Dimarco: “I just focus on giving everything for this shirt"

The Italian left wing-back is one of the two protagonists featured on the double cover of Rivista Undici, which is on newsstands these days. 

Federico Dimarco is one of the two protagonists on the double cover of Rivista Undici, alongside Riccardo Calafiori, the Arsenal defender. Both are players who have built their careers over time, each with their own experiences and journeys. 

Ups and downs, but always without fear and with great determination. "I don’t know if I am a 'modern flag bearer,' and I don’t even wonder about it, I just focus on giving everything I have for this shirt, because I know it should be treated in a special way," Federico said to the sports magazine. He started his journey in Inter's youth sector.

“The journey? My experiences were the result of personal choices that often went against the advice of those around me. I’ve always wanted to be responsible for my own destiny, even at the risk of making wrong decisions. Perhaps it’s easier to say now, but I think each of these stages helped me grow in some way.”

After your experience at Sion, did you ever consider quitting? What gave you the strength to continue?

“It was a very tough time. Both professionally and personally. The metatarsal injury and the loss of the baby were two terrible blows, but I tried to look inward, and thanks to my wife, I found motivations that were buried beneath what had happened to us. If I found the strength to go on, it was mainly thanks to her.”

Mental strength was crucial in your journey. Did you get help from anyone?

“No professional figure, just the listening and deep closeness of those who love me. I have a very solid family behind me, who has always pushed me in the right way and tone to pursue my dream. And the most beautiful thing is seeing them happy now that I’ve achieved it. Honestly, if a mental coach had worked with me, after a while, he would have needed one himself (laughs, editor's note).” Federico Dimarco talks about realizing, after returning from his loan at Verona, that he was too emotionally invested in Inter’s matches. Too much involvement. Finding the right balance, both on and off the field, became one of his goals. Because playing for your boyhood club isn’t always easy. 

So, are you no longer angry for days after a loss, as you said used to happen?

“Well, it depends on the match and how close they are. If you play a week later, it’s hard to turn the page right away, but if you play after three days, you have to let it go immediately. One of the toughest but perhaps most emotional moments in recent years was when you went to the curva after losing the title on the last day, with the entire crowd applauding you despite the pain of defeat. What did you feel in that moment? Obviously, a great sadness, because, beyond Milan’s merits, that year we complicated things ourselves. But the embrace from the whole stadium was beautiful, moving. I don’t know of a greater act of love than being united in pain, seeing a demanding crowd recognize the merits even in defeat. And I want to reveal something to you. Before the derby in which we won the scudetto last year, I showed the team the video of that exact moment. I wanted to remind everyone where we started from, what we left behind, and what we owed to ourselves and our people. We had a great opportunity for revenge, and we took it, in a way that might never happen again.”

Were you more nervous and emotional before that game or before the Champions League final?

“Fortunately, I’m not one to suffer from nerves before matches. I’m always very calm, except for some derbies. Against Manchester City, we knew we were playing against the strongest team in the world, and we had nothing to lose, and when the others have everything to lose, you enter the field with much more ease than your opponent. Whereas before the scudetto derby, I was just motivated because I knew we had the chance to write an unforgettable page in Inter Milan’s history. I always sleep calmly before games, often even on the afternoon of the match.”

Your left foot quality is evident to everyone. But there’s a particular skill of yours that stands out: the control on the bounce when changing the field, which is the most difficult and risky, and yet you often do it. 

Does it feel like a natural gesture to you, or have you trained it over time?

“The answer is very simple: it’s something I really enjoy, it excites me. It’s thrilling to beat an opponent on the run with a stop, and when I get the chance, I try to do it because it creates an advantage. I remember one particularly, from a precise pass by Barella, against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, which led to the assist for Dzeko. One of the most beautiful controls I’ve done, especially for the difficulty of it. It’s true, it’s a gesture I repeat often, and we joke a lot about it with my teammates.”

You’ve become one of the best full-backs in Europe, and it’s not just the numbers that say so. Is it harder to reach this level or to maintain it over the long term?

“To maintain it, without a doubt. Many players reach the elite, but then only last for one or two years. I say this sincerely, I’m not going through my best period, and when you’re used to high levels, you realize it quickly. You have to lower your head and try to improve to get out of it as soon as possible.”

I imagine you sometimes rewatch your matches. With what kind of eyes do you watch yourself?

“I’m very self-critical. Even when we win, and I’m happy for the team, if my performance wasn’t good, I’m angry inside, I feel a fire. And when I play badly, I notice it right on the field, without needing to watch the replay. "

And who gave you the best compliment you’ve ever received?

“I can say who gave me the most unexpected compliment: Piero Ausilio. When I came back from Verona, he said words that surprised me, and I’ve never forgotten them.”

What makes you a different player from the others?

“The way I interpret the role, because even though I play as an outside on my strong foot, I don’t like staying on the touchline, but I like to move around the field. In fact, I often find myself in a central midfield position, even up front, also thanks to our game, which in certain situations allows freedom of interpretation. It’s something I enjoy, and I think it also entertains the fans.”

Once, you said that your only goal was to prove the people who didn’t believe in you wrong. Now that you’ve done it, how do you feel?

“As long as I play football, I’ll keep thinking that way. My career isn’t over yet.”

Source: Fcinter1908.it