Exclusive: “He’s ready for the challenge” – Former coach on Marco Palestra’s Chelsea transfer

Marco Palestra has been one of the most talked-about Italian footballers over the past month. First came the long-running negotiations with Inter, then the dramatic twist with Chelsea entering the race, followed by endless debate after Fabrizio Romano’s famous “Here We Go” confirmed his move to Chelsea.

For days, former players and pundits have been divided. Some have defended his decision to move to the Premier League, where several Italian players have developed significantly in recent years. Others believe he would have had a better opportunity to play and grow at Inter. While everyone has focused on transfer fees, contracts, and statistics, we wanted to discover who Marco Palestra was before becoming one of Italy’s brightest young talents.

We contacted Accademia Internazionale Calcio, one of the first clubs where Palestra played, and spoke with Matteo Borgese, his coach at the time and now Director of Grassroots Activities for Inter Academy. He told us what Marco was like as a child, confirmed that Inter were already keeping an eye on him when he was only 11 years old, and shared several behind-the-scenes stories that have rarely, if ever, been told.

Here’s an interview that offers a completely different perspective from the noise surrounding one of Italy’s finest young prospects.

Hi Matteo, how did you first meet Marco Palestra? What was your role at Accademia Internazionale?

“Marco was playing for Assago. I’d seen him in a match a few years earlier and then, in 2014, we both decided to begin a new adventure. I became the U11 coach at Inter Academy and, thanks to the relationship we’d already built, he decided to start this new chapter with me.”

How old was he when you first met him?

“Actually, we met well before our time together at Inter Academy. I met his family—his father Andrea and his mother Alessandra—and I think Marco was around nine years old, if I remember correctly. We stayed in touch while he continued playing for Assago and I was coaching Alcione’s U10 team.”

Did he have a favourite club or favourite player?

“Of course. Like every child who dreams of becoming the next champion, those passions usually come from home—your father, grandparents or uncles. But if you’re asking me for the name, no… I’m not going to tell you.”

Away from the pitch, what was he like as a child?

“He was a very polite and quiet boy. He observed everything around him. Then, once he stepped onto the pitch, everything changed. His shyness stayed in the dressing room and he simply enjoyed having the ball at his feet.”

Soon afterwards he joined Atalanta. Can you tell us how that happened?

“As often happens, because Accademia is an official Inter Development Centre, many scouts regularly attend our matches or follow our teams away from home. I think Atalanta were very convincing. Inter were monitoring him at the time as well, and for the family of an 11-year-old child it’s never easy to know what the right decision is or whether it’s the right time. Marco has a wonderful family behind him. We talked about it together because of the relationship we had, and in the end they made their decision.”

Have you stayed in touch over the years?

“We joke around on social media or WhatsApp. We hardly ever talk about football though!”

What kind of player was he in the youth teams?

“He mainly played out wide. We didn’t have fixed positions because we played seven-a-side, and at that age it’s difficult to define someone’s true role. His qualities stood out most when he could see the whole pitch. Sometimes he even played in defence, won the ball and drove forward with it. He was incredibly difficult to stop.”

Could you already tell he had something special?

“He certainly had technical and physical abilities that were more advanced than many of the other boys, although children develop very quickly at that age. One of his greatest strengths was his acceleration. He could carry the ball from one end of the pitch to the other without any difficulty.”

Can you tell us a little about Accademia Internazionale?

“Thank you—very few people ask me that! We are one of the most important amateur clubs in Lombardy, with 41 years of history and one of Inter’s leading Development Centres. A huge amount of credit goes to our president, Marco Messerotti, who has created outstanding facilities that allow us to work on every aspect of our players’ development.”

Who worked with Marco during that period?

“I had a trusted assistant who had already been working with me for several years and followed me to Inter Academy. His name is Carlo Drago—a fantastic person, a close friend, almost like a younger brother.”

Have any other players gone on to become professionals?

“Thankfully, yes. We know how difficult it is to reach that level, but we’ve been fortunate. Besides Marco, players such as Nicolò Rovella, Gabriele Zappa, the Stankovic brothers and Bonfanti all spent time with us. Hopefully the next professionals will come from the youngsters currently playing for our teams.”

How much of his potential do you think Marco has fulfilled? Does he still have huge room for improvement?

“He’s only 21 years old. We’re talking about someone who can still improve enormously. I hope people will still be talking about him twenty years from now.”

Is there a coach you think would bring the best out of him?

“Personally, although it’s probably impossible now, I would have loved to see him work under Jürgen Klopp. Still, I’m very curious to see how he develops under his new coach.”

His move to Chelsea is now complete. How do you think he’ll adapt to the Premier League?

“From the outside it looks like an extremely physical league, with highly competitive teams across the board. It will be a fantastic challenge.”

Many people criticised his decision, believing staying in Serie A—especially joining Inter—would have been better for his development. What’s your opinion?

“That’s very typical of Italians: criticising, judging and delivering verdicts without really knowing the full story. People read a newspaper and think they know everything. The truth is that most of us have never experienced football at this level, and things can change within hours for reasons nobody sees. None of us can know what’s truly right or wrong. If Marco had chosen Inter when he was 11 years old, would we even be talking about him today? Life is made of choices, and only time will tell whether they were the right ones. What I do know is that Marco has an outstanding family behind him, and that’s the best support anyone could ask for.”

Don’t miss: Who is Marco Palestra? Everything you need to know about the Italian full-back: his career, age, height, market value, salary and transfer history.

Dai un’occhiata alle altre notizie uscite qui su Universo Sportivo e rimanete aggiornati sui social con Universo Calcistico.