Cristiano Piccini (Florence, 1989) lives every minute on the lawn like a blessing. I know broke the kneecap in August 2019, a motorcycle racer injury. The doctors they even hid that it was an injury that could remove him from football. More than two years to recover, relapses, an ordeal in Atalanta … And finally this year he has returned to compete. In December he was the protagonist against Celta, Elche and Levante. In fact, against the franjiverdes he scored the winning goal, closed the circle. Today he returns to a big stage, the Bernabeu, several years later. The question is whether it will be the headline because COVID also passed this Christmas. But surely he will have minutes just in case of Thierry. And opposite will be Vinicius.
-How are you?
-Now fine. After passing the COVID, after the last game against Levante … Then I had a gastroenteritis and could not participate against Cartagena. I was a little weak. But everything is fine now.
-Minor things after having gone through an ordeal for more than two years. This is the first time that you have given an interview to a media outlet since you were injured in August 2019. How did you experience that?
-The injury came at the best moment of my career. I had just won the Cup, it was important in my team, I was counting for the Italian team … This injury (broken kneecap) kept me from football for more than two years. At first they didn’t want to tell me how serious it was. I had already gone through a crusade, at Betis, and in six months I was perfect. I thought this would be easier. Five months after the injury, Dr. Maestro told me that this injury is one of those that they remove. He had never seen an injury like this in a footballer. They are injuries suffered in motorcycle accidents. It has been a mental and physical war for two long years, with relapses, my knee swelled every time the workload increased … And now I am very well, I have not had any knee problems for many months, like before injury. Proud of myself because I have been able to get ahead.
-Were there times when you thought about quitting?
-Yes because he was not happy. I went to the field and soon after I felt well, again I felt bad, with pain … When it happens once or twice you accept it but when it happens many times … it seems that you are to enter with the team and you have Than going back a month, you come to think that your body could not bear the workloads that elite football requires. I have spent weeks, hard months … Of feeling bad, of crying, of talking to my wife and really thinking about leaving him … But in the end I have a strong head that allowed me days like this … But later when the The obstacle said, ‘Okay, how am I going to get over it?’ Thanks to working with my physio, who has moved to Valencia and lives practically with me, we have found a balance that allows me to work and compete at the highest level.
-How was your transfer to Atalanta?
-The transfer to Atalanta was a mistake on my part. Gasperini loved me even knowing that I had been unemployed for a year. I went to Bergamo to do the medical tests for two days. And they saw that he had a lack of strength and problems that were not yet overcome. But they decided to hire me. The idea was to give me a month of retraining before joining the team. But I signed the contract and the next day they put me to train with the team as if nothing had happened. He did double training because it was preseason. After three days my knee began to swell and the speeches began: “We made a mistake in signing you, you are not ready …” They made me feel like an invalid and that the problem was me, when they knew perfectly well how I was getting there. Within three days of being there, he was already out of the team. I played a game for 60 minutes. I was lame, I don’t even know how I could play them. I played because there was no other. There came a time when I didn’t even train with them, I worked with the second team. It was a nightmare. I needed help and found everything but help. It seems they wanted to sink me instead of helping me. I asked to go back to Valencia because I was very close to falling into a depression.
-It is said that from bad times one becomes stronger. Is it your case?
-Undoubtedly. It’s been a long time without any happy moments professionally. The force pulled her from wherever she went. My daughter was a baby when I was injured and I had the illusion that she would see me play. She would see my friends playing and wonder why I didn’t. This was the strongest motivation I had. It was clear to me that an injury was not going to withdraw, it was not going to be able to with me. I am stronger and I have shown it.
-When do you think it is ready?
-When I play against Villarreal for 10 minutes I already start to feel good (October 30). Then I continued training and the opportunity came against Celta, my first time as a starter. I was fine although you are missing something. You get that with the games. But the important thing was to feel good.
-What role has Bordalás played in this last phase of your recovery?
-I was a boy who needed help. And what I did not find at Atalanta I found with Bordalás and also with Javi Gracia, last year. Bordalás and his coaching staff have taken care of me, they understood that I needed to do things that were good for me. And then give me the confidence and the opportunity to play. I am very grateful to the coach for making me feel like a footballer again because if he doesn’t put you on, you don’t compete in a match, you can’t know how you’re doing.
-And then he played four games in a row in 15 days (Celta, Elche, Arenteiro and Levante) …
-I realized that I had minutes in several games. Very happy because I have not had any muscle or knee problems. If I have been able to play this time in 15 days, I feel totally recovered.
-And his goal reaches Elche …
-It was the icing on the cake. My famous goal against Huesca, in 2018, was important at the team level. But that of Elche, on a personal level, was the feeling of having truly returned. An immense joy after so many hard moments … It was happiness, the release of all that shit that happened to me. I will keep that goal in my memory all my life. The goal against Elche has been the most exciting moment of my career.
-And just at this good moment comes the game against Madrid, at the Bernabéu …
-Is the leader. It has some great players. It has been seen that in this League it is not easy to win any game. We are doing things well although we have to improve in some aspects. I think we are in a good moment and we are convinced that we will win the game.
-What do you think of your compatriot Ancelotti as a coach?
-He is a great coach, his record defines him. I have a lot of respect for such a winning and great coach, although I personally don’t know him.
-On June 30 his contract with Valencia ends. Do you think about your future?
-I focus on the day to day. After so many bad moments, I enjoy having the illusion of being able to count for the coach every weekend, this is the most important thing. I know I finished my contract in six months but now we are here, trying to help the team, always taking care of myself and being at the highest level, and we’ll see what the future holds.