Roberto Muzzi reveals the time he infuriated Cagliari President Massimo Cellino and Arsene Wenger by turning down a transfer to Arsenal. ‘I simply couldn’t convey myself to do it.’
The previous striker, now 55 years previous, seemed again on the incident that might’ve remodeled his profession by taking him to the Premier League within the Nineties.
He might’ve been teammates with former Inter man Dennis Bergkamp in the course of the time of the Arsenal Invincibles, however selected the sunshine of Sardinia as an alternative.
Muzzi turned down Arsenal
CAGLIARI, ITALY – APRIL 01: Roberto Muzzi appears on in the course of the Serie A TIM match between Cagliari and Hellas Verona FC at Sardegna Area on April 01, 2024 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photograph by Enrico Locci/Getty Photos)
“I used to be on trip at this resort with Matteo Villa, the captain, and I didn’t have a cell phone then, in order that they instructed me I had a name on the reception,” .
“I received there and it was Cellino on the telephone, telling me I needed to come straight again to Cagliari, as a result of I then needed to instantly fly off to London.
“I replied look President, I’m not going to London, I don’t need to go anyplace. They have been coming to get me with a personal jet, Wenger could be there personally to select me up.
“My fast response was ‘I’m not going’ and certainly I didn’t go. He was livid with me.”
Why did Muzzi resolve to show down Arsenal and Wenger in an effort to stay with Cagliari, even angering his personal membership President?
“I simply couldn’t convey myself to do it. I spoke to my spouse, I had babies, I used to be too comfortable at Cagliari. This was additionally earlier than Italian gamers actually went to England, we’d a and I believe Gianluca Festa, perhaps Paolo Di Canio, however that was it.”
The striker finally did go away Sardinia in 1999 for an expertise with Udinese, then happening to Lazio, Torino and Padova, the place he retired in 2009.
The bond with Cagliari stays to at the present time, as a result of he returned in 2022 to be a part of the membership infrastructure, promoted to the function of technical director in 2025.
There have been additionally some spells overseas throughout his teaching profession, as he was assistant supervisor to Andrea Stramaccioni at Panathinaikos and Sparta Prague.