After being elected MVP of the Serie B season, Como striker Patrick Cutronefrom the portal Locker room newsissued a letter in which he retraced all the moments of the Como festival, that party with which the Lombards celebrated Serie A.
Below is the letter:
TEARS FOR THE PROMOTION – When the referee blew the whistle and we were promoted to Serie A, I no longer understood anything. The fans entered the pitch and overwhelmed me. I looked for a great friend of mine and athletic trainer in the crowd, we hugged. It was one of the best moments. Then I met my brother and my mother: we hugged each other and burst into tears because two years ago, when my father passed away, we weren’t well. It was touching.
DIFFICULT MOMENTS OF RECENT YEARS – My father always believed in me, even when things didn’t go well in recent years. My family and my wife have always been by my side. When the opportunity to sign with Como, my hometown team, arose two years ago, I also had other offers. But I had no doubts, as soon as I found out, I needed to find serenity again. I got up on my own: I’m a person who gets hit, but gets up and reacts. Step by step. The people close to me believed in me at all times. It wasn’t easy for them either to see me without a smile. After Milan I never found continuity. They went to England, to Wolves. Then to Fiorentina, then to Valencia for 6 months on a dry loan. Three different countries. They were difficult years: without consistency in playing, I wasn’t well mentally either. It’s not easy not having continuity for an attacker. But they are experiences that have made me grow, now I feel improved in many aspects. In the Premier League I also started well: a 21-year-old who goes away from home has to settle in.
HOLIDAY IN IBIZA – We bonded a lot with Mr. Fàbregas: we with him, he with us. It was natural to bet: “If we go to Serie A, I’ll pay for a holiday in Ibiza.” No sooner said than done. A few hours after the promotion, we were on the plane. But with the bill… we were lenient. One night, all to ourselves. A moment to be together, have fun and celebrate. One night, that’s enough. But we checked ourselves…
HENRY – During the promotion party I froze. I looked at him: «Fuck, Henry…». One of the last things I expected to find in that place. Thierry Henry, in the Como locker room. I was amazed. He came towards me and hugged me 3 or 4 times. I didn’t know what to do. Henry, an icon of world football! Seeing him in our locker room had an effect on me. We returned to the field and he awarded me the BKT Series Best Player of the Season. Crazy. Henry! Then I turned and there was Jamie Vardy. So, randomly. We spoke for 30 seconds and he complimented me, and I complimented him on Leicester’s promotion.
GOODBYE TO MILAN – When I left Milan, it was a shock. A particular moment, because I imagined myself there. It all came in one fell swoop, not easy to digest. But it’s football. I was 21 and moving away from where I grew up. I was so attached to the team and the fans. In fact, many wrote to me after the promotion. You know the relationship between me and them. I grew up in Milan and in those two years in the First Team I created a good bond. When the calendar comes out, I will look at that date and it will have a strange effect on me playing at San Siro, the most beautiful stadium in the world. I can’t wait.
THE CHOICE OF COMO – The Como option gave me stability. I had lost my peace of mind and I made the right choice. It meant returning to my home, to my city’s team, with a big project. And I married him. I told my wife a few days ago: “We took the right step two years ago when we moved here.” I returned to Serie A, earning it on the pitch, from the front door. Together with my companions. I return to Serie A to a person who has worked hard on the pitch. I am reborn. I won her back with all of myself.
FABREGAS – When there were 9 games left we went to retreat in Marbella, Spain. He told us: «We can win all the remaining matches and go straight to Serie A. If you believe in it, we can do it». And in fact since that day we have scored more points than anyone else. That moment he gave us the mental strength to do what we did. When I arrived at Como, he was already there as a player. I said to myself «damn, now I know Fàbregas». Right from the start he was very good at taking on the role of coach, he always told us that he was trained by the best, and he studied them. In the end, why not learn from Guardiola?! Or from all the others he has had: Mourinho, Conte, Wenger, Vilanova and all the others. He has also shown great quality as a coach. We had many meetings because he wanted to learn, first of all, knowing that it was his first year as coach. He already knew most of us. He was very helpful, on and off the pitch: he always gave us a great hand and above all advice on anything. It showed: he went beyond the field, becoming fundamental off the pitch as well.
HOW COMO PLAY – What coach should you expect from Fàbregas? Propositive. Good looking. He wants to entertain. For the coach, each match is different. He never plays the same way, starting from the type of pressure you apply based on the team you face. For example, my role also changes: sometimes he moves me behind the striker, other times we go with two strikers. These are examples to make you understand that each match is prepared differently. He explained to me many ideal movements for his game, but above all he taught me how to manage matches and stay calm if, as the minutes go by, things don’t go as you expected. He showed me how to drag.
IOVINE – Imagine, during the promotion party on one side of the dressing room there were Henry and Vardy, on the other Alessio Iovine. Alessio and I have been teammates for two years, but we have known each other since before. When I went to high school and was in the Allievi of Milan, he gave a hand to the bartender of my school, a friend of his, during the break. We met there. Fate would have it that, 10 years later, we found ourselves in the same team and took over Serie A.