Verona - A new appointment with ‘Viste da vicino’ the new format of Yellow-Blue interviews in which the protagonists are the girls of the Hellas Verona Women's First team.

The second episode is dedicated to the new vice-captain of the Yellow-Blues, Giulia Mancuso, a young veteran of our women's First Team. The midfielder from Verona, born in 2003, spoke to us about her beginnings in the world of football, telling us many anecdotes from her career. From her debut in Serie A when she was very young to her return to scoring goals after the bad injury she suffered two years ago, and much more.

How did your interest in football start? "I was in primary school. I remember one day on the way home with a friend of mine, we were with our grandparents, we said ‘why don't we go and try?’ and that's when I started. Every day I was at the field practising or at the park playing, every afternoon until middle school. My grandfather was waiting every evening to take me home. When I was little, the other kids would exclude me a little bit, so I used to play with my grandfather, to do some passes with him. That's how I started, but no one else in the family played football".

After that you started playing with the boys? "Yes I started playing in San Martino Speme, with the boys, because it was the team from my village, from San Martino Buon Albergo. I started at the age of five and played there until 2013. The following year I moved to AGSM Verona, practically the only women's team in Verona, which then became the current Hellas Verona Women. As far as women's football is concerned, I have always played here, in the team of my city".

What does it mean to you to represent your city? 'It is an honour. Verona is my city, and I have been fighting for these colours all my life. I feel them on me every Sunday".

Was it difficult to start playing football for you? "I have to say that from the beginning my family was there for me. At the beginning I trained close to home and my grandfather accompanied me every day, I thank him so much for that. Going to Verona meant going all the way to the city: my dad would drive me every day and then my mum would pick me up, always like that until I got my driving licence three years ago. My parents supported me from day one and I thank them for that. They came to see us even when we were away, in Trento, in Milan, they were always there when they could. My mum used to follow me everywhere as she still does now, she always wants to see me play, she never wants to miss a game. They've always followed me since I was little. When we went to matches by bus, my parents still came in the car, they followed us with other parents too; they came all the way to Rome to see us play".

As of this year, you are the vice-captain of Hellas Verona Women... "I am very happy, this is also an honour for me. Since I was a child I always wanted to be a flag for this team, and this is a small step towards a personal dream of mine. For me it means to be a flag for my city, I am very proud of my path".

You experienced playing with both boys and girls, how did you get on? "I enjoyed playing with the boys because structurally they were stronger than me, but I liked confronting them on the court. I used to fight like I do now: I always fight in the middle of the field, I like it. In the early years of women's football there weren't many teams, so you always played against the same opponents and played the same tournaments, but for me it was also nice to see the growth of this movement from the inside".

How do you see it now? "Nowadays for girls who want to start playing it is easier. Years ago you were almost forced to go wherever you could find, today it is easier to find a team to play in. I am very happy with this change, which I experienced first hand and which I am still experiencing because every year I see improvements. Even in the women's Serie A compared to four or five years ago, it's a different story now".

Serie A where you played... "Yes I made my debut at a very young age for the category, in 2020 in the covid period, precisely on 8 November 2020. All our teammates had fallen ill and I had to take the field. It was a terribly anxious time for me, (laughs ed.) I was even nauseous before the game".

What kind of player are you? "Off the court I am a shy person, but on the court I feel free. I always try to play like it's my last game, I put a huge grit into it because that's me. I always want to fight until the last centimetre, until the end of the game, never giving up anything. On the court I talk enough with my teammates, outside I don't like being in the spotlight".

How did this season start for you? "This summer I had a very full preparation. I was really excited to start this new adventure knowing that we would have a young team this year. I thought I could find my place, my role, and that I could also be a good reference point for my teammates. The younger ones are also four or five years younger than me, I am young but I have been here a long time".

Two years ago you had a serious injury for the first time, you ruptured your cruciate. How did you experience that moment and the months that followed? "It was a challenge to get up from. When you get an injury like that you have to deal with it as best you can, you have to fight, those are tough times. I'm not usually a very positive person, but in this situation I felt encouraged, charged up, and I dealt with it well, in the right way. I couldn't wait to come back stronger than before. After six months I finished my physiotherapy and came back with a crazy desire to play. I wasn't afraid to come back: I wanted to play football and that's what I came back to do and what I'm doing. It sounds strange to say, but paradoxically it was good for me to get injured. With the injury I grew a lot, both mentally and physically. I started to look after myself more, to pay attention to many details".

What is football for you? "It's my life. I live for football, I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night thinking about football. If I don't know what to do I watch football games or programmes on television. In the future I see myself as a footballer, I hope to play at Serie A or Serie B level. I don't do anything else for now, maybe I would like to find something to do that will occupy my mornings, but afternoons for me are only dedicated to training".

Do you have any sources of inspiration? "I have my idols, some players I have admired since I was a child, like Pirlo and Del Piero. I've always liked them, I remember as a child I used to enjoy drawing pictures of them, I was always watching them play. Pirlo is a master, as a midfielder on the pitch I am inspired by him".

What is your goal for this season? "Maintaining the category first, but I think we can do even more. As a team, the way we are, we can do better. We just have to believe in it, really want it all together as a team. We have to be aware of our potential, we can do well. I think we need to come out of our shell to do well, we deserve it. We have collected little so far, we deserved more in some games, but we have to believe more first. We have to fight, to show that we want to do well, to win".

Is there a memory you feel most attached to in your 16-year career so far? "I have many memories but if I have to name one I like to think of the first time I scored after my injury last year. When I look at that video I cry, and I could still do it now. It was a very strong emotion. We were already winning 4-0 and I scored the 5-0 goal, it didn't count for much in the result, usually you don't cheer much when it's like that, even though it's always a goal. Instead at that moment I saw the whole team running towards me, happy for my goal and for me. I got very excited, it was beautiful. When I have moments when I'm a bit down I watch that video, not so much for the goal itself but to see my teammates and how much they cared, it's a really nice memory. This team has always been a family to me. So many people and teammates I played with I will always carry in my heart. I think the bonds to be well are very important, because they go beyond the field. For example, I've been playing with ‘Case’ since 2018: I've also seen her in my eighth-grade and fifth-grade exams. What remains then goes beyond that".