Italy’s Mateo Retegui has revealed that he hopes to play in Europe or in Italy in the near future, following his goal against England on his debut for the Italian national team.
Retegui has spent only three days with his Azzurri teammates as he got his shock call-up to the national side only last week. The striker doesn’t speak Italian, but he managed to adjust to life quickly and was handed a start by Mancini against the Three Lions. Retegui scored in his first game outside Argentina, even though England won 2-1.
After the game, the Argentina-born striker spoke to Sky Italia (via TMW) about his goal and how it felt to make his debut. The 23-year-old Tigre striker revealed his delight, stating that he hopes to play in Italy or in Europe at some point; even though he remains happy in Argentina.
“I’m not happy because we lost a very important match. It was important to start with a win. I’m happy though for my debut with goals. There was a bit of nervousness at the beginning, but I unblocked myself. I was waiting for this call-up and when Mancini called me I was really happy, it’s a pride for me.”
He also revealed what Roberto Mancini asked of him, ahead of his debut, saying: “The coach told me to to play calmly, to attack the spaces and have fun. Future? I hope to play in Italy or Europe in the near or distant future. But today I’m from Tigre and I’m happy to wear this shirt”.
Retegui has scored six goals for Tigre this season, while playing only eight league games and that is quite an efficient scoring rate. He is currently on loan from Boca Juniors and in recent days, he has already been linked with Serie A sides and the goal against England could well help him catch some more attention.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
