Tonali fulfilled his childhood dream of playing for Milan before becoming one of Newcastle's most valuable players
Shock Involvement Sandro Tonali's involvement in the illegal betting scandal in Italy seemed more important than other cases, given the Newcastle midfielder's complete dedication to football. His prayers came true after he wrote a letter to Saint Lucy as a child asking him to buy a Milan kit and become a professional player.
To those who taught or coached him, it seems impossible that anything could stand in the way of a football career built against all odds. However, earlier this week his agent said he had become addicted to gambling after authorities served him with documents investigating betting on illegal platforms.
His immediate future lies in the hands of the Italian Football Federation. who have already imposed a seven-month ban in connection with the scandal that has rocked football.
“If he’s involved in something stupid, it’s only with friends who don’t care and will take advantage of it. I would trust him 100 percent because he is not Sandro Tonali,” said his mentor Massimo Cellino, who owns Brescia and achieved his dream move to Milan in 2020.
When he arrived at the San Siro to represent the club he had supported as a child, there was no indication that anything could distract him from his career.
“Football happens on the field, 90 percent of football matches happen on the field, so if you play well on the field, you don't need anything else,” he said immediately after arriving. “So, let's say the last 10 percent is something a little extra that some players want and they do, but it's not something big that everyone likes, so it's better to just focus on football and keep your cool at home.”< /p>A boy nicknamed Maradona
Tonali's history began in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano in the Costa region, where local trade revolves around fishing and chestnut picking. It is a world away from the wealth and glamor of Milan or the Premier League. His father, «Nick», was a carpenter and an AC Milan fan who traveled to the Champions League final to watch the Rossoneri. When Tonali first started making money as a professional, he bought his father a car and his mother, a nurse, a house.
His talent was noticed at the Oratorio San Luigi school, where older boys wanted him. on their team. His mother took him to youth camps in Milan, where he was nicknamed «Maradona» for his skills, despite looking little more than a ball, but the car ride was too far, so he played for Piacenza.
< p>It was here that he came to the attention of scouts who came to a small tournament to help UNICEF. Europe's bigger clubs were also present, with Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi attracting attention and Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomez making the tournament's sports pages.
The late Roberto Clerici, who found Andrea Pirlo, tracked him down and insisted that he join Brescia. Since travel was still a problem, he met the family halfway to Brescia and drove Tonali the rest of the way by car.
Brescia was the start of Tonali's career, but his love was Milan, inherited from his father. He even carried a Gennaro Gattuso mug with him, which he glued together piece by piece when his mother dropped it. A move to Brescia seemed to be the way to get to the San Siro, a path that quickly became possible when he started playing senior football.
“He was an animal on the pitch”
Tonali played for Brescia without a professional contract, but quickly achieved success. Some thought Brescia would be relegated from Serie B without their «little baby with long hair». Roberto Boscaglia, his coach, said: «We immediately saw that he was capable of handling the workload of the first team, despite never even training with men.»
“He didn't talk much in the dressing room, which is good because young players talk too much. He was calm, but on the pitch he acted like an animal,” said teammate Andrea Caracciolo. “He was a shy and quiet guy. You thought he was sleeping standing up.”
Cellino gave Tonali the opportunity to move to Milan, his dream, initially on loan. The move seemed ideal given his background as a fan. His father cried as he was taken around Milanello's training ground and his son is now a Milan player. Tonali Jr. called Gattuso, his hero, and asked if he could wear the number eight shirt, in which he won the Champions League and the Scudetti.
“For a midfielder, it has a special meaning, and at Milan” it was worn by a player who made history,” Tonali said. “So I called him. He said, “Don’t ask, just go ahead and take them.”
“Family comes first.”
When Tonali settled in Milan, he returned to Brescia whenever possible to see his friends. It was Cellino who advised him to get a driver's license to make the trip easier, and when he drove past, he sent a photo to the former Leeds owner, with whom he remains in touch.
He has the phrase «Family First» tattooed on his arm and sleeve dedicated to his loved ones. He also bears the date April 9, 1944: the birthday of Grandma Gina, whom he calls after every match. On his right hand is a picture of him on Nick's shoulders as they watch Milan together. As a family, they made his dream come true — to play for Milan.
