{"id":293125,"date":"2023-09-19T15:21:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=293125"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:21:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:21:03","slug":"nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>EXCLUSIVE: Nicolo Zaniolo endured death threats in Rome and Jose Mourinho&#8217;s harsh tongue, but the Italian is now targeting European glory with Aston Villa<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nicolo Zaniolo believes Aston Villa can go deep into the Conference League<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Italy international moved to Unai Emery&#8217;s side to reignite his club career<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport&#8217;s podcast &#8216;It&#8217;s All Kicking Off!&#8217;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nicolo Zaniolo celebrated his birthday in July and probably reflected that he had experienced more in 24 years than many people do in a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p>Aston Villa\u2019s summer signing was sent death threats and chased through the streets by Roma fans furious at his desire to leave the Serie A club. He has felt the rough end of Jose Mourinho\u2019s tongue and suffered two serious knee injuries, the second of which ruled him out of Italy\u2019s triumphant Euro 2020 campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Impressively, he has also managed to gain a solid grasp of English in just six months, thanks to daily lessons when he was playing for Galatasaray.<\/p>\n<p>Much more importantly, he joined a select group of players to score the winner in a major European Final. Less than 18 months after he struck the only goal for Roma against Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League Final, Zaniolo is starting a new journey in the competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Italy international expects to be involved when Villa take on Legia Warsaw in Poland on Thursday and, as he sits in the cavernous indoor training centre at Villa\u2019s Bodymoor Heath base, he dreams of reliving his golden moment in Tirana.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599741-0-image-a-62_1695135006087.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Nicolo Zaniolo is attempting to reignite his club career after moving to Aston Villa<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599849-0-image-a-63_1695135038773.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Italy international has endured death threats and serious injuries during his relatively short career<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599685-0-image-a-69_1695135109463.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo has\u00a0suffered two serious knee injuries, the second of which ruled him out of Italy\u2019s triumphant Euro 2020 campaign<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was a great day \u2013 unique,\u2019 Zaniolo tells Mail Sport in his first newspaper interview since moving to England. \u2018To score the only goal was an incredible emotion.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was the first trophy I\u2019d won in my career and I will always carry it in my heart. It will always be a wonderful memory. This season Aston Villa are one of the main candidates to win the competition.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It won\u2019t be easy as there are a number of very good, organised teams and it\u2019s always hard to play away from home, but we are a very good side and we want to lift this important trophy. If we do what we\u2019re capable of this season, we can make our fans very happy.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>When Zaniolo scored that goal against Feyenoord to give Jose Mourinho his 27th trophy as a coach, it should have been the launchpad for his career. Yet eight months later, he was on his way to Galatasaray after rejecting a move to Bournemouth, due to a complete breakdown in relations with Roma.<\/p>\n<p>Contract talks did not progress and by late January, it was clear that Roma and Zaniolo needed to go their separate ways. Mourinho said he \u2018didn\u2019t want to play for Roma\u2019. A banner appeared near the Colosseum calling Zaniolo a \u2018traitor without honour\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo was followed by fans to his home in Casal Palocco, an upmarket district on the outskirts of Rome, where he received death threats and called police in the early hours.<\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo is still reluctant to relive those traumatic final days as a Roma player, insisting his love for the club burns as brightly as ever, as does his respect for Mourinho. He even revealed he remains in occasional contact with the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018There will always be difficult times in life and it\u2019s important that you stay united with those close to you and give each other strength,\u2019 Zaniolo says. \u2018But I\u2019d prefer to keep family matters to myself and not talk about my state of mind during that period.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599735-0-image-a-65_1695135062611.jpg\" height=\"358\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo (left) is at Villa on a loan deal but if he impressed then there is a strong chance the move will be made permanent<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I have wonderful memories of Rome and Roma from my first very day there but things in life have a beginning and an end. Unfortunately that ending happened in January but I want nothing but the best for Roma fans and I loved the Roma colours.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Now I\u2019m at Villa, I\u2019m happy here, I\u2019ve got back into the national team and I\u2019ve rediscovered the joy of playing international football. To go back into the past for me isn\u2019t positive because it\u2019s finished.