Nicolò Zaniolo on his ex- Roma teammates: “I was disappointed by almost everyone”

Former Roma star Nicolò Zaniolo has revealed that he was left disappointed by some of his teammates during his time at the Giallorossi.

Zaniolo is currently at Galatasaray and is scoring goals for the Turkish club. He recently spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport and spoke about his last few days at Roma, his treatment by the fans and his own teammates.

He stated that he was left frightened by the fans and while he refused to name players, he stated that some of his Roma teammates let him down during his last few days at the club.

The Italian told the paper: “I was disappointed by almost everyone. I won’t name names, but they said we were like brothers and then they didn’t even greet me.”

Zaniolo also revealed that Roma were left angered by him not agreeing to go to Bournemouth and that is why they ‘kicked him out’. 

He stated in detail: “Actually, it wasn’t just Bournemouth and Galatasaray, but I was kicked out for not accepting the English club and the fans took it out on me. Some chased me with their car, others came to my house.

“Me and my family we were also frightened because we felt alone. They were angry people, with whom we couldn’t talk. In those days I also turned off my cell phone because bad messages also arrived.”

Zaniolo also spoke about how it felt to not have been offered a renewal despite previous promise of it. He stated that while he was initially promised that he would be a spearhead for the club, he was treated as someone Roma could make a capital gain out of.

The Italian said: “I could talk for hours about unfulfilled promises. They told me I was a spearhead, instead I was always considered just a capital gain. For two years I was told that the new contract was ready. In January last year, I signed a little more than what I was earning, because I was fine in Rome and I knew there were problems with Financial Fair Play. After so much talk, I got bored. If I have to reflect on my farewell, I think others must too.”

He also opened about his thoughts on being branded as a ‘traitor’ by Roma fans, despite giving so much to the Giallorossi during his career.

“It’s something I was very sorry about. Rome gave me everything, thanks to Rome I won and I made my debut for the national team, my son was born there. Being defined that way was a bad blow.”

The Azzurri international also opened up about his future, casting doubts about his long-term stay at Gala while also stating that he will probably not stay at the club for the during of the contract.

“Look, no one knows the future. It is obvious that I cannot guarantee that I will stay in Turkey for five years, but as long as I am here I will always give my best.”

 

 

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

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