Benjamin Cremaschi, from Miami to Parma: “I asked mum how to introduce myself to Messi”

In an interview with Repubblica Parma's 21-year-old midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, who has Italian roots and Argentine parents, looked back on being born and raised in Miami. Before moving to Italy, he was Lionel Messi's team-mate at Inter Miami: "The first time I saw Messi? It was early in the morning. I had already been at Inter Miami for six months, he had just arrived from PSG. I park at the training ground and I see him, he was with his three children. I didn’t know what to do, so I called my mum, who advised me to go and introduce myself, given that there was no one around and it was the right moment not to disturb him. I did, and the incredible thing is that he already knew who I was".

Respect in training

"Have I ever taken the ball off him in training? No, for two reasons: first, because it would be almost impossible to get it off him, second, because we certainly don't want to risk hurting him with a tackle in a training game. We all stop before that happens".

Why he chose the USA

"I feel as Argentine as I am American. My parents and my friends all speak Spanish, and Florida itself is a very Latino state. We discussed it a lot as a family too. I had many doubts, but in the end we decided to choose the USA"

What a player Cremaschi is

"I like doing a bit of everything. In fact, the players I look to are Valverde, Llorente and Reece James. I think it's an advantage to make yourself available to the manager for many different roles, and it's thanks to this versatility that I earned my place at the Olympic Games."