Zaniolo: I am looking forward to being coached by Mourinho and eager to return to the national team to play the World Cup

Rome's rising star Zaniolo was interviewed by Sport Milan today, as Italy's most concerned young player, Zaniolo finally failed to catch the last train of the European Championship, but he said he would cheer for his teammates in front of the TV and look forward to next year's World Cup to achieve his blue dream.

Niccolò, you haven't set foot on the pitch for over a year, how do you feel now?

Like a little kid with only the thought of playing soccer, I'm in good shape now and I can't wait to get back on the field. The new season is just around the corner, but the European Championship is already on and I really don't want to miss any more games.

You've been missing football in recent months, but have you found anything else beautiful in your life?

I felt a lot, first of all the infinite love of my family, the care of the Roma side, and the care of my agent Claudio Vigorelli, our very close relationship, and the people who helped me get back on my feet, I mean not only Christian Fink, the chief surgeon who performed my knee surgery, but also all the people who helped me to recover and support me at this stage.

Didn't a lot of people send you a blessing text message? Did anyone cheer you up and support you extraordinarily?

Mainly the players in football, I've received a lot of blessings from stars and it makes me feel good, like Modric, who has always been a player I really admire, and Memphis Depay. I was deeply touched by the support of everyone, who were both peers and role models, all cheering for me.

I would also like to thank Carlo Ancelotti in particular, who has been trying to comfort me during the toughest weeks when I was injured, explaining to me that medical technology in this era has changed dramatically (Ancelotti also suffered a serious knee injury during his time as a player), and if he can get back in shape, then I can too.

We believe that the Italian national team will also support you, do you want to repay them?

Of course! Whenever the Italian national team played, I would frantically cheer in front of the TV.

When you realized you couldn't dare to play in the European Championship, how did you spend that day?

It was a very difficult day, Coach Mancini communicated with me about the European Cup roster, and we realized together: I can't be ready before June, and if I am recruited, it is also disrespectful to the teammates who have been playing for a whole year. Unfortunately, I can't play in the European Championship due to injury, but I am still very motivated, because there is a World Cup next year, I don't want to hide my heart, I very much want to participate in the World Cup.

Were you surprised by the performance of the Italian national team?

Not at all, I know the strength of my teammates, they put together a really good team, not just 11 starters, all of them are key members. Seriously, it's not a cliché, you can see that from the quarter-final against Austria, whoever plays decides the game, and we win with everyone.

On the question of whether to kneel, do you also support the decision of your teammates?

100% support, they have made a decision and I think that is correct.

Niccolò, there may be some people who are still worried about your "bad boy" persona, but you seem to have become a model player...

I still have to keep improving myself, but even if I make mistakes, I can grow from a boy to a man.

What do you think of Italy's game against Belgium? Will the Blues "make mistakes"?

I don't think so, but note that Belgium are strong, they have phenomenal players like Lukaku, and de Bruyne and Hazard are likely to come back from injury before the game, or more simply, if Belgium can be ranked first in FIFA, there must be a good reason. But having said that, Italy's players also have the ability to put their opponents in trouble and limit Belgium's play.

In your opinion, who will be the "protagonist" player of this Italian team?

I wouldn't say any names and I don't want to offend any players. The source of strength for the Italian team is the whole, plus a great coach, such as Mancini, who has a very deep understanding of football.

Do you really believe that Italy can win the European Championship?

I didn't say anything, because we've seen the world champions France play, but we can put it another way, is there a national team that is not afraid of Italy? I don't think so.

Italy's match against Belgium is about to start, and another big thing is about to happen, that is, Mourinho is about to officially arrive in The city of Rome...

No, Roma hasn't officially announced it yet, I can only say that all of us are looking forward to it and can't wait to show our value in front of Mourinho's eyes, he is a very good coach who has achieved extraordinary things. For me, it's an honor to be coached by Jose Mourinho and I can't wait any longer!

(Editor: Yao Fan)