Hometown boy: Given his debut by Fabio Capello,
Aquilani went on to make 102 appearances for the
Giallorossi
Wednesday, 28 October
2009
Time: 3:45 am (Thur
Morning)
Carling
Cup
In one corner of Anfield’s Kop, they have had a banner
waiting for Alberto Aquilani for some time. ‘Il Principino — A Hero has Arrived’,
it reads.
Whether Aquilani will go on to fit such weighty billing remains
to be seen. But tonight in the Carling Cup at Arsenal it
seems likely that the ‘Little Prince’ — as he was dubbed in Italy —
will finally arrive in a Liverpool
first-team shirt.
Signed from Roma in the summer for £20million as a replacement
for the much-missed midfielder Xabi Alonso, Aquilani has slowly
been recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to be only on
the bench at the Emirates Stadium tonight.
Nevertheless, he cannot assert himself on Rafa Benitez’s team
soon enough. For all the excitement of Sunday’s victory against
Manchester
United, this is a Liverpool team screaming for more
genuine artistry.
‘We can see in every training session that he has quality, game
intelligence and good movements,’ said Benitez last night. ‘He is a
different kind of player for us. We talk about using Steven Gerrard
deeper sometimes, but maybe in Aquilani we have a player who can
play there and pass the ball really well in the final third.’
In Italy, they will tell you that Aquilani has star quality to
burn. One of three home-grown players in last season’s Roma team,
the 25-year-old was never as vocal or flamboyantly Roman as the
other two, Francesco Totti and Daniele de Rossi.
Nevertheless, his importance to that team, when fit, was
all-consuming. In Rome they stress he is not a like-for-like
replacement for Alonso, rather a more forward-moving player in the
mould of Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal and Chelsea both
tried to sign him when he was 16. So did Roma’s neighbours Lazio.
Juventus, meanwhile, have tried to snare him twice.
Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise, who played with
Aquilani at Roma last season, said: ‘He is the perfect replacement
for Alonso. He is a fantastic passer of the ball and very
technical.
‘He is definitely different to Xabi but he is the type of player
who can break teams down. He will find space everywhere and will
score goals. I expect him to do well in England.’
Born and raised in the upper-middle class suburb of Monte Sacro,
Aquilani had spent his entire career at Roma until he was sold in
the summer to ease the club’s financial problems.
Known as a good passer and prodigious worker, he has
nevertheless suffered regularly with injuries. His father Claudio
was in charge of the ambulance fleet at the Olympic Stadium on
matchdays and has certainly given his boy a lift home on more than
one occasion.
Aquilani has blamed misdiagnosis by the Roma medical team for
the ankle problem that has sidelined him this season but previously
there have been problems with hamstrings and his hip.
Coincidentally, his last appearance for Roma came at Arsenal in
the Champions League back in March. Once again, he picked up an
injury.
‘It has been difficult,’ Aquilani said yesterday. ‘Now I just
want to build up my confidence again and bring the best out of my
game. ‘I will be very happy when I make my debut. That is what I am
here to do. I really want to play but I know I have to be
patient.’
Aquilani was present at Anfield on Sunday as his team-mates
rolled over their great rivals. He sat close to captain Gerrard and
his wife Alex in the directors’ box, and the Italian has a
glamorous girlfriend of his own.
Glamour girl: Aquilani's girlfriend Michela
Quattrociocche
Michela Quattrociocche is a 20-year-old Italian actress
and her relationship with Aquilani came on the back of his previous
dalliances with Miss World contestant Pamella Camassa and former
Miss Italy Francesca Chillemi. Known in Italy as a ladies’ man with
a quick wit, he has not always steered clear of
controversy.
At the Roma training ground two years ago, he was heard to
suggest to team-mate Christian Panucci that he should get himself a
tattoo ‘that shows you sitting on the bench’. He took a punch on
the jaw for his troubles.
Equally peculiar is the rumour that he kept a marble sculpture
of Italy’s former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at his home in
Rome.
Asked about it in an interview in Italian sports daily
Gazzetta dello Sport last
year, he replied: ‘My uncle is very keen on him and he gave me
something to do with Mussolini. But, as for me, I don’t know
anything about politics.’
The happy couple: Aquilani and his beau
Living now in a city that has only ever tolerated
right-wingers on the football field, Aquilani may do well to steer
clear of such complicated issues as class and politics over the
coming weeks. But if he can succeed on the field then nobody will
care much.
In Rome they already lament his departure. Though they were
never close friends, his fellow Roman De Rossi said recently: ‘We
needed the money so nobody seems to mind. But in the months to come
I can promise you we will all be sorry for this sale.’
It is known that Aquilani has already started English lessons
and is progressing quickly, though one respected judge believes it
is not the language that will prove critical.
England coach Fabio Capello gave Aquilani his Roma debut in 2003
and he said: ‘He is a very interesting player and this will prove a
good moment for him to move. He will have to understand English
football, though.'
