Former Italian football legend, Dino Zoff spoke in an interview with The Republic on the talent crisis in Italy and the evolution of the training of young players. With his expert eye, the former world champion goalkeeper delivers a lucid and straightforward analysis.
Asked about the disappearance of creative profiles like Francesco Totti or Alessandro Del Piero, Zoff puts forward an almost natural explanation:
“Talent is often a question of DNA. We are born with it. I’ll give you an example: Donnarumma is an exceptional player, but he’s not an artist. Guardians must prevent art created by others, they do not produce it. HAS”
Beyond pure talent, Zoff also points to a societal change. According to him, new generations no longer experience football in the same way:
“Before, we always found them in the street playing ball, in the squares of all the villages. Now, sometimes they start at a football school, but then they stop to change activities. HAS”
Faced with this observation, the Italian Federation is trying to react by launching reforms to revive the training of young people, in particular by improving the training of educators. An initiative that Zoff welcomes with measure:
“It’s just about wanting to better train those who supervise the youngest. But in my opinion, before 7 or 8 years old, children should be free to play how and where they want. These are not farmed chickens. HAS”