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Mourinho is a great person. I respect him very much and he taught me a great deal. I have to thank him for all the times he picked me and put his trust in mind. Now and then we are still in touch.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Villa\u2019s move for Zaniolo was driven by Monchi, the club\u2019s Spanish sporting director, who worked for Roma from 2017-19. He is currently alone in a temporary base in Birmingham but has a close family \u2013 father Igor was a lower-league player in Italy \u2013 who will visit regularly.<\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo was able to keep his favoured No22 shirt at his new club \u2013 a tribute to his mother, who was born on the 22nd of the month, as well as his idol, the former AC Milan and Brazil attacker Kaka.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599907-0-image-a-70_1695135131494.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Aston Villa are targeting the Europa Conference League title under manager Unai Emery this season<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599777-0-image-a-66_1695135073427.jpg\" height=\"405\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo (right) previously scored the winning goal in Roma&#8217;s Conference League final triumph over Feyenoord last year<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599743-0-image-a-67_1695135082629.jpg\" height=\"433\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Zaniolo (left) keeps in contact with Roma manager Jose Mourinho (right) but the pair at times shared a difficult relationship<\/p>\n<p>Though Zaniolo\u2019s performance on first Premier League start, against Crystal Palace last weekend, was sketchy, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. He is a powerful ball-carrier who can operate on either flank as well as through the middle, and he has an eye for goal.<\/p>\n<p>If Zaniolo performs well, there is a strong chance his initial loan move from Galatasaray will be made permanent at the end of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Football is a job but if you don\u2019t like what you\u2019re doing, you won\u2019t play well,\u2019 he reflects. \u2018If you get to the pitch and you don\u2019t feel joy and passion, you\u2019re finished.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/19\/15\/75599689-0-image-a-68_1695135098189.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Eight months after lifting the Europa Conference League, Zaniolo (left) was on his way to Galatasaray after rejecting a move to Bournemouth, due to a complete breakdown in relations with Roma\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In my life I\u2019ve never really given that much weight to what other people say or advise. I\u2019ve always acted on what I think and feel. I\u2019ll listen to others but it has to be me who decides.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018To come here, I didn\u2019t need to ask anyone\u2019s advice because I knew what I was getting into. I was certain about my choice as it\u2019s been my dream to play in the Premier League since I was very young.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I would advise anyone who had an offer from the Premier League to think about it very hard. You don\u2019t just grow up as a player here. You grow up as a person in a wider sense. It\u2019s not just about football.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Going to Turkey, coming to England\u2026 these are life experiences that help. If you stay in the same place, you don\u2019t think about what else is out there. But doing it this way, it opens your mind and helps you stay calmer. That can help you on the pitch, too.\u2019<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12536221\/Nicolo-Zaniolo-Roma-Aston-Villa-UEFA-Conference-League.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE: Nicolo Zaniolo endured death threats in Rome and Jose Mourinho&#8217;s harsh tongue, but the Italian is now targeting European <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EXCLUSIVE: Nicolo Zaniolo endured death threats in Rome and Jose Mourinho&#8217;s harsh tongue, but the Italian is now targeting European &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Nicolo-Zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-European-glory-with-Aston-Villa.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/\",\"name\":\"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soccer\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sportstons\",\"description\":\"sportstons.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"Dennis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dennis\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons","og_description":"EXCLUSIVE: Nicolo Zaniolo endured death threats in Rome and Jose Mourinho&#8217;s harsh tongue, but the Italian is now targeting European &hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/","og_site_name":"Sportstons","article_published_time":"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00","author":"Dennis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Nicolo-Zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-European-glory-with-Aston-Villa.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dennis","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/","name":"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa - Sportstons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-19T15:21:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/nicolo-zaniolo-sets-his-sights-on-european-glory-with-aston-villa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soccer","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Nicolo Zaniolo sets his sights on European glory with Aston Villa"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/","name":"Sportstons","description":"sportstons.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"Dennis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dennis"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}