“Ibrahimovic already intimidated me in the players’ tunnel”

Danilo Chiodi, coach Pierpaolo Bisoli's right-hand man, gave Nicoló Cherubin the opportunity to become assistant coach of FC Südtirol. “The contact with Danilo has never been broken since our time together in Padua. I met with Bisoli and immediately agreed,” said the 36-year-old former Serie A defender, who is now passing on his wealth of experience to the FCS professionals.

Cherubin had already played under Bisoli in Bologna and later at Padova. When he ended his active football career at Luparense in Serie D after the 2021/22 season, he moved to the coaching team and became assistant to Luparense coach Mauro Zironelli, who is known for his ultra-offensive game idea. “The move to South Tyrol was also perfect for me because I can now work under a coach who is a master of defense. I want to absorb everything Bisoli says. He is a coach with heart and soul, gives his all and lives for his club. Basically we are pretty similar. Of course, sometimes we have different opinions, but that's a good thing. I can only grow at his side,” emphasized Cherubin.

Nicoló Cherubin, assistant coach of FC Südtirol.

The current FCS assistant coach grew up in football in Cittadella. However, he will miss the reunion with his former club tomorrow (14 p.m.) because he had to go to the locker room early before the international break at home against Pisa with red. “It really annoys me that I’m banned from playing against Cittadella. Many friends will be in the stadium on Saturday. I would have liked to have been down on the sidelines, but unfortunately I have to sit in the stands.”

Once a teammate of Joachim Degasperi Cherubin was already playing for Cittadella at the age of 11. He went through all the youth teams and made his league debut in Serie C17 as a 1-year-old under coach Rolando Maran. Joachim Degasperi was also one of his teammates. “He helped me a lot when I was 16 when I did my first training sessions with the first team,” recalled Cherubin, who also played in Cittadella with Edoardo Gorini and Roberto Musso, who now coach Cittadella. The match on Saturday will definitely be very emotional for Cherubin.

Cherubin in a duel with Miroslav Klose. © AFP / ALBERTO PIZZOLI

Cherubin made his Serie A debut on October 7, 2007 in Palermo for Reggina. The club from Calabria secured the transfer rights in the summer. “It was a very good debut, for the press I was the best player on the pitch because I played a strong match against Palermo attacker Amauri.” The first Serie A detour was short-lived for Cherubin.

The best opponent was Ibrahimovic “Coach Massimo Ficcadenti had to leave, I was no longer used under successor Renzo Ulivieri and was loaned out to Avellino. Then I returned to Cittadella, which was now playing in Serie B,” said Cherubin. After 2 years at his parent club, he made the jump to Serie A again, this time to stay. “The years in Bologna and Bergamo were the best of my career. I was lucky enough to play against absolute top stars. The best? Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a machine. He was just too strong. He really intimidated me in the players’ tunnel with his challenging manner.”

In the 2011/12 season in Bologna, Bisoli was Cherubin's coach, but Stefano Pioli arrived in October. “It didn’t surprise me that he got this far. Pioli is a fantastic trainer, both professionally and personally. After winning the championship with Milan, I sent him a message and he answered me immediately," said Cherubin, who moved to Atalanta on loan for two seasons after Bologna's relegation in 2014, where he also played with Andrea Masiello.

After returning to Bologna he was only third choice in defense under Roberto Donadoni, “so I decided to go to Verona in Serie B. For me, appearances were always more important than the league.” But the injury devil struck in Verona. “After just 5 games I suffered a broken scaphoid bone, the operation went wrong, I was never the same again.” Cherubin was only 29 years old at the time. Thanks to his defensive class, he was able to stay in professional business until 2021. In Padua he met Bisoli again and built a friendship with “Prof” Danilo Chiodi, who called him to FCS last summer. This is how Cherubin's second career began.

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1.Monza	12	17:7	26
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3. Cesena	12	19:13	23
4. Frosinone	12	22:11	22
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“Ibrahimovic already intimidated me in the players’ tunnel”

When Nicoló Cherubin was asked in the summer whether he could imagine becoming an assistant coach at FC Südtirol, he didn't hesitate for long. He spoke to us about his first year as an assistant with the professionals and about his extraordinary football career.

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