Alessandro Buongiorno, a key player for Antonio Conte’s Napoli, currently vying for the Scudetto alongside Inter and Atalanta, shared insights in an interview with Il Mattino. He discussed his childhood idols and some off-field curiosities.
Fabio Cannavaro considers Buongiorno a rare Italian defender who anticipates danger. Buongiorno expressed pride in this praise from one of his idols: “Hearing this from one of my heroes fills me with pride. As a child, I watched Cannavaro, Nesta, and Maldini and tried to emulate their movements on the field. I still draw inspiration from them. I indeed try to be ‘attentive’. A defender must be pessimistic in marking, expecting the opponent to perform exceptionally every time.”
Recalling his earliest football memory, Buongiorno said, “In elementary school, I was a swimmer but decided to join my classmates at football practice. I wanted to be with them. Being the tallest, they put me in goal. But it didn’t last long; my mother thought I was getting too cold standing still, and the coach had to move me. She still calls me to this day, telling me to be careful about everything. Mothers never let you grow up. Even though I now live alone in my house in Posillipo.”
In the interview, Alessandro Buongiorno described the Napoli team spirit as “Tough, tenacious, and determined. We never give up. Nothing is accidental; we’ve reached this level through consistent training, focusing game by game. Every player is eager to improve, willing to step up and challenge themselves. Inter and Atalanta? Two very strong teams, but we prefer to focus on ourselves.”
Antonio Conte’s influence on the group is evident. “I first met him by chance last June, on my birthday. Since then, we’ve spoken often about Napoli, and I realized it was the only team I’d leave Torino for. He’s a coach who always motivates, with charisma and versatility. He always finds the right words, and in training, he imparts his technical and tactical qualities.”
Finally, Alessandro Buongiorno spoke about the forwards he has faced: “There are many strong ones, like Retegui and Kean, who are with me in the national team. But Lukaku gave me the most anxiety. Every time I faced him with Torino, I knew it would be tough. And when we met again at Castel Volturno, I was happy. But I must say, he was also happy that I wouldn’t be marking him anymore.”