Liberali: "Totti and Dybala are my idols, I study Nico Paz. AC Milan? Our paths are diverging, it was right to take a step back"

The former AC Milan playmaker, now at Como, has spoken about the period he is going through from the Italy Under-21 training camp.

Mattia Liberali is one of the most eagerly anticipated Italian talents to emerge over the past two years. The young attacking midfielder came through at AC Milan, moved to Catanzaro and is now at Como under Fabregas. In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport, he reflected on his journey, spoke about his idols and the players he studies most closely to keep improving, and explained his decision to leave AC Milan. He also discussed his personal targets and his present and future dreams with Como and Italy, all driven by the ambition to make himself a leading figure.

Under-21 debut

"I was hoping it would be a bit easier in terms of the result and that we could break them down earlier. But we did well to stand firm right until the very last play.

I really want to work and prove myself, I'm very hungry. And yes, I came here really fired up. It was my first time with manager Baldini, and training is a fundamental part of it. How you train during the week, you then bring it onto the pitch at the weekend."

More roles

"In today's football, a player's strength is knowing how to play in more than one role. Mine, the one I have played since I was a child, is behind the striker. But even out wide I can come inside, as a right-sided attacking midfielder like I did with Aquilani at Catanzaro. I have to thank him because he waited for me, and that is what young players need.

I got to the point of playing with four touches... (laughs, ed.) Joking aside, I think a player's maturity lies in recognising when you can take more touches and when to play quickly, also because the higher the level, the less time you have to think and act. I have to improve my runs in behind and my intensity when defending, but that is perhaps the thing I do best: seeing the play before it happens"

Totti, Dybala and Nico Paz

Totti was one of my childhood idols. Another was Dybala at Juventus. Now, though, my role models are at home: Nico Paz and Baturina. Whether Nico and I can play together? Ask Fabregas... We work well together in training. But I get on with everyone else too, I have to say, we enjoy ourselves.

The same age as Yamal? He has already won a World Cup. If he does not win the Ballon d'Or, he will come second... No comparisons, everyone needs their own time. And I still have a long way to go."

Dreams with Como

"Italy are always Italy and every time you pull on the Azzurri shirt, it is an honour, but obviously the Champions League anthem is also something you dream of singing live from when you are a child.

If a team has its own identity and sticks to it to the very end, then the results come. Everyone in football wants to win: for the Serie A title there are other contenders, for me victory is match by match. If you win a lot of them, then it is easier to go and get something bigger..."

Farewell to AC Milan

"AC Milan were the team who brought me through from when I was a child, and I recognise that. I am truly devoted to them. But in football, paths sometimes split. At that moment, the right choice for me was to take a step back and perhaps go and play in a lower division"