Juventus midfielder Hans Nicolussi Caviglia has revealed his admiration for reading Dostoevsky and listening to Guccini in a rather compelling interview.
The midfielder, who has played for the Bianconeri first-team already this season, recently spoke to La Repubblica. He was asked about his life, upbringing, hobbies and how he sees his future at the club and in football to be.
The 23-year-old revealed that he reads Dostoevsky’s works and when asked about how he grew up, he stated: “My parents taught me the value of culture, before I became passionate about it on my own. Literature and cinema enrich the time you don’t spend on the field and maybe a poem can give you a handhold in difficult moments.”
When asked about what he is reading nowadays, the midfielder said: “The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, it won’t take me long to finish it. Then I’d like to tackle Dostoevsky starting from The Brothers Karamazov, so far I’ve only read a few minor works. In the cinema my passion is Kubrik, another who dealt with themes years ago still very current: my favorite is Barry Lindon.”
He was also quizzed about his liking for Guccini and how it came about. The Italian said: “But no, others like singer-songwriters too. I listened to Guccini when I was little in the car with my dad when we went skiing and I fell in love with him. Unfortunately I’ve never seen him live, but only on Youtube: Cyrano, What Not , Farewell, Incontro, The Locomotive are my favourites. I also like it that the things he said at the time are valid today and will be valid in a hundred years.”
He was also asked about whether his teammates see him as a ‘Martian’ or an outsider in the modern day game and his response was eloquent.
“No, they don’t look at me strangely. We respect each other, everyone has their own tastes and then I also do the stupid things of a twenty year old, eh. There is often an altered perception of footballers, while there are many who have a lot to say even outside the green rectangle, who have ideas and interests. It is a concept accepted by many who have a high level of culture, see for example Chiellini.”
Nicolussi Caviglia was asked about whether the average footballer in 2024 is ‘superficial’ as a person or not. He responded:
I understand that someone is made and raised differently, that ethical and moral values are different. But in the youth sector Juve does an exemplary job on a human level and when you arrive in the first team you have a different background.”
He went onto elaborate further on what ‘values’ means to him: “Values are the concepts that determine you from a moral and ethical point of view and that you identify as soon as you meet a person.”
The midfielder has been in and around the first team under Max Allegri this season, playing five times in Serie A and getting one assist. He has started three games, with starts coming against Salernitana, Inter and Monza. Judging by how he speaks, he certainly comes across as a rather mature individual.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
