Meo Sacchetti wanted to leave the national team to Ettore Messina

The words of Meo Sacchetti

Meo Sacchetti spoke to Corriere dello Sport about his experience as coach of the national team: "I think it is moreù beautiful to play than to coach. As an athlete I won a lot in the Azzurro. As a coach I have taken great satisfaction and I will always thank Ettore Messina, he was the one who proposed me".

It all startedì from a call: "Summer 2017. Heò phoned me. I thought he wanted to ask me for my opinion about my players in blue. Instead: “Would you like to coach the national team? ”. I almost had a stroke. Never would I have expected such a thing. “The president already knows everything, è out, then he calls you”, he said. It was a beautiful surprise".

He concludes with a backstory: "After beating Serbia, I revealed this intention of mine to the staff. They discouraged me by saying, “You earned it, you deserve to continue”. I wanted to give the team to Hector to pay him back: he won everywhere, but the Games he missed".