30 March 2023
After our captain Leonardo Bonucci's successfully openend this year's event on 21 February, this afternoon the lucky Junior Members had a chance to meet Manuel Locatelli.
Young Juventus fans, reporters for an afternoon, had the chance to interview the Juventus midfielder inside the Continassa Training Center - there were also questions that arrived during the live broadcast on Twitch.
Manuel began the second Junior Reporter day by recalling how magical wearing the black and white striped shirt is, "I always dreamed of playing for Juventus, so seeing my surname on this shirt, as well as being an honour, pushes me to always give something extra in every game."
Opening the afternoon was a snippet of inside news from the transfer market, "Juve already wanted to sign me the year before, the season when the pandemic would break out. In the end I arrived the following year, more mature and as a Euro winner."
The strongest opponent? "Without a shadow of a doubt I'd say Messi because he defies human logic. He is by far the best player I've played against."
His best goal? "My best goal in the Juve shirt was the one I scored against Torino in my first Derby della Mole, especially since it was decider. I also have to mention the goals at the European Championships with Italy because it was so exciting, and my second goal in Serie A was also very nice, which came against Juve when I was at Milan."
And then Manuel revealed some aspects of his personal life.
“If I hadn't become a footballer I'd have like to become a policeman. It has always been a job that has intrigued me. However, my focus has always been on football because my big dream was to become a professional footballer and I've done it.
"When I scorer, I always celebrate forming a T-shape with both hands and the reason is very simple. My wife's name is Thessa and I dedicate every goal to her. Then we also had a dog named Teddy and now a son named Theo. Let's say that the letter T has always been important to me."
Who, on the other hand, were his Bianconeri idols when growing up? "Del Piero, Nedved and Buffon I think they are the Juventus flagbearers. Then I was lucky enough to play with Chiellini and still now with Bonucci, so I can consider myself very lucky."
Did you know that Cuadrado, Kean and Pogba are the three "loudest" players in the dressing room? Adding jokingly, "Cuadrado is also the most annoying."
And then again, "Having Di Maria as a teammate is extraordinary, not only for what he can give you in training and on the match, or because he is a top quality player and this aspect is beyond dispute, but I also really admire his human qualities. We got to know each other well on the United States tour last summer and I found out what a wonderful person he is."
Now, however, we do not want to reveal anything else. If you missed the beautiful afternoon on Twitch you can watch it again here.
