PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – Javier Pastore and Palermo. A bond that seems to grow stronger as the years go by. Present for the historic inauguration of the Cfa in Torretta, then also for the challenge against Spezia that he saw live at the Barbera. The Argentine fantasist, after starting in his country, arrived in Sicily in the summer of 2009 from Huracan, a club with which he had had an outstanding season. In rosanero two incredible seasons between great plays and heavy goals, with the climax reached in the Coppa Italia final against Inter. Interviewed exclusively at Torretta Cafè, the new talk show produced entirely by Palermo FC, in over an hour of open-hearted talk the Flaco bared his emotions as never before. The first words, however, are dedicated precisely to the Torretta sports center. ‘I was here for the inauguration, it was a beautiful day. I am seeing a different Palermo grow than the one I experienced. It makes me so happy to see such a Palermo with a sports center equipped for example with a dining hall, a gym but also with a place like Torretta Café. When I was training in Boccadifalco it was a completely different thing. I saw old teammates again at the inauguration. Being together and reminiscing about the moments we experienced was beautiful. I had two wonderful years here in Palermo. I built beautiful relationships on and off the field. By now I am married (to Palermo-born Chiara, ed.) and I am a father; when I arrived in Palermo I was a child. Several older players have taught me many things and contributed to my growth as a man,” Pastore continued. “I was glad to see Migliaccio, when I arrived in Palermo he helped me a lot, he passed on many things. I hear from Balzaretti, Migliaccio, Liverani. With Miccoli we exchange messages from time to time. Also Hernandez, Santi Garcia, Munoz, Bertolo and Cavanì. With Palermo he was also in New York for the launch of the new jersey: ‘A wonderful experience, I never expected to do this jersey publicity in New York. It was beautiful, we experienced days that brought us so many memories. Palermo was my gateway to Europe and to the Argentine national team. For this club I will always be there. Now that he has more time to look back, Pastore realizes that his dream has come true. ‘I only began to think I had made it now that I no longer play soccer. My path as a soccer player I lived it normally, everything that happened to me I thought was normal. Arriving in Palermo, playing in a team with champions or facing champions from teams like Inter, Juventus and Milan…I lived it as normal, as if I were playing with my friends in Argentina. Today I realize that I have had an important career. I was 7 years at Psg with players who made a profound mark on world soccer.” Then-president Zamparini’s club had set its sights on him in 2009. There was also interest on Pastore from Chelsea, Milan and Porto. ‘When I arrived there were players like Miccoli and Cavani, the latter was young but incredibly talented. The level was really high in training. ‘The day I arrived I immediately played a friendly against an Austrian team,’ says the Flaco. ‘Once I got out of the car with Sabatini and my procurator, Zamparini approached me and proposed that I play the game after making a 14-hour trip from Buenos Aires to Milan. I didn’t even have shoes; the president took me to a shopping center nearby. He told me take whatever you want, I took a pair of soccer shoes, shin guards and that was it. Once we got back to the game, the warehouseman Pasquale gave me the material to play with. Zamparini told the coach that I should come in in the second half. The coach didn’t understand why after such a long trip I would have to go on the field right away. I played about 20 minutes and immediately did a sombrero, a tunnel, a long pass to Miccoli who stopped the ball with his chest and scored. Zamparini started crying in the stands, he was in love with my plays. I was told this by people who were there like my prosecutor.” Settling in Italy was not easy. Helping Pastore, however, were his teammates, with whom there were also some peculiar moments in the beginning, which was helpful for his growth. “At the beginning I had problems with the way I played. They were not used to having a teammate on the team who did five tunnels every practice. I wasn’t doing it to tease, it was my way of playing. Two months after I arrived I tunneled Migliaccio, he kicked me, so a second and third time. We as Argentines have a form of insulting that is not about the person but about the situation. Then an insult came out of me, not against him. He heard this insult, understood it, and headed toward me while I was still on the ground. He raised me from my neck to my feet and told me not to insult him anymore. I wondered what place I had come to. The next day we had a meeting with Zamparini and Sabatini. We talked, we understood each other, from then on my best companion was Giulio. Pirlo and Gattuso? They were idols, but I tunneled them. What I used to put in my head succeeded, in training I used to play a lot of tricks … count tunnels, make bets.” Regret remains for the Coppa Italia final lost to Inter at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. ‘We played against teams like Roma and Milan. We eliminated strong teams. I never saw the final against Inter again however the memory remains, all my family came to see this match. Those three days in Rome all the squares were rosanero. I don’t know how many people stayed outside the stadium, maybe 10-20 thousand people. The result always counts, but the path we took in the Coppa Italia was beautiful. People’s emotions cannot be taken away, that year was magical. We could have won or not, but the path was crazy, says Pastore who played with so many champions, Messi in primis. “The best player ever, in training and in the game he does things you can’t even imagine. When he wants something and turns on it’s over for the others. I am 35 years old, Maradona I did not see him play but I had him as a coach. I was lucky enough to experience Maradona and Messi in the same locker room. Incredible, a unique thing. Among career regrets is his adventure at Roma. ‘The last two years were not what I would have liked, the body did not accompany me. It hurt so much to arrive in Trigoria and not be able to give what I could give. That was the biggest frustration I felt in the world of soccer, I felt really badè. Pastore also talked about his future: ‘I haven’t played soccer for a year and seven months now. I had surgery eight months ago, now I feel great I have no more pain however I lost a lot of time. I have not continued to train in a professional way. Every year soccer changes so much. Today the physical is more important, players are athletes. I don’t have in my mind to return to the field, I think that before June 2025 I will officially announce my retirement from playing soccer, but I am studying to stay in this world that I loved. Still early to know what he will do. ‘I don’t know, I’d like to stay in soccer because I love it and I’d love to help children grow and educate themselves. It’s something I’m interested in doing, I’m preparing myself. I’m doing a management course with Fifa, it’s very interesting because it gives me the chance to get to know the people who work in different areas of the clubs. I’m filling myself with information to really understand at what point I feel ready to do something in soccer. I’m also going to do the sports director course, however, for the moment I haven’t really decided what path to take in the world of soccer. I am preparing to decide in the coming yearsì. What is certain is that for Palermo there will always be and that the people of Palermo will always carry ‘Flacò Pastore’ in their hearts.- Photo Palermo Fc press office -(ITALPRESS).
