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European champion with Italy at Wembley, two Scudetti as Napoli captain, just like the legendary Diego Armando Maradona. And to think at the age of 24 he hadn’t even made his Serie A debut yet. Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s story is not the usual tale of gifted young talent, but of consistency and sacrifice. It confirms that hard work almost always pays off. Beginning as a forward, later moving fullback, and after rising up the ranks of the lower leagues, he is now, with 50 caps for Italy, one of the senior members of the National Team. “Scoring is the best feeling in the world,” he said during the interview with Vivo Azzurro TV at the most recent meeting at Coverciano, “and that’s why when I was younger, I played in attack. They nicknamed me Batigol, and then slowly-slowly I ended up becoming a defender. The achievements I’ve reached with Napoli, and the National Team are things I never imagined I would accomplish. Reaching them after a journey like mine makes it even more special. The secret is never giving up.
TOUR OF ITALY. Lucchese, Reggina, Cuneo, Matera, Empoli. Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s journey through Italy covers many regions and is full of highs and lows. He started as a support player, eventually reaching the point of wearing the pink… or rather, the blue jersey: “I mostly played in the South, but also in Cuneo. Certainly, the years in the lower divisions at Reggio Calabria and Matera helped me a lot. There was a period when I found myself without a team; those weren’t easy moments, but with the support of my family and my girlfriend, who later became my wife, I managed to get through them. Working my way up was really important; I believe I grew faster than other players. I left home very young, traveling from Tuscany down to Reggio Calabria. Becoming a footballer was always my dream, one that eventually turned into a goal because I started to see it getting closer and closer.”
AZZURRI BREAK. Six years passed between his appearances for the Italy Under-20 and Under-21 teams and his first call-up to the senior national team in October 2019. But Giovanni was patient and more importantly, ready: “The first call-up was a surprise; I didn’t expect it. That’s where it all started. I’ve now been part of this group for several years, and wearing the national team jersey is a great pride and an honour for me.” Starting on the bench at the 2021 European Championship, he took the place of the injured Florenzi in the opening match against Turkey and never left it, celebrating the Wembley triumph as a key player: “The Euros were amazing. We spent over a month together, and the atmosphere was incredible. One of the secrets was that we all focused on a single goal with one mindset. Being able to create a strong team spirit made all the difference.”
REUNITED. Gennaro Gattuso had been his coach at Napoli and four years later, he welcomed him again at Coverciano. The new Head Coach immediately put him in the starting lineup, playing the full minutes against Estonia and Israel: “We’ve been through a tough period. We all need to give a bit more because what we’ve done so far hasn’t been enough. Time is short when you’re here at Coverciano, and we need to make the most of it to reach the World Cup. We feel this huge responsibility on our shoulders, and we want to qualify at all costs.”