Sandro Tonali has done well for Newcastle United this season, cementing himself as a favourite with the club’s fans.
He’s played 31 times in all competitions, scoring three times and assisting twice. Tonali has grown into a defensive midfield role, while also playing further forward sometimes.
The Italian returned to action from a long-term ban earlier in the season. That ban was imposed because of the midfielder’s gambling addiction problems that stretched back to his time at AC Milan.
The Newcastle United man has again opened up about his problems with gambling and he revealed that he didn’t use his mobile phone for six months in 2024.
He told La Repubblica, when asked about whether the mobile phone can be a drug: “I haven’t had it for six months in the last year. Of course I felt a sense of freedom, the sensation of being okay even without it.
“Before, I couldn’t go from room to room, today I take it when I leave the house and leave it when I come back. I only take it back if mum, dad or a family member calls me.”
Speaking further, he also revealed that he detached himself from everyone right after the ban was in place.
“In the first two months I was detached from everyone, then returning to life, training every day without having the match, I realised that I was paying for what I had done.”
The 24-year-old was also asked how much Newcastle United helped him during the suspension and he had kind words to say about the Premier League club.
“A lot. My teammates and coach have always kept me inside, as have the staff and management. The Newcastle fans and the opposing fans have never judged me. Here they respect everyone’s problems, they don’t push things too far and they try to help.”
Tonali also revealed that a meeting with factory workers in Newcastle changed his perspective on gambling.
“In Newcastle, in a factory that produces covers for gas pipes in the ocean. I went there because gambling is very widespread in England. There were those who told me, several months after the disqualification: “I stopped betting because of what happened to you”. They had been compulsive gamblers for years.
“An Italian told me that an employee earns £2k a month, but sometimes needs to work overtime to support his family. He throws too much money away on gambling.”
It’s clear that when the bond between the Italy international and Newcastle United could have broken down, the relationship only strengthened.
That is visible on the pitch, as Tonali is a key part of the team and someone the fans look to. The fact that he has come through difficult times says everything about his attitude and it is a very good sign for the Magpies.
