First Team

ONE ON ONE: LORENZO VENUTI

Mental strength, representing Florence, the monotony of football. Venuti opens up.

13 October 2021

In this latest instalment of One on One, we sit down with Lorenzo Venuti to talk about his pride at representing Florence, life as a professional footballer and the importance of mental strength..

VENUTI AS A CHILD

"I was a lively kid. Physically I was smaller than other kids – I wanted to start playing football because of my grandfather, who loved the game – but I was too small and they were afraid that I’d hurt myself. You get a few knocks even when you’re a kid! I started swimming, but then when my grandfather died, I switched to football. Usually kids start playing football at the age of five or six, but I was seven and a half before I started.

“I was also a curious kid. That’s what my parents have always told me – I got interested in things and loved asking questions and understanding things. I loved adventure. There was a huge cherry tree where we lived and my grandmother had to watch me like a hawk because I loved climbing up it.

“I was always the type of kid that loved adventure and trying to discover new things."  

SCHOOL

"I always did well and my parents were always very happy because I got good grades.

“Then I stared to train more, and when [Vincenzo] Montella was here we’d often train in the morning, with me joining in with the first team, so I couldn’t go to school. I missed hours and hours of school in my final year. Thankfully they still let me sit the exams and helped me out a bit, and I was able to pass.

“I always did well at school, though, and my teachers always spoke very highly of me."

IF HE WASN’T A FOOTBALLER…

"I definitely would have carried on with my studies. It’s still something I’d like to do – my father in particular would like that. He wants me to pursue something outside of football and do some studying. The career of a footballer is short and when it’s over you have this whole other life ahead of you, so he wants me to focus on something else too.

“It’s part of my plans, but not right now. I specialised in the sciences at school, but I’d like to do something more on the humanities side. I love languages.

“I’m curious, so I’d like to do something that helps me to discover new places." 

LORENZO IN 20 YEARS 

"I’m not thinking about coaching at all right now. I think it’s really difficult. It’s a demanding job and I don’t know whether I’d be able to get a whole dressing room working together and buying into my ideas. Right now I don’t see myself as a coach, but I might change my mind in a few years.

“I think I’ll probably stay in football, because it’s my passion. It’s inside me – it’s my life and I love it.

“I’m not against moving into another industry through – something that enables me to travel the world, particularly once I’ve had kids and they’ve grown up. Something that allows me to discover new things.

“I feel the urge to keep learning – I don’t want to rest on my laurels. Once I’ve learned something, I always want to learn more, learn something else.

“If there’s a sector that allows me to expand my cultural horizons and knowledge, then I’d like that."

SOCIAL MEDIA

"I’m a pretty decent admin, because people think it’s really me. I understand the importance of social media – it’s an important part of human relationships now and plays a big role in growth for companies.

“I prefer the personal side of things, though. I like to experience different cultures with my own eyes, not just go by what I read on the internet or what I see in films or documentaries.

“I prefer face-to-face relationships."

TRAVEL

"My favourite trip ever was to Madagascar. Because I have such a desire to get to know new things, that’s the trip that has stayed with me the most.

“While I was there, I realised just how much we have in Italy, in Europe, and how much time we spend complaining. I saw how little they had – and that that was enough for them to be happy. Seeing kids kicking cans around… I’m not saying it just to look good, I’m saying it because that’s really how I felt. I loved that.

“That’s Africa in general. Madagascar has an incredible culture that we can learn a lot from.

“Right now I don’t have any trips planned.

“I’d love to visit places in Asia, such as Vietnam or India. I’m fascinated by their culture and philosophy.

“It would be tough to live without technology forever, but I like to have periods where I go back to basics, like back in the day. It allows you to rediscover what really matters in life – relationships, priorities, things that might not feel important and might fall by the wayside. When you focus on all that together, it becomes almost more important with all the technology we have.

“But right now, I don’t have any trips planned."

COMMUNICATION IN FOOTBALL

"Communication in football tends to be quite monotonous. But so is life in general for footballers. You find yourself doing the same thing every day, so you end up taking that into the way you express yourself after games – you repeat the same thing.

“There’s a lot of focus on you and you’re always getting criticism. You might do a half-hour interview and from that whole interview one comment will get picked up and made into 50 articles. Because of that risk, you tend to say the bare minimum, and that’s the standard stuff when you win and when you lose. 

“If journalists were more objective in the way they report things, we’d feel more comfortable in communicating more openly.

“As long as people are serving their own interests, that’s going to be hard."

LIFE AS A FOOTBALLER

"The life of a footballer is monotonous, unfortunately. People tend to focus on the good things about footballers’ lives, which is fair enough.

