Italy star player: Gianluigi Buffon
Can Italy follow up their World Cup triumph with the European title?
That’s got to be our aim. The squad hasn’t changed too much from 2006 so we’ve all got two years’ more experience. But perhaps the most important thing is that we’ve maintained the same group spirit and winning mentality of two years ago. To win anything you must have the right climate off the pitch as well as on it.
Did the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in 2006 create a siege mentality that made you more determined?
No, it certainly didn’t help us. There’s enough tension as it is when you play such high-profile games without having more problems to deal with. It actually undermined our work and made it harder to focus. The fact we won that year was merely a coincidence and down to professionalism and skill in preparing for games.
So there’s no chance the squad has lost its appetite for success?
No, because although most of the current squad are World Cup winners, many of us also have bitter memories from 2004, 2002
and 2000.
Do you feel more pressure going into a tournament as world champions?
The pressure is the same. What changes is that you’re maybe a bit more confident because when you win games you approach the next one in a different way, with more self-confidence, better self-awareness, less fear.
Who do you think will qualify from your group apart from Italy?
To be perfectly honest, I’m not so sure we will qualify – it’s an extremely tough group. We have to be very careful because if you go into these things with too much confidence you can end up falling flat on your face. We just have to get our heads down, work hard, remain humble and hope to win our games. Even Romania, who on paper seem the weakest threat, are an excellent team.
Which players do you fear the most this summer?
Ibrahimovic for Sweden, Torres for Spain and Van Nistelrooy for Holland.
Which team do you rate as favourites?
In competitions like this there isn’t a single favourite but a few teams with an equal chance of success – Italy, France, Holland, Spain, Germany. Of course, you also need a bit of luck.
And the holders, Greece?
I have a lot of respect for Greece and I’d rather not have to play them because they’re a very solid team. But miracles don’t often repeat themselves and I think they had theirs four years ago.
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