UDINE. There is always a grandfather as a guide in the first steps in the world of football. This was the case for Alex Meret, with his grandfather Edo, the same path taken by Guglielmo Vicario with his grandfather Fausto who gave him, when he was seven years old, his first goalkeeper gloves and who always accompanied him to training at Bearzi, the first team of his career .
Vicar, winner of the Messaggero Veneto Sport 2022 award which he will receive on Monday 19 December at the Tavernetta di Remanzacco during the evening of Our 11, he tells himself.
Deputy, did you start playing between goal immediately?
“Like all children, as soon as you see a ball, the gesture that comes to you instinctively is to kick it, but let’s say that I immediately had the vocation for the role”.
The goalkeepers of his generation grew up with the legend of Buffon. She too?
«I was born with Buffon as a model. In 2006 when Italy won the World Cup I was nine years old and what he did in that tournament marked me. Then I add that as a fan of Udinese, who I followed as a season ticket holder in the stands together with my father, I was also inspired by Handanovic».
Lei Zoff has only seen him in some footage. But what effect does it make you feel such flattering judgments about her from a character of such depth?
“Given that I was lucky enough to meet Zoff in a short meeting, hearing a legend who speaks well of you makes me emotional”.
You, Scuffet, Meret, Provedel, Perisan: what was the atmosphere like in Friuli at the end of the 90s given the birth of so many top goalkeepers?
“You should ask our parents about that. I, and I speak for myself, I just tried to play the best role of son. It must be said that we all had quite different paths, we had the Udinese school in common even if I only spent one year at the Primavera in black and white».
When did you realize that being a soccer goalkeeper would become your job?
“In time. There wasn’t a specific moment. I saw that I liked living in a group, sharing the reactions in the locker room and working every day to grow.”
How important was the meeting in Venice with Zenga as coach?
«It is a person who has had an important influence on my journey, but also like many others. I think of Inzaghi who I had in my first seasons in the lagoon. Of course Zenga was the first who gave me a starting shirt, having specific knowledge of the role, he has the longest eye, but then as a coach he never went beyond his role, except by giving me specific advice » .
As for the evolution of the role of goalkeeper, don’t you think you end up being penalized more and more?
“I think exactly like that. People go to the stadium more to see a goal than for a great save and with the introduction of new rules there is a tendency above all to protect the forwards. Ours is a solitary role, we are forced to row against the tide».
Let’s rewind the tape and photograph an unforgettable moment from when he was a child.
«The first goalkeeper gloves that my grandfather Fausto gave me. He has always been a big fan of mine. And then all the games in Friuli together with my father Michele. He is a doctor but he has always been a great football fan, he has always supported me as well as my mother ».
How important is a square like Empoli in your growth process?
“Very. I have arrived in a magical place where all the components are ideal for growing. I’m not saying this today, but from the first day I arrived at Empoli».
Your championship for the moment is in line with expectations.
“Let’s say yes. The important thing is to keep the level of concentration high and not get excited in the positive moments and not get depressed in the negative ones».
At the resumption of the championship, on January 4, there is Udinese-Empoli…
«For me, coming home and playing in the stadium that saw me wearing the role of a fan is always wonderful. As a spectator in Friuli I experienced exciting moments, above all perhaps those with Di Natale and Sanchez’s Udinese».
What effect does receiving an award from your local newspaper have on you?
«Special precisely because I now live outside the region for most of the year. I feel very attached to my land and as soon as I can I go back there. I miss the friends from Udine and Friuli, the fact that I can be in the mountains or by the sea in less than an hour, but I also really like the colors and scents of the countryside».
In the roll of honour, you succeed Jonathan Milan.
«You said nothing… we’re talking about someone who won an Olympics, an athlete destined to leave a mark in his discipline. I must be even more proud.”
In this 2022, the satisfaction of the first call-up to the national team has also arrived for her.
«I confess that since I became the owner in Serie A, therefore a year and a half, I have never thought about it, preferring to concentrate on everyday life. Of course, now that I’m in blue, I want to stay there.”
Vicar, in your opinion who was the best goalkeeper of the World Cup?
«Bounou of Morocco. The statistics say it but not only. Both from a technical point of view and from a personality point of view, he was very present and constant». —
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