Zaccardo: I recommended K77 to Naples at that time. I will never forget the own goal in 2006

Former Italian international Zaccardo revealed in an interview that it was he who recommended the future Serie A MVP Kvaratschelia to Naples.

Q: How did the cooperation with Cannavaro come about?

Zakado: At the end of August, Cannavaro, myself, Materazzi and several others were invited by the Uzbekistan Football Association to visit the new sports center. When we were there, I joked: "Why don't you bring in Cannavaro?" They called him a few weeks later.

Question: So what happened when Kvaratschelia went to Naples?

Zacardo: In 2020, I was addicted to the Wyscout scouting website. Kvaratschlija was the player with the most attempted dribbles in Europe at the time, ahead of Messi and Neymar. In February 2021, I met with his team. De Laurentiis (Napoli vice-president) asked me to recommend two players who could make a difference, and I gave him the names of Caicedo and Kvalac Helia. They chose to talk about the Georgian. I'd say it turned out pretty good.

Q: Have you ever thought about becoming a coach?

Zacardo: No. I loved the transfer market and was hesitant between continuing as a sporting director or becoming a FIFA agent. I asked Galliani to let me go to Monza to start, even if it was for free, but they were fully staffed at the time. Ultimately, I chose to be an agent. I live between Milan and Fano and enjoy life with my children Ginevra and Niccolò. He (the son) plays as a striker and plays in the Italian fifth division. Seeing him play, I wanted to play myself, but I couldn't.

Q: What kind of child were you when you were a child?

Zacardo: A kid who wanted to be a football player and finally succeeded. I started in my hometown of Spillamberto and then came to Bologna when I was 10 years old. My parents owned a restaurant and later an ironing shop. I help them occasionally. They haven't left me lacking anything.

Q: When you were twenty years old, you were already the main player for Bologna.

Zacardo: In November 2000, I almost went to Siena, but Guidolin convinced me to stay. On December 22, 2001, the day after my 20th birthday, I scored my first goal against Lazio. The second goal came a year later...against Lazio. Coach Mazzone would hit me, "Hey, you gotta wake up." I was rooming with Hidetoshi Nakata. Before the competition, he will take dozens of language test questions.

Q: What does Palermo mean to you?

Zacardo: There I became a man. Me, Barzagli, Barone, Grosso, Toni. From the Barbera Stadium to winning the World Cup together. My first international goal came against Slovenia at Barbera Stadium. That game sealed our qualification for the World Cup in Germany. Those were the best years.

Q: However, it is redundant to ask you which year is the best.

Zacardo: 2006-07 season. I met my current partner, I won the World Cup, I scored five goals and my son was born. I learned that I was selected for the World Cup by watching pictures and texts on TV. You're always on tenterhooks until you get confirmation.

Q: Do you feel sad that you are remembered for that own goal against the United States?

Zacardo: Of course. Without that own goal, I would have continued to start and Grosso would have... but maybe we wouldn't have won the World Cup.

Q: Do you still believe that own goal brought good luck?

Zacardo: History says so. After the match between Italy and the United States, Lippi put Gianluca Zambrotta on the right and Grosso went to the left. That's how it's meant to be. The same is true for Nesta: his replacement was Materazzi. But I played really well against Ghana.

Q: A few days later you broke through Buffon again (during training). Is it true?

Zacardo: Yes, so much so that Buffon joked: "What the hell, that's enough." That was a great team: when the news about the "Calciopoli" came out, Lippi locked us in a room and told us to only think about ourselves.

Q: How did you spend the night of the finals?

Zacardo: I went to bed at one o'clock in the morning. I told my friends that if I ended up winning, it would change my life forever.

Question: In the chat group of the 2006 World Cup champion team, who speaks the most now?

Zacardo: Buffon. At first he never spoke because he needed to stay focused even in his forties, now he always replies.

Q: What kind of player do you think you are?

Zacardo: An atypical defender who likes to score goals. I should have gone to a great team earlier. I arrived there when I was 33 and Milan was in a period of reconstruction. I remember Donnarumma, when he was 16, he was already saving everything. "Where did this guy come from?" we all asked at the time.

Q: Do you have any regrets?

Zacardo: I left Wolfsburg in 2009 when I was the Bundesliga champion. I gave up money to return to Italy and return to the national team. Then in 2011, there was contact with Juventus, but in the end it failed.

Q: In 2014 you rejected a return to Parma

Zacardo: I had a very good time at the Tardini Stadium, but I had a bad feeling about the club (ownership situation) at the time, so I said I didn't feel right. Galliani was angry and signed Bonaventura instead. Eventually, things turned out just as I said they would: Galliani jokingly told me that I should become his stockbroker.

Q: Why did you recommend yourself to various clubs through LinkedIn in 2017?

Zacardo: I just had a disastrous year at Vicenza, which ended in relegation and my agent disappeared. I had offers from all over the world but I chose Malta to be closer to home.

Question: Are you a happy person now?

Zacardo: Yes. I have two kids, a good career behind me, and am now an agent. I just want to erase one thing...

Q: You can guess.

Zacardo: Yes, that damn own goal.