The Craziest Italian Football Quotes of the Year

By: Francesco | January 9th, 2009

While Italian football provides excellent quality and entertainment on the pitch, we all know that it equally provides excellent quality and entertainment off the pitch. The crazy owners, the fights in the media between opposing managers and directors, the outbursts in press conferences, and all that other great stuff that keeps us entertained during the week. So here is a collection of the craziest Italian football quotes of 2008. Let’s see who had the best one:

AMAURI IS STAYING AT PALERMO

“Everybody wants Amauri, but he absolutely won’t leave in January. I also really hope he remains with us after June as well. I’m not interested in earning money, I’m interested in having a strong team”. Maurizio Zamparini, president of Palermo (January 9, 2008). Looks like he was interested in the money, as Amauri moved on to Juve for 13 million euro + Antonio Nocerino and Davide Lanzafame.

AND MANCINI IS STAYING AT ROMA

“Mancini told me he wants to stay with Roma. I know his rapport with the club is excellent, or at least that is what he told me. There is great esteem between us and that is why I believe he will stay at Roma”. Luciano Spalletti, Roma manager (January 12, 2008). Mancini went on to sign for rivals Inter.

DON’T WORRY WE’LL GIVE YOU A CONTRACT RENEWAL

“We still have not offered a new contract to Donadoni, but there is an excellent rapport between the federation and Donadoni and our intentions are to offer him a contract between now and February. It wouldn’t make sense to wait until April or May, or even going in Euro 2008 without Donadoni knowing his future”. Giancarlo Abete, FIGC president (January 14, 2008). Donadoni did eventually sign a contract renewal until 2010 – in early June. And there was a clause put in that if Donadoni didn’t reach at least the semi-final the contract would be void and Donadoni let go.

GILARDINO IS A MILAN PLAYER FOR YEARS TO COME

“Gilardino’s future has never been in doubt here. He is an important player for use and he will get his chance to shine”. Adriano Galliani, Milan general director and vice-president (January 21, 2008). Gilardino was sold to Fiorentina at season’s end.

RONALDINHO? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ARE YOU NUTS?

“Ronaldinho was never really our target because we have decided he wouldn’t fit into our current roster. We have players like Kaka and Pato that we think would have difficulty playing with Ronaldinho. He is not the ideal partner for them. We have never considered Ronaldinho as a player that Milan needs”. Silvio Berlusconi, Milan president (March 10, 2008). Guess who Milan bought after the season was over – Ronaldinho!

WE HOPE MORATTI DIDN’T BET ON THAT SCORELINE

“We have 90 minutes and in those 90 minutes we can score 15 goals”. Massimo Moratti, Inter President, after the Liverpool-Inter Champions League first leg game finished 2-0 in favor of the Reds (February 24, 2008. In the return leg, Inter fell 15 goals short, losing 1-0 and getting eliminated)

ROBERTO MANCINI’S THREE DAY REFLECTION SESSION

“Even though I have a 4 year contract with Inter, these will be the last 2 and a half months of my Inter career”. Roberto Mancini (March 11, 2008).

“No, I’m not leaving Inter, we are ready to fight until the last minute with great intensity for our 3rd consecutive Scudetto and to win the Champions League next season.” Roberto Mancini (March 12, 2008)

“I talked with the president and the players and everything is back to normal. Unfortunately for them they have to deal with me for another 4 years”. Roberto Mancini (March 13, 2008). Mancini wasn’t lying, because Moratti still pays his salary since he terminated Mancini’s contract early this summer.

AGENTS SHOULDN’T PREDICT THE FUTURE

“Roberto will stay at Inter 100%. It would greatly surprise me if he left”. Giorgio De Giorgis, Roberto Mancini’s agent (May 20, 2008).

ON THE OTHER HAND, ANCELOTTI MAY BE GOOD AT PREDICTING THE FUTURE

“Sheva’s son forgot Italian, so that’s why he wants to come back to Milan”. Carlo Ancelotti talks about a possible return to Milan for Andriiy Shevchenko (April 11, 2008)

KAKA HASN’T BEEN THAT BIG OF AN INFLUENCE ON PATO

“Am I going to be a virgin when I get married? No, I’m not Kakà”. Alexandre Pato to GQ magazine (June 2008)

MOURINHO TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF AT THE FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE

“I’m not an idiot”. Jose’ Mourinho, in his first press conference as Inter manager (June 3, 2008).

