Zaniolo: "I would not accept 10, Totti has one. It's the season to win again"

Who were your football idols and why?
My footballing idols have always been Kaka and Ronaldinho: in Kaka I take inspiration as a way of playing and we have more or less the same position on the pitch, his qualities were immense … Ronaldinho I enjoyed watching him play during the games, which I watched especially for he!

If it happened to a guy what happened to you, being discarded for technical reasons, what advice would you feel to give him?
The main advice I can give is to never give up and always believe in your dreams. It is often said that if a door is closed, a door opens. But the important thing is to never stop believing in your dreams and continue until you can achieve them. But if you can't make them come true, the most important thing is to have given everything …

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Do you still remember the day of your debut at Rome?
I remember it very well. In the morning the coach (Eusebio) Di Francesco called me and told me if I was ready to play the game against Real Madrid: incredulously, I answered him "Sure, mister". But I was still unaware of what I was going through. The meeting was at 11 am, but it was played at 9 pm and I stayed all day looking at the ceiling, after calling my parents to ask for comfort because in the end I still felt a great emotion. But when I came on the pitch I didn't pay any attention to external things, I just thought about having fun and playing. In the end if I was there the coach had seen something in me and I have to say that it didn't go so bad.

That Champions League, despite the elimination of Roma in the second round, has contributed to consecrate you: debut at the Bernabeu, two goals for Porto at the Olimpico …
We played the quarter-finals against Porto, it was something new for me, I had never played such a game, there were so many emotions. I tried to give my best, the best for the team. Fortunately I managed to make a brace, but I would not say that I am stated for this: I must continue like this, work in the field to affirm myself in the future. I feel like a player who can give so much but who still needs to improve so much.

Do you happen to review that game, think back to the roar of the Olimpico after your goals? European nights in Rome are special …
Sure! That evening I will never forget it all my life, the UEFA Champions League evenings – but also those of the UEFA Europa League this year – are emotions I will never get out of my head! But I have to be good at not sitting on that one and continuing to make others, still playing well for this shirt to take away all the satisfactions together.

Rome has changed a lot this summer: in your opinion what are the ambitions of the team, both in the league and in Europe
Rome has changed a lot this year, but I think it has changed positively because we are a young group with more experienced and strong players on our side, helping the younger ones. It's the right mix to make a great year. There are all the prerequisites, now it's up to us to play well to revive Rome and bring it to the places where it deserves.

Important comparisons are being spent for you, in Rome it has recently stopped playing a symbol like Francesco Totti. What do you think of him, what effect does it make him approach?
Regarding Francesco, I think that for any young person to be approached – or only approached – to him is a great emotion. But I must say that I am Nicolò Zaniolo, I have to improve and a lot: of Totti there is one … I have to continue on this path.

If one day Rome proposed to you to wear the number 10 shirt, would you accept?
No, I wouldn't even think about it. I'd hold mine, it's a form of respect for the captain. I wouldn't even try to say yes.

Roma hasn't won for a long time: do you think this may be the right season?
Yes, I think it can be. It all depends on us, how we approach the games, how we train day after day. Victories are built not in one day, but in years. But I believe that we have everything to be able to have our say, it is only up to us.