Luca Pellegrini Reveals His Lazio Idol, Hails Former Arsenal Man

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The Laziali

·3 November 2024

Luca Pellegrini Reveals His Lazio Idol, Hails Former Arsenal Man

In an interview with Lazio Style Channel (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Luca Pellegrini discusses his current role at the club which sees him acting as a backup for the mesmerizing Nuno Tavares.

Luca Pellegrini on Lazio Role

The 25-year-old is a lifelong Biancocelesti fan who eventually made his dream come true by signing for his beloved club in January 2023 after stints at Roma and Juventus. Although he remains a second choice, Pellegrini insists his hard work is paying off, as he’s now earning more playing time under Marco Baroni.

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The coach has many merits. He is a balanced person who never makes mistakes in the pre-match meetings. He’s also an empathetic person who understands the moments well and knows how to keep us all focused. Our performances are always convincing and positive. I don’t know if it’s my best version as I can still improve. But I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved. I’m finding more space than in previous seasons. I have Nuno in front of me, and he’s having an astonishing campaign, so it is difficult to get so many games, but I am certainly playing more now compared to the previous year and a half.

Nuno Tavares the Best in Serie A

The Italian heaps praise on his teammate Tavares, crowning him as the best left-back in Serie A.

I knew Nuno was a strong player, his quality was always evident, but perhaps even he didn’t even expect to register eight assists already. He’s the best left back in Serie A to say the least. I doubt he has any rivals in Europe at the moment. He can still improve like everyone else. Even Messi and Ronaldo had flaws.

Idolizing Marcelo Salas

Pellegrini recalled his childhood memories of Lazio and the class of 2000, revealing Chile legend Marcelo Salas as his idol at the time.

There are players like Sinisa [Mihajlovic] or other legends of world football who left their mark on Lazio’s history. But when I was little, Salas was my idol, I still have his shirt. I recall so many chants in my head: ‘Give me three words Nesta, Crespo and Fiore’. 100 appearances in Serie A would be an important milestone for me. I’d be thrilled to achieve it wearing the Lazio shirt. In no fairy tale would I have been able to dream of such a great scenario.