Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante was interviewed in the days leading up to Italy’s first match of EURO 2024.
In an interview with UEFA.com, Cristante discussed at length Italy’s ambitions for the competition and shared insights into his rapport with Roma boss Daniele De Rossi.
“We are excited, we are ready, we are working hard to have a great tournament,” said Cristante.
“We had a wonderful training camp, we prepared and trained well as a group. We can’t wait to get started.”
“The travelling fans will make us feel at home, we know that there are many Italians here in Germany, that there is a lot of passion. They demonstrated it to us yesterday at the camp but also every day, upon arrival, outside the hotel.”
“We want to make them proud just as we want to make all the Italians who are at home proud. We will do our best for them. Yesterday was beautiful, it’s nice to have so many people cheering for you, especially if you’re abroad. They make you feel at home. And so we will have to give 100% to make them proud.”
“Memories from EURO 2020 will always remain alive for me. It will be a beautiful memory for a lifetime, but football is like that. We always have to move forward. There is always a new competition to look forward to.”
“We have reached the end of these four years as reigning champions. Now we want to show that we are still there among the strongest. Perhaps this is a slightly younger group, with a bit less experience. But this is also a strong group with an equally strong coach.”
“We have many strong attackers. Scamacca has shown he can do well, Retegui did well for Genoa this year. We are covered in all positions. We have an excellent team, a very strong coach. We want to start well and demonstrate on the pitch that we are the reigning champions.”
“De Rossi’s advice? Every now and then he calls us, we have a good relationship. I’m happy with the way I played this season even though as a team we hoped to do better in the league.”
“We still reached the semi-finals of the Europa League. With De Rossi we took an extra step forward, we improved as a team.”
“Next season we must continue to build upon the second half of last season,” he added.
“De Rossi hasn’t given me any particular advice, we have a good relationship, we talk about everything, but we haven’t particularly discussed this EURO. He was one of the best Italian midfielders and any advice he gives me is always a pleasure for me.”
“The favorites? There are many strong teams, England, France, teams with players who have more European experience, who have more trophies on their shoulders. But we are an excellent team, a young team that wants to grow. We have a really strong coach.”
“We must aim for the maximum without setting limits. We know we can play against anyone.”