Bastoni sees ‘envy’ in Italy, but ‘no issues’ with Calafiori and national team | OneFootball

Alessandro Bastoni sees ‘a lot of envy’ when it comes to judging Italian players, but has ‘no issues’ with Riccardo Calafiori and the Azzurri team: ‘We are a healthy group.’

Inter star Bastoni gave an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, discussing, among other things, his improvements in recent years and his contributions to the Italy national team.

The 26-year-old was asked why many pundits still do not see him as a ‘pure’ centre-back, but the Azzurri defender disagreed with the criticism.

“That’s a very Italian way of judging it. There’s a lot of envy here, especially when it comes to our own players,” he said.

“I watch a lot of games in foreign leagues and see defenders who are hailed as monsters, but they make more mistakes than I do. That criticism might have been valid two or three years ago, when I had clear flaws, but I worked on them and improved. That label doesn’t fit me anymore.”

So, how has he improved defensively in recent years?

“By watching videos and seeing what I was doing wrong, but mostly working on the mindset. It was a mental issue,” he admitted.

epa11976939 Germany’s forward Jonathan Burkardt (R) kicks the ball against Riccardo Calafiori during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 20 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro

“I often lost focus as I didn’t have the same determination for 90 minutes. I’ve just turned 26 and I have room to grow, but in my first seasons at Inter, I wasn’t 100% ready in every aspect. The trait that makes me different is the ability to contribute in attack. I don’t know what the future defenders will look like, but I’m proud to be one of the first ones to change the role. That being said, I can defend too and being around guys like Skriniar, Acerbi, De Vrij, and Pavard helped me. The real change was in my head.”

Specialised transfer website Transfermarkt values Bastoni as the most expensive centre-back in the world at €85m, but despite his ability to push forward as the left central defender in a three-man defence, he has to adapt when he plays with the Italian national team, playing as a pure central defender and leaving the left wing to Riccardo Calafiori.

“Calafiori plays in the same role, and he’s really good. Spalletti’s idea is to put as much quality as possible on the pitch, and we adapt to his philosophy,” Bastoni explained.

“Riccardo is a great guy. We have a healthy group in the national team, and there are no issues at all.”

During the same interview, Bastoni spoke about Inter’s journey in the Champions League, saying that the Nerazzurri can go all the way if they continue to defend as a team.