Alessandro Bastoni, the central defender of Inter Milan, who was one of the key players in Nerazzurri’s journey to the UEFA Champions League final, revealed in his latest interview that he wanted to quit football when he was just fifteen years old.

Bastoni spoke about his early football career: “In my childhood, only football was watched in our house. My father played for Italy’s U21 team and Cremonese in Serie B. He couldn’t succeed, but he raised me like a diamond that needed protection. He prevented me from making the mistakes he made.

We traveled 230 kilometers every day. He never gave up and passed this perseverance on to me. Honestly, at 15, I wasn’t playing much, and it bothered me. I kept asking myself, what future could I have with football? I left home every morning and returned at 9 PM. I wanted to quit, but my parents made me understand I shouldn’t give up. Many stronger boys than me didn’t succeed. In football, mentality matters, not just talent. From thinking about quitting football, I reached the Champions League final, and I’m very happy about it.”