“There is a lot of sacrifice that goes into it too, though – an awful lot. When you get to this level, your life is just matches, training and home. You don’t get time for anything else.

“Players are often seen as machines. Journalists criticise you because they think you’re a machine that doesn’t have feelings. We’re human beings and we pick up on things. Lots of players have a tough time because of it.

“I think it’s important for players to find something away from football that distracts them and makes life less monotonous. It helps to lighten the load and take your mind off things.

“Especially during the tough times, when you’re getting stick or going through negative periods." 

FREE TIME

"A few years ago I would have say that I liked to go out for the evening and have fun in my free time. That’s important, at any age – going out and disconnecting.

“I’m a bit more cautious and reflective now. I enjoy spending time at home with my partner. I like chatting with her and doing what we do. I’ve had loads of nights out and I now believe that the most fulfilling thing is having a family, being at home and enjoying day to day life with those people. It’s the simple things – having dinner together, going out for a walk.

“Those are the things I like doing the best when I’m not training or playing."

SACRIFICE

"Fortunately I’ve never had to deny myself anything. There have been a few things, of course, out of necessity. 

“I’m lucky because I have a group of friends that have never made a big deal out of me not being there or going out with them. They’ve always known the path I’m on and where I want to get to and they knew that that stuff would get in the way. That helped me not to feel like I was missing out.

I felt it more back in the day. But I don’t have any regrets now." 

FRIENDSHIP IN FOOTBALL

"Everybody knows that people try and get close to you when you’re a footballer. People want to start fake friendships, friendship with something in return. That’s always there – part of the game.

“Aside from the friends I’ve had forever – since I was a kid – and that will stay with me forever, I’ve been lucky enough to play at clubs like Benevento and Lecce where I met some genuine people. People who got close to me and did things to help me, and not because they wanted a jersey or a ticket to a game. I made real friendships with those people, friendships that have lasted. I might not speak to them every day, but that’s to be expected because it’s difficult to speak all the time when you move on. But we both know that I’m there for them and they’re there for me if there is ever a need. And that’s amazing.

“They’re the kind of friendships that you almost don’t expect – relationships that spring up out of nothing. In this case they’re people who are a lot older than me.

“But we were able to build up real relationships thanks to the experiences we had together.

“When you realise that your happiness brings them happiness, you feel like you want to reciprocate. I do so gladly."

BEYING FROM FLORENCE AND PLAYING FOR FIORENTINA

"As I’ve always said, it’s something I’m proud of. It’s hard to put into words how proud it makes me feel.

“Representing my city, being seen as an icon… it’s a dream come true for me.

“Having said that, it can get to much – I know that. Sometimes people look at me as ‘Lollo from Florence’ or ‘Lollo who came up through the youth ranks’ and they forget about Lollo the player.

“I’m a player too. I don’t just represent Florence because I put my heart and soul into it. I have technical, physical and tactical attributes. People are free to debate those – no doubt about that.

“I’ll always put Florence on a pedestal. I’ll always have good things to say about it, and I enjoy talking about it, but I realise that it can get a bit too much at times.

“I’m speaking as a professional. All players have objectives, dreams and aspirations. Hypothetically speaking, if I was always on the bench and never played and my only job was to show how much I loved the club, there would be no point. Even if it goes against my love for Fiorentina, and that would be a disappointment for me because of Florence and Fiorentina, my objectives and mentality are what I use to try to keep improving.

“My mission is to debunk the myth that no man is a prophet in their own land. Because there are lots of people who say that I’m just the guy who represents Florence and puts his heart and soul into it and nothing more.

“No, I want to show that while I am the guy who goes out there and gives it everything I have, I’m also a player that does things well, that has a value and that tries to show that on the pitch, not just by giving my all but by drawing on my technical and tactical ability."

STYLE AND TATTOOS

"There’s a meaning behind all the tattoos I’ve got, but I haven’t had one done in a few years.

“Fashion and style aren’t priorities for me. My partner tells me off: ‘Lorenzo, I’ve never seen you go to a store and buy some clothes. You always wear the same stuff!’

“It’s not a priority for me. It doesn’t interest me – simple as that. I don’t think it’s important."

OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES

"I've had a few bad experiences in my time.

“For example, in my first year after leaving the youth academy – my first year as a professional when you're supposed to show you can cut it with the big boys and you need to be playing – I went to Pescara with a knee problem and ended up not playing a single minute all season.

“That sort of thing could really kill you psychologically but I tried to take the positives – see the glass as half full – and use the opportunity to grow as a person. 

“It was my first year away from home, my first time away from my family, with no one there to help you. And without the most important thing of all for a footballer: being able to play football.

“I grew so much mentally and as a person that year. 

“I learnt to respond in a positive way to things that happened to me."  

