Stephen Makinwa, a former Lazio player, has given a lengthy interview in which he looks back on the various stages of his career in Italy. The former Nigerian striker, who now lives in Rome and works as an agent, speaks to *La Gazzetta dello Sport* about the most incredible and controversial moments of his career in Serie A. In his own words:
ARRIVING IN ITALY AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE TRANSFER MARKET – ‘It took me a while to understand Italy: the manager would arrive at the training ground on a bicycle and I’d think to myself, “Can he really be that poor?” In Africa, only those without money ride bikes… But we in the Berretti team felt strong, even against the first team: we were lightning fast. During a trial for Milan, I did a 100-metre sprint: 10.3 seconds, if I remember correctly. And at Como, from one day to the next, I found out I’d become a Genoa player – the club had just been bought by my president Preziosi – but that I had to stay there. That sort of thing never works out well.”
THE SOMERSAULTS – “I started as a child, training on my mum’s bed or on the sand. But Oba [Martins, ed.] did more than me: he was quicker, I was more elegant.”
LOTITO – “My peak at Lazio? Theoretically, yes: because of my knee problems. I was on loan at Reggina, I needed a cartilage debridement, and the Lazio doctor asked me: ‘But who’s paying for it?’ I was stunned. Then he rang Lotito, and when he hung up he told me: ‘You cover the costs upfront, then the chairman will reimburse you.’ I never saw a penny of it. Let’s just say the club could have looked out for me more, even as a person. At the team presentations, all I got was boos: it was brutal. Worse than when I was in Conegliano and could hear the sound of car doors slamming if I walked past them, or when Aronica called me a “son of a b****” after a tackle. Later, as teammates at Reggina, we made peace. But even today, I still find it hard to go to the Olimpico.”