Lazio star Ciro Immobile underlined his happiness at being named the new Italy captain and opened up about his role in the national team.
The 33-year-old Biancocelesti striker is the most capped player in Luciano Spalletti’s squad and is set to wear the captain’s armband for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine.
Immobile, who has netted 16 goals in 56 appearances for the Azzurri, has often been a scapegoat for the national team in recent years, with many fans frustrated that he’s been unable to replicate his club form with country.
Speaking in a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Immobile first discussed how it feels to be named Italy captain and his role in Spalletti’s new Azzurri set-up.
It is a huge pride for me and my family. When you start playing football, and you want to do this job, wearing the national team shirt is an incredible achievement, very exciting to tell your grandchildren about, being able to do it with a captain’s armband is even more so.
I’m happy that the coach chose me, I know it’s a big responsibility, but I’m not afraid of that, I’ll bring all of myself on and off the pitch. As far as all the movements are concerned, I am happy because I was able to understand and express my full potential in these few days. He knows me, I knew less about his way of doing things.
Beyond the technical and tactical aspect that you see, what impressed me the most about him is the moral aspect of always wanting to talk to the players, and how much he cares about the sense of belonging that each of us must put in when we wear this shirt and from the first day at Coverciano.
I must say that I am very close to every coach, I have always tried to take more from the club coaches than from the national team coaches.
He reflected on the last few years of the national team and the resignation of coach Roberto Mancini.
All the coaches focused on the sense of belonging, but sometimes when you arrive at a moment in your career where you have a strong disappointment such as missing the World Cup, you don’t lose the sense of appearance. You need new motivation, some extra encouragement. From the coach’s point of view, it was very important.
With Mancini we had a beautiful story of an important victory and a great disappointment, after the latter I probably also mentally needed a change, that’s why the arrival of Spalletti helped me, but the sense of belonging has always remained from the first day at Coverciano.
Immobile has started the 2023-24 season in quiet fashion, netting once in Lazio’s opening three matches.
Good on ya Ciro, make italia proud