Andrea Masiello and his second spring at FC Südtirol

Who has the biggest share in FC Südtirol's soaring heights? Two names outshine everything: trainers Pierpaolo Bisoli and Masiello. “It’s the collective that makes the difference, not the individual players,” says the central defender, who has almost 300 Serie A games under his belt, modestly.

“We are playing a great championship as a team. Our strength? We know that every match will be an extremely difficult task. We approach the games with corresponding focus. Humility is a key to success in the fight to stay in the league,” emphasizes Masiello, who has signed a contract with FC Südtirol until the end of the season. He doesn't think about what comes next. The motto also applies here: focus on the present. “I want to stay in the league with FC Südtirol. That would be a great success. If more is possible, even better. But there’s no time to dream yet, we have to keep our feet on the ground.” You have him on your side from morning to evening. We need this." Andrea Masiello about FCS coach Bisoli On February 5th Masiello celebrates his 37th birthday. “You’re not getting any younger,” he smiles. “I don't know how much longer I'll play. Physically I feel fit, I never stopped training, even when I was out of contract. And I still have a great passion for football. That is crucial.” Masiello ended up on the sidelines at Genoa last season. He only played 7 games for the later relegated Serie A side, he was no longer taken into account in the second half of the season and his contract expired in the summer.

The FCS change came about by chance The move to FC Südtirol came about by chance. “My manager met sports director Paolo Bravo, it wasn’t a planned meeting. They saw each other by chance and then talked about me,” says Masiello. “That evening my agent informed me about FC Südtirol’s interest, and the day after I agreed.”

Coach Bisoli was already in office, but Masiello did not know the coach personally beforehand. “He is a very charismatic coach,” he says about the FCS coach. “You have him on your cheek from morning to evening. And that's good. We need that,” smiles the defense chief, who lives in Tramin but spends most of the day at the FCS Center in Rungg – on the training pitch and in the fitness room.

Conte and Gasperini as the most important teachers Masiello's greatest teachers: Antonio Conte and Gian Piero Gasperini. “They were the coaches who gave me the most.” With Conte on the sidelines, Masiello was promoted to Serie A in 2009. He started 40 times at Bari that season and was an absolute top performer. Conte left Bari after the league title at the end of the season, Masiello stayed. After staying in the league in the first year, the crash followed. Bari were relegated in 2011 and Masiello, who moved to Atalanta that summer, ended up in prison. Match-fixing and shoving, the intentional own goal in the derby against Lecce – the association banned Masiello for 2 years and 5 months. The heyday of his career was to follow the deep fall. In February 2015 he made his comeback at Atalanta and was immediately a regular again. With the arrival of Gasperini in the summer of 2016, Atalanta went from relegation candidate to top team - and Masiello was one of the key players. Masiello in the Atalanta jersey: He had his most successful time in Bergamo. © APA/afp / MIGUEL MEDINA

“Gasperini sees a player’s qualities and knows how to make the most of them. He squeezes the players and pushes them to their limits,” says Masiello, who made it to the Europa League and later the Champions League under Gasp. In Atalanta's return to the international stage after 26 years, Masiello not only eliminated Wayne Rooney in the home game against Everton, but also scored the opening goal in the 3-0 triumph. “When I saw all the people in the audience, how happy they were, it was beautiful,” Masiello remembers.

Masiello on CR7: “An alien” He encountered several world-class attackers. “The strongest opponents? Trezeguet, Totti, Del Piero and Ibrahimovic. Cristiano Ronaldo? “It’s an alien, it’s out of competition,” jokes Masiello. Masiello also faced Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A. © AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO

Masiello played with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus, where he made his Serie A debut as a 2005-year-old in 19 - against Inter. “I still get goosebumps when I think about it today. It was an incredible team - Fabio Capello as coach, Cannavaro, Thuram, Buffon, Emerson, Nedved. Back then I was just a youth player who was allowed to train with the professionals. But Ibrahimovic remembered me when we last met in a game between Milan and Genoa. I really enjoyed that."

On Saturday (14 p.m.) Masiello will face Filippo Inzaghi, Inzaghi's coach, in the home game against Reggina. Masiello also got to know “Superpippo” as a striker. “I was young, he was already at the end of his career, but his ability to score goals in the penalty area was impressive.”

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Andrea Masiello and his second spring at FC Südtirol

The Serie A debut at Juventus, the breakthrough in Bari, betting scandal, prison, restart and Champions League with Atalanta – Andrea Masiello has already seen and experienced a lot in his more than eventful life. For him, only the here and now matters.

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