These are the first hours as an Atalanta player for the young defender Matteo Lovato as well. The procedure is routine: medical examinations and tests, signing the contract in the presidential room at the Bortolotti Training Centre and finally, his first official words.

Atalanta was in Matteo Lovato’s destiny: the Venetian defender made his debut in Serie A on 18 July 2020, when Hellas Verona hosted at the Bentegodi the Nerazzurri, who were in the running for a Champions League spot.

“It was very exciting to make my Serie A debut. As fate would have it, my debut was against Atalanta and this makes me proud. This also contributed to my decision to come here, that’s why I’d like to thank the Club for the opportunity they have given me”.

Then he played two more games as the opponent last season. He played as a starter both at the Gewiss Stadium and at Verona. He had a tricky customer to tackle. Now he’ll have to face Duván Zapata only in training.

“It’s nice to measure themselves against other players and always try to improve. Then, if you are lucky enough to meet certain champions even in training, so, daily, everything is amplified. Hopefully, it will be a way to keep improving and growing, perhaps even faster”.

In his youth career, he came through the Padova and Genoa youth academies. Then he moved to Hellas Verona to now join Atalanta and be available to the coach for the commitments that the Nerazzurri will have to face, even this year, in three competitions.

“I think it’s every player’s dream to play, make a debut and compete against some champions. There are many matches in a season, so, hopefully, there will be many chances to prove and improve myself, especially on the pitch, and as a person, off the pitch.”

The Atalanta fans know pretty much everything about Matteo Lovato.

“I like the work ethic. I like to work hard and increasingly raise the bar. At the age of 21, I can say I took my first steps, so it’s still a long way to go. But there’s Atalanta in my will. I want to grow and improve myself, try to reach the highest possible levels, thanks to training and daily hard work.”

Juric at Hellas Verona; Gasperini at Atalanta: as they say, from the pupil to the teacher. However, the basic concept is not changing: work, work, work.

“Exactly. Work ethic has never been lacking in our training, as it can also be seen here in Bergamo. There is the same philosophy, perhaps with different principles and concepts, but the important thing is to work, keeping your head down, and try to learn as much as possible.”

About the La maglia sudata sempre claim

“La maglia sudata sempre (Always sweat the shirt) is a hymn for me, as I believe that results are achieved through hard work. Nothing gets handed to you, so I fully embrace this philosophy.”