From the Premier League experience to choices about the future: the West Ham striker talks about himself in the round
– Rome
He is one of the most talked about footballers, certainly Roma’s number one goal to sort things out in attack. Gianluca Scamacca told about himself in Chronicles of dressing room, with an autobiographical letter in which he retraces a bit of all of his experiences. Starting with the injury that stopped him midway in England, in his first season at West Ham.
the injury
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“If you’re afraid of being afraid, fear kills you – says the blue center forward -. That’s what I was thinking as I stared at the ceiling, I felt like my leg had been cut off. I have always known that I have uncommon talents, as well as that I have traveled a harder road than others. Now I was stuck in a bed, frustrated. I couldn’t accept the injury: the first of my career. I’ve been silent for months, but last season I played for a long time with a compromised meniscus. I was afraid of not coming back as strong as before. I trained on the pain, it killed me to run and feel that the knee wasn’t there. I took a risk, but if you take away my football, you take away everything. You say: “Shit, this guy only scored 8 goals”, but there is an undergrowth of truth that nobody sees”.
the premier
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Then Scamacca recounted how he experienced the adaptation in England, returning precisely to those cursed months of the injury. “In the Premier League, where physique is a relevant component, if you’re not at 100%, they sweep you away. When I was good, I scored 5 goals in one month. Then the problems: first the left knee which hurt, then the right. In December it turned out that I had a tear on the external meniscus. When I had surgery they took off a little piece of my body. But it helped me, for the first time I had time to remain silent. To think. I watched matches where I didn’t give 100% or videos with the worst goals I’d eaten. When you’re good, you don’t appreciate the bad moments. When you’re sick, yes. And I turned those sensations into armor. I really wanted it to be a shock, the pain made me work on my thoughts”
judgments and future
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And it was precisely those moments that helped him reflect on many things, even from his past. “The security and confidence I have in myself have allowed me to get where I am. I was judged on tattoos or blonde hair. But that didn’t penalize me. I have three passions: football, video games and tattoos, I’ve had them over my head. I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke, I don’t get drunk every night… It counts when you go on the pitch, if you spit blood. I haven’t shown my full potential yet. For many, I’m an unexpressed talent: I know I have hidden qualities, but I’m sure whoever gets me is getting a bargain. I just miss being in the right place at the right time. Which? We will find out by living. In my head I always set myself two goals: one short-term, the other long-term. Even if I score 20 goals next season, I’d aim for 22. I was born and raised on the streets. That’s why I listen to Rondo, Shiva and Capo Plaza. I see myself in their stories, when after training I stopped by the house to try the skills”.
the choices
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Then the crossroads of his career. “When I left Rome for Holland, she was hit. I wanted to try this experience, get educated: I don’t regret it, the Netherlands is a football school. But I started to miss him and came back. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. When I left, the Italian teams didn’t invest in young players, while in the Netherlands they want the evolution of the individual. Upon my return, the philosophy had changed. It was worth coming back, a few years later I made my debut in Serie A, at Maradona, against Napoli. In those 15 minutes I didn’t understand anything, I remembered the first times I went to the Olimpico. And when I moved from the Lazio youth team to Roma: the heart can’t be controlled. I watched Totti while I was a ball boy and I didn’t take my eyes off him.”
the desire for football
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Finally the desire to go back to rejoicing, playing, scoring goals. “I have always sought success. This summer I went to Sardinia to escape the heat of Rome. I saw the sea twice, otherwise breakfast, gym, lunch, rest and camp. I just want to go back to playing football. Someone during my career may not have appreciated me. Some time ago Lukaku’s follow displaced me. But even Morata, after a Genoa-Juventus, came to me to congratulate me. And every year, many teams are interested in me. Either everyone likes me or there will be a reason”. Roma, for example, has more than one. And who knows, it will soon become reality.
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