Italian journalist Daniele Adani has revealed a message he received from Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi before their midweek win over Ajax.
The journalist has been speaking in Italy, with his comments relayed by Tuttomercatoweb, about the message he received from De Zerbi ahead of the big Europa League clash.
Adani and De Zerbi are old friends, with the former often going out of his way to praise his compatriot and discuss their relationship.
The pair appear to be in regular contact as De Zerbi continues to shine in England with Brighton, who he has taken to the upper reaches of the Premier League and into Europe.
They took their next step forward this week with their first ever European win, securing a 2-0 victory over European giants Ajax courtesy of goals from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati.
It was the latest step in the club’s rapid rise under the Italian, who has established himself as one of the up-and-coming managers in Europe during his time with the Seagulls.
He’s already been linked with bigger clubs as a result but has often insisted he loves life with the Seagulls, something he further demonstrated in his comments to Adani.
“12.23 yesterday afternoon, Thursday of the Europa League: a friend sends me a message,” revealed the journalist.
“I wanted to share it with you, because I have always been convinced that good generates good and special people are always needed by others too and it is right that their profound thoughts, not always but sometimes, are shared even if they arise from conversations private.”
He then shared the audio from the message that the Brighton boss had sent him, which was as follows:
“Hi Lele, I’m walking around the city with a hat and glasses so no one recognizes me,” the Italian said.
“How nice it is to see small children on the day of the match walking with their shirts and scarves, already waiting for the match. I got a shot of goosebumps. If one were to only think about that, how come you can play badly, miss a tackle, finish second or not try a dribble with malice in your head.
“That stuff that is football, at 44 years old I’m still in this state. Hi Lele, I wanted to tell you who understand it. You and a few others.”
