Aston Villa midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo has questioned why it is wrong for him to enjoy time off from football, insisting he is not the party person that he has been presented as.
The Italian has been speaking to La Repubblica in his homeland regarding his career so far and that inevitably included a conversation on the perception the public may have of him.
Having long been a player many predicted great things from in Italy, the pressure has often been on Zaniolo, particularly when he was at Roma.
That ultimately came to a head as a falling out with the manager, management and indeed the fans at the club saw him leave for Galatasaray, before his loan move to Aston Villa this summer.
One of the many criticisms of the player over the years was his life off of the pitch, with Zaniolo often seen partying or visiting night clubs in his spare time away from training.
That is a contentious issue for many fans, who believe that footballers, particularly ones with as much talent as Zaniolo, should be wholly committed to football, training and the pursuit of their goals in the sport.
That’s not an opinion the Aston Villa man shares, though, something he was keen to point out to La Repubblica.
“I can have fun, go dancing, but I’m not as they describe me: I have no worries, I train every day, I play, then once a week I go dancing,” he said.
“I need to take my mind off things. Being a footballer is also stressful in terms of pressure. What harm is there if with Monday off I go to the disco on Sunday evening?
“Not just time. We can’t use our bodies off the field: do you like motorbikes? You can’t go there. Do you like skiing? You can’t do it. Getting away from everyday life is hard, even if you go to dinner out, you can’t eat as you would like, you have a diet to follow.
“The life of a footballer has many pros, but also cons. But it’s what I dreamed of as a child, and I’m not complaining.”
