ROME – Claudio Gentile, a former footballer of Juventus and the Italian National Football Team, was interviewed during the Le Lunatiche broadcast on Rai Radio 2 every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5, conducted by Federica Elmi and Barbara Venditti.
His statements are reported by dagospia.com.
Gentile returned to the now historic exclusion of Antonio Cassano from under 21:
“When you see that an element does not mesh, it does not form a group, it is logical that a less good one is better but that it is based on some fundamental things like grouping, helping your companions. It's crucial in the context of a team. "
Then he talked about marking two great champions of the past, Maradona and Zico:
“The story has already told of Maradona and Zico, two great players, so having that task for me was a great responsibility.
There was Argentina who was the reigning world champion, Maradona who was supposed to be the talented player, so I had a lot of responsibility because marking those players there isn't very easy.
I played hard but I want to emphasize that I have never been expelled for violent play, Maradona instead.
A ranking should be made. Throughout my career I was sent off once for a double yellow card, plus it was a Champions League semi-final against Bruges and there was a very heavy field, we went to extra time, I was tired and I took the ball with my hand referee warned me and then kicked out.
The fair play that once was is over when many players, when you earn so much, then you don't have the motivation to mark an era and make surprising results.
So that determination and desire that you had when you made money but only if you win is a bit missing.
Instead today they already earn even before winning. So it's changed in this sense, it's a different kind of football and you have to accept it for what it is.
Maradona in 86 'won the world championship alone. Certain champions, if you don't have the alternative to contain and contrast them, it is logical that you lose.
You have many chances of not being able to win the game, in fact he won that world championship because there was no longer that marking that was done to players of a certain level.
The strongest attacker I faced was Maradona because he was one of the most respected players. He is still at the top of world football. Messi can be compared with him, but Maradona is still superior to me ".
Source: Blitz Quotidiano