Viste da vicino | Nicole Costa

Verona - A new appointment with ‘Viste da vicino', the Yellow-Blue interview programme in which the protagonists are the girls of the First team of Hellas Verona Women.

Episode thirteen of our programme is dedicated to Nicole Costa, a defender born in 2002, now in her fifth year in the second division. From Settimo Milanese to Verona, via Ravenna and Cesena, Nicole told us about how she settled into the team and her passions outside the football field.

Nicole, how did your adventure in the world of football begin? "As a child I did several sports. The first was skating, which I started when I was four. It's not a very common sport, but I played it for about a year, but honestly I didn't like it very much. So I started playing basketball the following year, but after a short time I decided to quit. In reality, it was only after these experiences that I realised that my favourite time of day was when I went to the playground with my brother to play a few games of football with his friends after school. So when I was six my parents decided to enrol me in the football school in Settimo Milanese, the town where I grew up. I started playing with the boys, partly because there were very few girls‘ teams in those years, but at six you don't perceive the difference between male and female, these are differences that you may begin to perceive later on".

And then? "After six years at Settimo Milanese, I went to play for two seasons at ASD La Biglia in Cornaredo, a town near mine, where I continued to play with the boys. When I was 14, when I no longer had the chance to continue with them, I was contacted by Inter Women, which at that time was not yet linked to the current Nerazzurri club. They had been courting me for a while, but I was stalling because I really wanted to play with the boys until the end. It was a challenge for me, I felt it that way, playing with them was something that showed that physically I could play on equal terms".

What emotions did you feel knowing that Inter wanted you? "At first, thanks to the fact that I was playing for Inter Women in Milan, in the youth team of the team that was playing in Serie B in those years, I didn't feel the difference much. When in 2018 the sports title was awarded to Inter Women - well - I can't deny that the emotions became more intense. When you realise that things are getting more serious you feel a little afraid, I think it's natural, but you also feel a lot of joy in seeing the work you've done over the years turn into something more concrete. I stayed at Inter for six seasons, until 2020, the year in which I went on loan to Ravenna, playing there for the last six months of the season. In 2021, Inter sent me back on loan to Cesena, where I decided to continue my journey for another two years, until 2022".

What experiences do you take with you from all these years with these teams? "Among the good moments, I certainly take with me the days at the park I was talking about earlier. I went to the little field just to have fun. I take with me the passion I put in every day, what spurs me on to give my best in every training session. Sometimes I haven't been able to separate the pitch from the off-pitch, during these years I have also experienced less pleasant moments, some episodes outside the playing field that unfortunately I was unable to manage very well, being younger at the time. Until I went to Ravenna I lived at home with my parents, and even if I didn't talk much to them about these situations, I felt their warmth and support. When I left home to play in Ravenna it wasn't easy, my parents were always there, but they were far away. In addition to the distance, there was the constant comparison with the other girls, the continuous need to carve out a space for myself in the team, and having to prove myself at every training session".

What kind of relationship do you have with your family? "My parents have always helped and supported me in everything, ever since I was a child. They have always given me freedom, never placing any obstacles or boundaries in my way. When I left home they were happy because I was following my own path, even if obviously they were also sorry that their youngest daughter was moving away a little. My dad Massimiliano followed me everywhere, and when he couldn't be there in person he followed me from home. He came to every game I played, really. He always wanted me to give my best, in fact, after the game, he would always fill me in on what I could have done better, what I should have done (she laughs, ed.). My mum, my brother and my sister have always supported me too, even if they don't follow football and have completely different lives".

And in the end Verona came along. "To tell the truth, last summer I was about to sign for the other Verona team, but in the end, in the last days of the transfer window, I chose Hellas. As soon as I received the offer I didn't think twice, and today I'm really happy with my choice. When I look at Verona's coat of arms I feel joy, but also a lot of confidence. And to think that when I came on holiday with my family many years ago, I didn't like Verona that much, I saw it only as a city smaller than Milan. Living there now I've changed my mind. It's a beautiful city, where you have everything. I love taking walks in the city centre with an ice cream, but I also love the lake, for example".

How did you get on with your fellow students? "Living in the house with my fellow students (Ivana Naydenova, Maddalena Nava, Elisa Casellato and Federica Anghileri, ed.) I managed to integrate very well right from the start. We've managed to create a very solid group with the other girls who have been here longer, like Mancu, Lau and Rachi (Giulia Mancuso, Laura Capucci and Rachele Peretti, ed.). A bit by chance, a weekly get-together was born during which, together with the three of them, we cook and spend the evening watching a few games or playing board games. Together we watched the whole season of Masterchef (laughs, ed.)".

Who is Nicole outside the field and what does she like to do? “I'm a girl who likes a lot of things, but in the end I end up never doing anything (laughs, ed.). I really like music, I'd like to learn to play the guitar or the piano. At the beginning of the season, Maddalena Nava and I bought a guitar. She sometimes plays something, I try but only strumming comes out (laughs ed.). I love reading and drawing, I find it relaxing".

What is your best memory so far thanks to football? "I'd like to mention three. Definitely the first call-up to the Under-16 national team, while I was playing for Inter's Primavera team. It was a really important moment, one in which I felt proud to be able to represent my country. In fact, I was also called up to the Under 19s a few years later, but the pandemic put a stop to that. Among my fondest memories are definitely winning the Primavera Championship with Inter in Coverciano, and I must also mention last year, when we won 0-2 against Lazio in Formello with Cesena".

Do you have an idol? "When I arrived at Cesena I would have liked to play with the number 22 shirt, but that number wasn't available. Then thanks to the TV series I was watching about Michael Jordan at the time, I chose 23 in the end. So, my idol is Micheal Jordan, he really marked an era and a sport. He was really the best from every point of view. Then there are obviously many champions, in basketball as in football. Football-wise, I loved Ronaldinho, Kakà and Beckham's Milan team to bits, but no sportsman in general impresses me more than Jordan".

How do you interpret your role as a defender? "Actually, I started out as a midfielder. In 2019, in the Primavera team with Inter, Sebastiàn De La Fuente decided to move me a little further back, telling me that I was perfect as a centre-back because of my vision of the game. I was a bit upset at first, and I told myself that maybe it was because I wasn't a good midfielder. In the end I convinced myself and now, after six years, I could never see myself in another role. Of course, there are great responsibilities behind it. At first you're happy, the next moment you're anxious. Then it must be said, you can't play the ball much in front of the goal. Sometimes I miss taking the ball and running down the wing, like I also did at Cesena as a full-back where I played in a different formation".

What does football mean to you? "I never know what to say to this question. On the one hand I don't want to be too trivial and talk about passion like everyone else does, but I have to admit that football is my life companion. Every day I ask myself what I'll do in my life when I stop playing. On Sundays when we don't play I feel empty, as if a piece were missing. So you see, football is my best friend, my trusted partner who will be with me until the end".