TRAINING YOUR BODY AND MIND

"There are people within the club who keep an eye on everything we do from a physical point of view, but outside of training hours we're free to look after ourselves how we want. Personally I always try to follow the club's advice. I talk to the staff and listen to their suggestions. I don't have a personal coach or anything like that.

“However, I've learnt that mental training goes hand in hand with physical training. 

“I have a mental coach. They often they get a bad name because people have this idea that mental coaches tell you to do this or that, or get you to learn motivational phrases and things like that, but it's not true.

“I do mental work, mental training. Every morning and every evening before I go to bed I meditate for 10 minutes. I have a diary where I write down thoughts or things that happened during the day – just in note form. I let my mind run freely so that I can understand what's happened to me. 

“My mental coach, Stefano Tavoletti, helps me a lot. He's like a guide. He shows me the way but then I have to go down the path myself. I take the path, I have my experiences and I make mistakes. When I make a mistake, I don't get downbeat about it. I have to see it, understand it and find a solution. Being aware of a mistake is the first step towards finding a solution.

“Mental training should tire you in a way. You have to get something out of it – it's not just some half-hearted, fancy idea.

“You have to really believe in it and give it your utmost commitment, just as you give 100% in normal training." 

FAMILY AND THE COUNTRY

"The way I am and the way I think is largely down to my family, where I grew up and the mentality I was taught. 

“I come from a small town. It's often said that people from the country are more ignorant those from the city, but I don't think that's true.

“Life goes fast in the city – often too fast. Everything's non-stop. Sometimes it's as if things happen too soon.

“Outside the city, in the countryside, everything goes at a more natural pace. You grow one step at a time, as you should. And since you don't have as many opportunities as in the city, you learn to make do. You see life differently. In the city everything is made easier for you. You don't have all those comforts.

“I think coming from a small town and being of a curious nature, always wanting to ask and learn, has helped me develop my thinking capacity and be so open-minded."

FIORENTINA AND YEAR ZERO

"It's good to know the club believe in me. I can feel it. I feel the responsibility and their belief in me. As a player, it's so important to feel that your club believes in you. 

“This year must be our year zero after the last few seasons. We needed a new starting point and this is it. You need the new guys to bring in fresh enthusiasm, but you also need enthusiasm from those who have been through what's happened before and can learn from the mistakes.

“You need to start again fresh. What's past is past. Now it's time to start over.

“We have to put in the work every single day, keeping repeating what the coach wants, buy into his ideas 100% and forge our own identity. We want people to see us and think, 'It's them!'

“There's positivity about the place, a new coach, a new playing philosophy and style and we're all on board. Before you can set any targets, you need an identity."

FANTASY FOOTBALL

"Fantasy football doesn't interest me. People tried to get me involved but it's just not my thing. 

“I'm the sort of person who's happy to take a risk if needs be but I do listen to my gut a lot.

“I'm happy to try something new but I've never had any interest in fantasy football."

WATCHING FOOTBALL

"I watch football when I'm at home – and I've started doing it more recently.

“Ever since I had [Roberto] De Zerbi at Benevento I've watched football in a different way – more with the mind of a coach than as a fan. I started to observe how the top clubs play.

“If you want to improve, you have to watch the best. There's always something you can learn but especially from the best teams.

“I watch carefully for anything I can pick up – a small detail, a certain move. That's a form of mental training too. When you do something, you should do it being fully aware so that it can help you in some way.

“I often do things on auto-pilot. We do lots of things through habit, but if you do it with mental awareness you notice lots of small details. That's how I watch football.

“When I sit down to watch a match, I try to learn something from it – not just watch it for the sake of it."

HAVING YOUR SAY

"I like talking, if it's a subject I'm knowledgeable enough to talk about.

“If I can give something to other people, if I have knowledge to share, I like to talk. But if I don't know much about a topic, I keep quiet. I don't like to talk about things I only have a vague knowledge of.

“First, I try to find out about the subject myself and form my own ideas, then we can talk about it.

“If I know enough about a topic to be able to give advice, I'm happy to talk it."

THAT FIORENTINA v BENEVENTO

"That game was imbued with emotion.

“I remember when we arrived in Florence, I was asked to hang the Benevento flag outside the stadium gate. I remember being overcome by this feeling that wasn't really a single feeling but a whole mixture of feelings. Everyone could feel there was something missing. We could all feel that Davide was missing from the Fiorentina dressing room. It was as if we were all there in that dressing room and all felt Davide was missing.

“The match itself was surreal. The stadium was full but it was like playing behind closed doors. That's something you never forget.

“Everyone has those two or three experiences over the course of their life that become a part of you and that was definitely one of them."  

Intervista di Vieri Capretta

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