According to reports, Luciano Spalletti, who currently manages the Italian national team, spoke in an interview with Corriere della Sera, revealing details about his life that have captured the attention of Italian fans.

When asked about his childhood and youth, Spalletti said: “I grew up in Avane. This is a neighborhood of cheap government-built houses in Empoli for low-income families. You must know that such neighborhoods are always full of crime, but you wouldn’t believe how bad Avane is in that regard. I doubt there’s any place in the world with as much violence and crime as this neighborhood.”

He then spoke about how he started in football: “I turned to football to escape the harsh conditions. Fiorentina was the first club that discovered me. But the first big blow to my dreams was when they told me I wasn’t part of their plans. They rejected me. So I went back to being a ball boy. I remember passing balls to Merlo and Chiarugi and asking, ‘Can I one day play on the pitch like them?’ I was so upset with Fiorentina’s decision that I wanted to give up on professional football, but my uncle convinced me not to quit.”

He also spoke about his family background: “My father was a worker in a glass factory and later became a warehouse keeper. He changed many jobs. My mother was a seamstress. My grandparents also lived with us. Sometimes people forget that footballers and coaches didn’t always have comfortable lives. Some of them grew up in the toughest neighborhoods and lifted themselves up.”