Robin Gosens, the Fiorentina winger, recently shared insights into his football journey during a sponsor event near Florence. The German international reflected on his career path, the challenges he faced, and his experiences at different clubs.
Gosens began by acknowledging the rarity of his career trajectory in modern football. “In modern football, it’s almost impossible to reach where I’ve reached,” he said. “In my career, I’ve had two strokes of luck: becoming a professional footballer and, more importantly, enjoying the most important years of my life. I’ve always been with my friends and never separated from my parents and my home. I think this is a great fortune.”
The player then recounted his move to Atalanta, a turning point in his career. “When I was in the Netherlands, Sartori called me to come and play for Atalanta, a club I didn’t know. I searched for the team on Google and saw they were about to go to the Europa League, so I accepted,” Gosens explained.
However, the transition wasn’t smooth sailing. Gosens admitted to struggling mentally in his first year, particularly due to the language barrier and the demanding nature of his new coach, Gian Piero Gasperini. “I had a coach who asked a lot of his players and who is certainly a genius on the field, but can also be a bit difficult off the field, he knows it too, so I’m not revealing secrets,” Gosens shared. “It was very difficult because he spoke to me in Italian from the first moment, but obviously I didn’t understand a word. No one spoke English, but they had expectations that I would do what they asked, only I didn’t understand a word, so it was difficult.”
Despite these initial hurdles, Gosens persevered. “I’m very grateful and proud to have held on because in the second year I became a starter, and from there a beautiful adventure began that brought me here,” he said. The player also praised Gasperini’s training methods, stating, “Gasperini’s training sessions really push you to the limit, but then you see great results. With him, you suffer willingly.”
Reflecting on his time at Inter Milan, Gosens was candid about the challenges he faced. “I’ve asked myself many times what went wrong. For me, it was the right step at the right time. I wanted to try my hand at a big club, even though Atalanta is one now. Unfortunately, due to injuries and Dimarco’s explosion, it didn’t go well,” he explained.
