Andrea Ranocchia officially leaves soccer

Special mentions for Antonio Conte and Adriano Galliani

After the news of the consensual termination of his contract with Monza, many wondered what had happened between the Brianza club and Andrea Ranocchia. True, the player would only return in January, but just as likely was that the club wanted to continue relying on his performance. After the first indiscretions provided by Adriano Galliani himself, the explanations of the choice came from the mouth of the player directly concerned. Entrusted to two long videos posted on his Instagram profile.

“I know that many of you will have read the news of the termination with Monza and to give you an explanation here I am, I want to get it from my voice. When I started playing soccer, now 30 years ago, I started with great passion and it was the thing I enjoyed most in the world, I started here from Bastia Umbria and there were beautiful moments when you enjoy playing soccer. I never thought about where I could go as a child, and I was very fortunate to turn my passion into my job. I have been in contact with so many people, and I will carry so many of those experiences with me. I had the good fortune and the good fortune to be able to go through all kinds of experiences, and after so many steps, after so many moments, of all kinds, I had the good fortune to meet a coach, Pietro Montanelli, who discovered me as a defender and turned me into the soccer player I was until yesterday. I thank all the coaches I have had, I have been thinking about you all these days,” he began.

“For a year and a half I have been going through a difficult period, motivationally, already when I was at Inter. Monza offered me this opportunity, a very good contract, and I took it. At a certain point I felt there was nothing left inside me and I started asking myself a lot of questions, then there was this bad injury in Naples, which would keep me off the field for months. I thought about it and since the company gave me great confidence, I felt it was right not to fool anyone. I have nothing more to give inside me and with Galliani we parted as friends, he was a gentleman and he understood. Now I’m taking some time to get these emotions that have come in these months back on track, and make some thoughts for the future. I will not go back to playing soccer, that is not what I want,” he continued.

Speaking of Inter, a team in which he played, albeit not consecutively, for 10 years, Ranocchia dwelt on the figure of Antonio Conte: “He transformed me: he is a coach who absorbs you and changes your way of thinking, he turned me into a winner. He is a coach that when he leaves you, you are not the same as before. I was lucky enough to meet him and from there my career at a high level began. I had very good times, to be able to say that I played against great champions is a pride for me. I always gave everything and I thank all my family for the support they gave me, and for the joys I had.”