Lazio, Zaccagni: "Mister gives me freedom on the pitch. The national team? It's always a goal"

Rome, February 26, 2025 – The elimination from the Coppa Italia will certainly have cooled the spirits at Lazio, but this does not mean the season is to be thrown away. On the contrary, the Capitoline team is flying in the championship, in full fight for the Champions League , while in the Europa League they are considered by many as one of the teams to beat, after a super phase in the championship. After the farewells of Ciro Immobile , Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto in the summer there is no doubt: the face of the new Biancoceleste cycle is called Mattia Zaccagni . His promotion to captain, together with the number 10 shirt had crowned his role as a protagonist already during the team's summer retreat and in the season so far he has not disappointed expectations.

An excellent championship for the team, which also highlighted the qualities of the individual. The player told all this, along with his career and the ever-present goal of the Azzurri to the Canadian broadcaster TLN , where he was interviewed by Steven Moore, host of the Serie A -related programs for the channel. Here are the words of the Lazio number 10.

The playmaker began the interview with the Canadian broadcaster, immediately focusing on the great season not only of the club from the capital, but also of himself in general. In 32 appearances in all competitions, the player has so far scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists, largely surpassing last year's tally and setting his sights on the one from two years ago, when he scored 10 goals and as many winning passes. "Yes, we are on a very positive path. For this, many small details are needed, starting with the work of the club, then that of the technical staff and also the medical staff. We are doing all the right things".

Continuing on the topic of the current championship, the Biancoceleste number 10 was asked about the impact that Marco Baroni has had on the team. "Today's football works a lot on the mind. The coach focuses a lot on this, along with all the technical or tactical dictates on the pitch. The coach is good at this, however, he works on the mind and makes us perform well. The goal is always to get out on the pitch and have fun. When you're on the pitch and it's nice to play, it's because you're doing all the right things. We always try to give 110% and that's what the coach asks of us. He always says that if we put in that humility, that energy needed to win matches, everything becomes easier".

Zaccagni 's answer on the seasonal objectives was very dry and quick, where he described Lazio as a team without any limits whatsoever. "We don't want to put limits on ourselves. We are aware of being a strong team. We know we can do well, but our objective is always to win the game that is yet to come".

A new coach often means new technical and tactical demands, despite the same role. Here's how Zaccagni has evolved his style with Baroni : "Each of the three of us in the three-quarter line has something different. This year I'm very free on the pitch, the coach gives me a lot of freedom. I can stay wide and then come inside and I really like that. Then Guendouzi and Rovella are having a fantastic season and they help me a lot":

From work on the pitch to the celebration, the moment of maximum joy and celebration after scoring a goal, the player talks about what goes through his head after each goal: "When I score a goal - explains Zaccagni - especially at the Olimpico I feel the instinct to go under the Curva to celebrate with the fans. They give you something that is rare to perceive, even in everyday life. It is always wonderful to receive something from our fans. In truth, even at home I always try to go under the circle of our fans. It is really nice to feel their affection and warmth. The celebration with your hands behind your ears? It is something that comes to me instinctively. The archer was the celebration born when I arrived at Lazio and I am very fond of it. I like it, that is why I carry it forward".

From a statistical point of view, the impact that the number 10 has had so far is one of the best of his experience in Biancoceleste. "I'm definitely having a good season - explains the Lazio captain - but my goal is always to improve. I want to increase my numbers and continue my growth path".

After the story of his and Lazio 's season, the second part of this interview with Zaccagni became more introspective, starting with the question about his father's influence on his passion for football. "My dad always passed on his passion for football to me. He had it, but I think that in reality it wasn't even that much use to pass it on to me, it was something I had inside. I already felt it as a child: when I was four they had to enroll me in football school because they didn't have me at home anymore. I broke the frames of the photos (laughs), so it was better to send me on the pitch. I was born on the beach and I always played with the ball there too".

Zaccagni 's idol is Alessandro Del Piero , a player who also inspires his way of playing. "I have always been fascinated by him. Alex - says the Lazio captain - has always been my idol, I have studied his way of playing, his shot, his goals and his movements. We have spoken often, he even wrote to me after my goal for the national team at the European Championships, we really have a great relationship".

The last question asked Lazio 's number 10 about his goals related to the Italian national team: "Being part of the national team is always something fantastic. My goal is always to be in the group. I will always respect the coach's choices. My goal, however, is to always be there and I will do everything to achieve it":