«The Italian National Team jersey makes me feel good» Interview with Mattia Zaccagni

According to some scholars, in human history, the conquest of fire and the invention of the wheel would not be secondary to that of the bow. First used as a hunting tool, even in the Paleolithic age, and then in warfare, wielded by Egyptians and Babylonians until the medieval peoples. Age after age, bow and arrows have traversed the centuries until the spread of firearms, which marked their decline in warfare, but not erasing their memory in the collective imagination, reaching up to the present day. An archer, a figure that has become increasingly rare. A bit like the qualities and playing style of Mattia Zaccagni, who in a football increasingly characterized by physicality and endurance, makes technique, dribbling, and vision his main qualities. Qualities that, every time he scores a goal, allow him to celebrate just like an archer, mimicking drawing an imaginary arrow from his quiver to shoot it towards the cheering crowd.

A celebration that Lazio fans have now learned to know and appreciate since the class of 1995 dons the white and sky blue jersey, arriving in the summer of 2021 from Hellas Verona, the team with which he made his Serie A debut and became known to the wider public before moving to Rome. «In Verona, I experienced eight magnificent and intense years. I went from being a kid to becoming a man, both on and off the field,» recalls Zaccagni. «I played in Serie B, won the championship, and toughened up in every sense. And the city was there for me, I have always been a part of it, and I even bought a house there: I have a special bond with it and it will always be in my heart. And then there was the change with Rome, the Capital, hard to compare with any other city from this point of view. Now my heart is here, where I have built something important and started a family.»

A city, that of Rome, that Zaccagni loves to fully experience, getting lost in its neighborhoods. «We often go to dinner downtown, where I enjoy walking around Piazza del Popolo and its surroundings,» explains the footballer, who has also come to know the various facets of the Capital. One in particular, the one that divides it in two twice a year, pitting friends, relatives, and entire families against each other: the derby between Roma and Lazio. «Before experiencing it, I thought it was just a different game, but quite normal. The truth is, when it approaches, you feel it for sure. Just think that people have started stopping me in the city a month before. Even when you arrive at the training ground, I could tell you with my eyes closed if there is an upcoming derby or not: there's a different tension, you can feel quite a heavy atmosphere. The match is highly felt, and consequently, we feel it too,» explains Zaccagni, the first player decisive in two consecutive derbies in the history of the Biancocelesti, the only name on the scoresheet at the end of both 90 minutes. «After the first derby where I scored last year, I could hardly leave the stadium. Fans say that when you decide one, you stay in Lazio's history: it's something you carry inside.»

Besides the white and sky blue, however, Zaccagni has also been wearing the blue of the Italian National Team for some time. «The first time I wore it, in training, the feeling I had was one of lightness. You can feel the history, of course, but it gives you a sense of lightness that makes you feel strong, even though it carries a lot of responsibilities. It's hard to explain, but it makes you feel good.» With EURO 2024 getting closer, the Lazio number 20, however, remains grounded: «The goal, first and foremost, is to make it into the coach's squad. And then maybe try to contribute something important to the team.» Step by step, game by game, thinking without getting carried away but always with an eye on the future. This is the mantra of his career and his life, a direct testimony of a pragmatic person, who leaves no room for superstition or ritual: «I don't believe much in these things. Usually, when I step onto the field, I wear a wristband on my right arm, a ribbon, but it's more of a habit than anything else.»

What interests him and attracts his attention, however, is fashion, lifestyle, and current trends: «For me, presenting a good image of oneself is important, and then I have my wife who doesn't make many mistakes on this and helps me,» jokes Zaccagni. «Year after year, things change. When I see a photo of myself from some time ago, I always think: what was I wearing? Yet, it was the fashion of the moment, which changes quickly, and I try to keep up. I wear different brands, I like to vary: from sporty to elegant, but also casual. I wear a bit of everything,» says Zaccagni, who as he speaks sits next to a bow and a quiver containing three arrows, just like the Three Stripes of adidas, of which he is now a prominent athlete. Because if the figure of the archer, as the ages passed, slowly disappeared, his image remained impressed in the collective memory, resurfacing every time Mattia Zaccagni scores a goal and shoots an imaginary arrow towards the crowd cheering him on. The symbol of an icon, not just on the football field.