Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni has said he owes Antonio Conte 90% of the player he is today and he hopes to play for Inter for many more years, according to a report in the Italian broadcast media.
Speaking during an interview with DAZN, via FCInternews, Alessandro Bastoni talked about some of his former bosses that have shaped his career so far.
He first talked about Gianpiero Gasperini who coached him when he was at Atalanta. That was where Alessandro Bastoni really rose to prominence in Serie A.
“He was fundamental for me. He immediately called me to the first team, I was good at repaying his trust in me.”
He then talked about Antonio Conte who he credits with turning him into the elite defender that he is today for Inter and Italy.
“He consecrated me, I owe him 90% of what I am today. He passed on a lot to me in terms of technique and mentality. Not everyone lets a 20-year-old makes his debut at Inter.”
Alessandro Bastoni was asked about what his tattoo depicting a child at the bottom of a staircase represents. He revealed that is represents his journey and the destination is the San Siro.
He also said that he wishes to play for Inter for many more years: “It is the beginning of every child’s dream. At the end of this staircase, there is San Siro, which for me has always been a dream, sometimes difficult to achieve.
“Having become important at with Inter is a source of pride and I hope to play for many more years. I started climbing these stairs, we have already won a Scudetto and a Super Cup with Inter and a European title with the national team.”
The defender talked about the place where he first started his football journey and he admitted that he has always been a very shy person, even as a child.
“I took my first steps, including football, here at the oratory. I have always been very shy, I wasn’t in a football school for this reason, so I used to come to the oratory with my schoolmates. It’s nice to come back here, I’ll be always grateful to them. Being a father? We don’t sleep much, but it’s really nice.”
Alessandro Bastoni requested to have the number 95 and he revealed the sentimental reason behind that choice: “It is the year of my eldest brother’s birth. A promise I made him. He is always with me.”
It is clear that Alessandro Bastoni was always the strongest player in his team when he was a child and that is why he was the captain.
“I was the captain and I picked the others. I was the strongest. They tried to be physical, throwing balls in my face full of water. When I was 7, the father of one of my classmates brought me to the Atalanta tryout. And I stayed there until I was 19.”
Alessandro Bastoni has a nickname of Gerry and it turns out that Federico Dimarco is the one who have him this name when they were both at Parma.
“It all started in Parma with Dimarco, who gave animal names to all his teammates. He calls me Gerry for the Giraffe Gerry, whose toy I didn’t know existed. That’s what they call me at Inter now. It’s always nice to be a bit of a child, being carefree is a good thing.”
Alessandro Bastoni’s dad has always been very closely involved with his son’s footballing career and the defender clearly values the guidance that he has received over the years.
“We have a beautiful relationship. He didn’t manage to break through as a footballer, so he helped me a lot on my path, trying not to make me repeat his mistakes.
“He was the one who accompanied me to Bergamo to train, we spent a lot of time together. He still tells me today that he was stronger.”
