The Napoli striker John Simeon it was told to the official channels of the blue club within the format Drive&Talk: “I usually wake up at 8.30 even if training is at 11. We have to meet at Castel Volturno at 10, but I get there around 9.30. I like to have breakfast there, I leave home around 9. I like to see a bit how my teammates are doing and bringing some joy to the locker room, I like being one of the first to arrive.”
The mate ritual:
“At the beginning, like everything, when you’re little and they make you taste it, you don’t like it because it’s bitter. It’s a very common drink in South America; it’s typical of Uruguay, there they drink a lot more. A lot of people put the mint, the sugar, everyone does it as they feel and like. It’s a way to get together with family and friends, let’s say it’s a moment of sharing. It’s a bit for you when you say ‘Let’s go have a coffee'”.
Your hobbies? Are you a nerd?
“The nerd is a curious person, I’m very curious, I like everything. Unlike my father who remains silent if we don’t talk about football at the table, with me you can talk about anything like cinema, video games with the children. The other day Mario Rui’s son was playing the Game Boy and I taught him a couple of tricks to a game; he was very happy to talk about everything, about Pokemon, about One Piece. I really like the sea, I’m studying to get my nautical license.”
Are you attracted to the oriental world?
“This year I would like to go to Japan, I like to meditate and learn about the cultures of other countries. Two years ago I was in India, I saw Hinduism even though I hadn’t studied it, I was very interested. I saw the museums and many temples I know everything about Hinduism, there are three very important gods. If I like what I see, I get interested and I look into it. I’m very interested in energies, meditations, all spiritual things.
Are you a football scholar:
“I have an app where there is all the football data and statistics, during the week I start watching the opposing team we are facing. When I look I think of a space that exists or a play to make and I note it down Before the match, I write down all the things that have been on my mind during the week. For example, a striker has to study the goalkeeper very well, there are few strikers who do that. You have to know his positions and how he prepares to shoot. Not everyone behaves the same way, there are goalkeepers who stay still or make a jump or put their arms behind them. Last year in Napoli-Roma, when I score a goal, that gesture I had written it down. I said: if I have to shoot from far away it’s better to shoot low, if I’m close to the area I have to shoot high. I thought about it and it succeeded, it seems like a stupid thing but it helped me a lot.”
Did your father pass this passion for learning to you?
“My curiosity has always been great. As a child I never imagined being in a place like Naples and winning the scudetto, I didn’t have the quality that perhaps today I have acquired over the years. I have always wanted more, this curiosity also causing self-criticism, he pushed me further. I recognize my limits, I move forward based on what I have. I know that my teammates are stronger, but my head is worth more I have to hit. It’s a more mental thing.”
Even with your back to the door, do you know where the door is?
“As a child, dad always told me to always look at the ball while I kicked and not at the goal, which is always there and doesn’t move. By training and playing you always know where the goal is when you shoot.”
Do you only write about football?
“In Florence, 5 years ago, I wrote about myself, a sort of diary where I unloaded my emotions and my good and bad moments. With Giulia I closed the chapter, I finished writing when I got married. It’s nice because I have I wrote down all my moments from when I was a boy and I was alone and I wasn’t well. When I found the right person I realized that I was fine and I didn’t write anymore. Every now and then I go and reread that diary, one day when I grow up I’ll go and reread all that that I wrote.
Your relationship with superstition?
“At first I was obsessed with superstition, then I understood that the less attached you are to that, the better you can live. When I was 20 I used to do dribbles before a match and, if I didn’t reach a certain number, it was a sign that I wasn’t I was fine. The psychologist made me understand that it was impossible that making a mistake would mean not playing well in the match or not scoring we were playing the scudetto, so I made a little something like the Champions League underwear just for those, the same shoes. I remember my grandmother saying prayers and disappearing when your head hurts, my mother also does a bit of these things. Before Real Madrid-Napoli in the Champions League I called my mother and told her that I was a little nervous about the match. My mother told me to pray that everything will be fine. I’ll take off my sweatshirt and the red horn will break signal. She told me that he had protected me up until that moment and I was ready, I scored a goal that day. Incredible”.
Your passion for escape rooms.
“I love escape rooms and board games, I always play in a team with Alex Meret. I like escape rooms because I feel like I really have to get out of that room. I need my mind to always be moving.
Is being a son of art very difficult?
“Being a son of art, I’m not into football, it’s hard. Even at school I didn’t have many friends because everyone wanted to be friends out of interest and because dad was famous and they said I had money. Luckily I was able to recognize who was really my friend and without interest. One day my mother saw me very sad in Argentina, it was a sunny Saturday afternoon but I was locked up at home. She invited me to go out and make friends with someone They always look differently. You have your advantages, but it’s tough.”