 2006 World Cup final, I would like to be Marco Materazzi.
“I think it’s the best feeling ever to win something with your national team. It makes you very responsible and gives you awareness, you have the opportunity to represent an entire nation, which in this case is Italy. So I would say Italy-France.
“The other is Inter’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich, because after the World Cup there is the Champions League.”
In conclusion Bastoni discussed what it means to him to be part of a team.
“What does it mean to be part of a team? Sharing a dressing room and making friends off the pitch. An individual is enhanced by the team, nobody can do anything alone on the football field.
I don’t have much experience to say it but from what I’ve experienced I can say this. Teaming up means giving yourself a hand with a teammate if you have a difficult moment.
“Sometimes bad days happen, each of us have our own character. The team is a sort of second family and as in all good families, compromises must be found and there must be respect for everyone’s characters and I believe that to achieve goals you need to be a great family before a great team.”