I GUESS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN

“Wearing the Flamengo jersey is my dream. I have always loved Flamengo and the Maracanà stadium. I can go from one Rossonero kit to another. It’s all up to me, I have to get back into form”. Ronaldo (June 13, 2008) Ronaldo did sign for a Brazilian club eventually, but it wasn’t Flamengo, it was Corinthians.

DON’T ASK FABIO CANNAVARO FOR MATCH PREDICTIONS

“Spain is very strong, maybe they have a little more quality than us and in the past few years they have done very well. But they’re scared of use because we have tradition and are more of a team: this will be our winning secret. We have rediscovered the spirit we had during the World Cup, and we have to use it to get us to the final. Zapatero sees a 3-2 win for Spain? I’m thinking differently, I see a 1-0 win for Italy. And that’s a score that the Spanish media doesn’t really like”.
Fabio Cannavaro before Spain-Italy at Euro 2008 (June 19, 2008). Spain beat Italy on penalties.

CARLOS DUNGA DOESN’T HAVE A FUTURE AS A TRANSFER GURU

“He will be Inter’s best acquisition and he has a great chance of being Serie A’s top scorer this season”. Carlos Dunga, Brazil manager, talking about Adriano (July 6, 2008) Adriano has been used sparingly by Mourinho and is threatening to leave. For him to be the Serie A leading scorer at season’s end he would have to take some type of anabolic steroid.

I DON’T THINK THE LEGA CALCIO ALLOWS YOU TO SIGN PLAYERS ON AN HOURLY BASIS

“At 2 PM, Mutu was a Roma player”. Daniele Prade’, Roma sporting director (July 26, 2008). Mutu may have been a Roma player for an hour but he went back to being a Viola player.

MOURINHO IS A GOOD PLAYER IN HIS HEAD

“If we want to finish this here that’s fine by me. Ranieri spoke one time and he was happy, then he spoke a second time and was happy, then he spoke a third time, and he was even more happy. I spoke only one time and he got a little mad. If we want to finish it at that then for me that’s fine. He wins 3-1, but my goal was beautiful”. Jose’ Mourinho, Inter manager, talking about his fights in the media with Claudio Ranieri (August 5, 2008).

PAZZINI IS NOT A VERY GOOD PSYCHOLOGIST

“I didn’t stay in Florence to sit on the bench. I’m at an age where it is imperative that I play to improve and get better every day. It’s normal that when you don’t play you get mad, but I won’t make a big thing about it because I am serenely pissed off. Also it will be easier for me, all the pressure is on Gilardino”. Giampaolo Pazzini, Fiorentina striker (September 4, 2008). If all the pressure is on Gila, he’s certainly handled it well. Pazzini will leave Fiorentina this month.

MOURINHO DIDN’T MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ON EVERYONE…

“Mourinho is someone who you just want to constantly hit in the mouth”. Pietro Lo Monaco, Catania sporting director (September 13, 2008).

CASSANO ISN’T VERY GOOD AT MATCH PREDICTIONS EITHER

“They (Genoa) have to know that we are stronger than them. Tomorrow we will have 26,000 Samp fans against 11,000 Genoa fans, I don’t even want to hear a whisper from the Genoa fans, when they yell, we have to yell more than them, the Marassi stadium has to be a bunker. We are fired up more than ever and Genoa has to remember that I have scored in every derby I have played in: Bari-Lecce, Roma-Lazio, and Real-Atletico. I just need a goal in this derby. If I wake up on the right side Sunday they have to be very scared”. Antonio Cassano before the Sampdoria-Genoa derby (December 7, 2008). Genoa didn’t seem very scared, they defeated Sampdoria 1-0.

I DON’T WANT TO PAY YOU ANYMORE, FIND A JOB!

“If Mancini finds a job it would be great for him. A manager of his quality shouldn’t be unemployed. I hold nothing against him”. Massimo Moratti, Inter president (December 22, 2008). Moratti isn’t just saying that because he likes Mancini, it’s because he’s still paying him money for terminating Mancini’s contract early this summer.

I THINK WE KNOW WHERE ANCELOTTI WANTS TO COACH

“Spalletti should win the Champions League, because I believe he deserves it, and then he can resign and I can take over as Roma manager”. Carlo Ancelotti, Milan manager (December 27, 2008).

Did I forget any? Do you have any more crazy quotes from 2008? If so, post them in the comments section!