Former Milan, Atalanta, and Sampdoria full-back Andrea Conti, currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Sampdoria, has opened up about his past experiences and future aspirations in a candid interview.
On being without a club, Conti said, “I’m doing quite well, unfortunately I’m at home. I train every day and I’m waiting for developments. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my family, but I’m calm, I’m not taking it badly despite still being without a team.”
Reflecting on his time at Sampdoria, he expressed, “It was worth it, everything; I don’t regret anything I’ve done in my career. There’s certainly a bit of regret for the many problems I’ve had, but in my misfortune, I can consider myself lucky for what I’ve managed to achieve.”
Conti praised his former coach Gasperini, stating, “Gasperini is phenomenal. Definitely the best I’ve had. He manages to bring out something that you don’t believe you have with other coaches.”
Recalling his move to Milan, Conti shared, “That summer wasn’t easy for me. Milan was looking for me and I wanted to go because I felt ready, and when a club like that calls you, it’s difficult for a young guy to say no. It was a year in which Milan changed a lot, it was also the first of the new ownership, I wouldn’t know what didn’t work because so many things happened; maybe the fact of having changed so much didn’t help, then there were more pressures than usual, linked to the big spending on the market, which we couldn’t handle.”
On his injury struggles, Conti revealed, “I remember when they told me the extent of the injury: my world collapsed. I was young and at the highest point of my career, there was a lot of talk about me and I had earned a place in the national team. Then it all depends on how you manage to get out of it; for me it was still an ordeal because I had continuous problems and I had to have four knee surgeries.”
Looking to the future, Conti said, “I would like a new adventure, even though I know it’s not simple because it’s been a long time since I played. I haven’t had opportunities, I wasn’t sought after this summer or recently, but I’m living with it well. I’m not anxious about being without a team, because I’m aware of my past and how difficult it can be for a club to try to sign me. I’m waiting for a call but it has to be the right one… I give myself a limit, which I think is the January transfer window. If I don’t have offers then I’ll make my decisions, because it’s difficult to stay idle for so long.”
Conti concluded with advice to his younger self: “To fully enjoy every moment of his career, to always work to the maximum to try to improve more and more and get the maximum satisfaction he can.”
