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The future in the white 126

When one eats, sleeps and breathes football, it often happens that the ball ends up hitting vases, windows, furniture, glasses... And it can happen that a mother finally gives in, inspite of the fear that her son can sweat too much and catch a cold: "I'll take you to football school" Mum Bruna asked my first coach Umberto Prestia to put me in the goal: according to my Mum, that was the place where you didin't run, didn't get hurt and above all, didn't sweat. Fortunately he didn't listen to her, also thanks to my father and brother's advices. Who knows what kind of goalkeeper i would have become...Thus, at the age of eight, I started my adventure. My first team was A.C. San Vendemiano and there I got my first shirt - white and red, you can't imagine how proud I was, finally I was a real football player. Soon I understood what does it mean to be injured and not being able to play, even if that time it had nothing to do with the ball. That was one of the first school days in the fourth grade of elementary school and my parents let me go to school by bike. On my way back home, right in front of the house I had to cross the road, I made sure it was safe to cross, but then, all of a sudden the car came from nowhere and hit me. I hit my head and the doctor told me to stop playing for a year. But I'm stubborn and I recovered soon. I went through all the phases: Pulcini, Esordienti, Giovanissimi. On the 10th of November 1987, my life took a new turn. The turning point arrived in the white 126, driven by the observer from Padova Calcio, Vittorio Scantamburlo, who used to sieve Veneto, looking for new talents. I eneded up being marked in his notebook with three stars next to my name, the highest mark given. He informed Padova Football Club. On the 18th of August, 1988 the manager of my future society showed up at our doorstep: that was the beginning of everything.