Alyosha Coppola, class of ’99 pizzaiolo and graduate student in Sport Sciences, he is the star of the photos wearing the jersey of “Totò” Di Natale at the WWE event in Brussels that have made the rounds around the world and that we had shown you a few days ago (READ HERE). Since he was a young boy fan of Udinese and a wrestling enthusiast, we contacted him giving him space in a nice exclusive interview in which he explained how the idea of showing up with the jersey of the historic Juventus bomber in Belgium was born.
How did your passions for Udinese and WWE come about?
“My passion for WWE goes hand in hand with that of soccer having I lived through the golden years of John Cena, Rey Mysterio and whatnot. Living in Friuli I have always followed Udinese of which I am a fan. A passion born in the “special years” of the bianconeri when Udinese was treading the European stages led in attack by Di Natale and Alexis Sanchez. Those were incredible years, as were the WWE years. They are two great passions that I have always had.”
How did the idea of wearing the jersey of “Totò” Di Natale at such an important event as Brussels come about?
“The idea came a few weeks ago from a promo that Cody Rhodes did of his own in the United States when he was attacked by John Cena and The Rock. In the audience behind him was a guy with a Sassuolo jersey (WATCH VIDEO HERE). I asked myself ‘why don’t I have to do it?’ Having Totò’s jersey, previously signed by him, I tried to do something similar again to combine my two passions and I would say it went quite well.”
Will you be attending the WWE event in Bologna and offering the Di Natale jersey again?
“I will definitely be present at the event in Bologna. As for the jersey, I don’t know yet: I wanted to put on a WWE jersey, but considering the uproar that Totò’s jersey caused the first time (so many messages arrived in Fb, Wh and Telegram groups) I’ll tell you why not…”
Having Totò Di Natale’s jersey autographed by him the question arises: which player are you most attached to?
“My idols were really Totò Di Natale and Alexis Sanchez in the European era of Guidolin’s Udinese.”
How did the meeting with Cody Rhodes come about?
“Rhodes fought in a ‘Dark Match’ i.e., a match that was not aired on television, but only visible at the event in Brussels. At the end of the event he stopped to hand out gadgets and sign autographs. I got Di Natale’s jersey signed by him as well. Rhodes at the moment is considered the biggest exponent of WWE at the moment, Di Natale the iconic player of Udinese: to have their signatures on the same shirt for me that WWE and Udinese are the two biggest passions is something incredible!”
How do you rate Udinese’s progress in this Serie A tournament?
“If I have to see the glass ‘half empty’ I can say that given the potential of the team, and maybe with a little more luck and favorable episodes, Udinese could easily have had 7/8 more points to play this final season in an important way. If I have to see the glass ‘half full’ I would say that a very good foundation has been laid to build an important cycle, maybe not at the level of 2010, but you never know. Much will depend on the players confirmed and those who will leave and possible summer reinforcements. On the other hand, considering how the last game with Verona went, at europa this year I no longer believe since there is too much distance. The environment is good and having a figure like Inler is very important.”
An assessment of the technician Kosta Runjaic?
“Having a coach like him with really very clear ideas I think is very important for the team. He has been one of the most positive surprises of the season. The company saw it coming by deciding to bet on him.”
Besides Di Natale your football idol you confessed to be Alexis Sanchez: what do you think of his second experience in bianconero?
“It’s a bit of a peculiar situation. We all expected him to make a difference. Sometimes it’s better not to bring back such important players who have left a clear imprint on a team because then they risk disappointing. This is certainly not the case. He says he is here to help out the younger guys, but knowing what a character he has he certainly won’t like not playing. He certainly has a fundamental role within the locker room, however, it is sorry to see him like this. I see him struggling a bit physically. Maybe also this form highlights more the qualities of Thauvin who definitely has a different pace than Nino.”
The post EXCLUSIVE – Coppola: “In Brussels I wanted to combine my two biggest passions: Udinese and WWE” appeared first on Calcio Udinese.