When he was sold to Newcastle, Tonali realized that this was part of his profession, and he might have to move away from his beloved Italian club.
p>
When Cellino last spoke to him, Tonali said he appreciated the love of the Newcastle fans and the way they had accepted him. He was part of their journey to the Champions League, becoming an instant hero after scoring on his debut against Aston Villa. Despite the investigation looming over him, there is still disbelief that he could be involved. «I bet he's an honest guy with principles,» Cellino said.
Howe: Newcastle shouldn't be embarrassed a4c5c5431a 0 » name=»Author views: Luke Edwards at St James's Park» data-truncated=»false» data-business-type=»editorial» loading=»eager» scroll=»no» Frameborder=»0″ style=»width : 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;»>
Eddie Howe denies Newcastle United were naive or should have been embarrassed by the fact they spent £53m on Sandro Tonali and didn't know he was gambling addiction.
Tonali faces a lengthy ban after he admitted in Italian to authorities that he broke betting rules over a long period of time while playing for Milan.
p>The Italy international will play against Crystal Palace this weekend although he is unlikely to start, but with confirmation of his suspension likely to be announced next week, the 23-year-old is not expected to feature again for your team. new club until next season.
At the sometimes brief press conference, Howe refused to answer questions about Newcastle having three betting company sponsors or whether Newcastle were exploring whether they could seek financial compensation from Milan. for selling him a player who is about to be suspended for offenses he committed while playing in Italy.
Instead, the Newcastle manager said his focus was on supporting Tonali.
Asked if there was anger at the club that they had signed a player who was about to be suspended just months after becoming the second most expensive signing in the club's history, Howe said: “I don't think so. I don't think we can look at it that way.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We can't play this game. We make decisions based on football. Signing players who we think can make the team better, and that's what we did.
“I don’t think there is anger on the club’s part. I think there is an understanding of the situation we are in. Now we need to deal with a really difficult situation as best we can, find a way out of it, support Sandro as best we can and get back to playing football.
“I can’t comment on this [whether Milan knew about this» when I sold it]. This is a very complex issue [that we were not aware of]. On our side, he is a top person and a top character, I have no doubt about that, but, like any ordinary person, you can’t know everything about someone, it’s impossible to know. Now our task is to support him and help him.
“Like all people, they can have vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and difficult things that happen in our lives.
“I [found out about this when] I got a call from [director of football] Dan Ashworth. I can't remember the day. This was a complete surprise for him and for me. When you're in this job, in this role, this is what can happen. My immediate thoughts were about Sandro and making sure he was okay. This is a very difficult period for him.”
Newcastle fear Sandro Tonali could face a lengthy ban from football. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster
Asked if the club's Saudi Arabian owners had had difficult conversations after spending so much money on a player who had a gambling problem, Howe responded with an emphatic «no.»< /p>
He was also unimpressed by Tonali's suggestions to be more honest with Newcastle when he joined.
“I’m not going to answer that question,” he said. “Looking back is a wonderful thing, isn't it? I can't act in hindsight. We act by watching the player play, we like what he does on the football field and we sign him.
“No [I don't feel disappointed]. I can't cope with these emotions. I deal with the problem and then try to find a solution.”
Howe said questions about potential legal action were to be answered by Ashworth and others above him, although it was difficult to know what options were available as Milan denied knowing about Tonali's problems and even his own family did not know either.
And Howe remains adamant that Tonali will be an asset for Newcastle when his suspension ends.
He added: “His future here is the same as before.” . There's no difference. There are different ways to look at it.
“He is now adapting to huge changes in his life, from Italy to England, and changes in football are very real. The English game is very, very intense and unusual. He adapts, learns and improves. His recent performances have been very good, but there is still a lot more to come.
“His short-term future is that he will continue to adapt. We'll see what happens off the field [in terms of suspension] but nothing will change.
“Our goal is to take him to the best level and I'm very confident he will achieve that. We see him being a part of our team for many years to come.”
Свежие комментарии