Romano: ‘I Chose Italy With All My Heart, See Strong Team Moving Forward’
Alessandro Romano reaffirmed his desire to play for Italy, stating he made the choice “with all my heart.” He believes the team shows potential for future strength.
The Cagliari midfielder started in the recent 3-1 win against Turkiye, his first start since the 2-0 home loss to Belgium. Prior to that, Italy had a 4-1 defeat in Turkey and a 1-1 draw away to France, showing varied performances.
“I don’t think we played that first game badly, though the result wasn’t what we wanted. With many new players and a new coach, it was expected we’d need time to gel,” Romano told Sky Sport Italia. “The key is that we responded well after that.”
Romano faced criticism after the initial Nations League match against Belgium, his debut for the Azzurri. He mentioned receiving strong support from his staff and teammates, and that the coach encouraged him to relax. He felt he succeeded in doing so during the recent game.
His switch from representing Switzerland at the Under-21 level to Italy for the senior squad added another layer of scrutiny.
“I wanted to play for Italy with all my heart. It wasn’t an easy decision, and it wasn't against Switzerland, but in favour of Italy. I believe this can become a very strong team going forward.”
Romano was one of two Cagliari players in the starting lineup against Turkiye, alongside Daniel Maldini. He played in a mezz’ala role after initially starting as a playmaker.
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