The former Parma and Atalanta playmaker now owns a restaurant and has no regrets: “I was unprofessional, I didn’t like running. At Inter, I’m sorry I upset Moratti. Ghirardi disappointed me, but time has been kind…”

If it’s true that every good mystery novel requires a murder, Domenico Morfeo’s story is one without a happy ending, leaving only room for regrets. It’s as if we were still waiting for the ending, for the murder, in fact. Morfeo had a left foot that sang, he was incredibly talented, and he will always be guilty of leading us to believe that he could have made his mark on an era. “I was never a professional. If I had trained well and had a different mindset, who knows…” Instead, he will remain a big “What if,” a regret for all that could have been and was not. Watching him play, you had the feeling that you were looking at a genius who was too confined within a lamp, a juggler of great talent who could not fully express himself. He was a child prodigy all his life, carrying on his shoulders the responsibility of a promise he never kept. Today, he runs a restaurant in Parma, he is happy, and when he opens up, he tells his whole story, showing himself as we have seen him in his fifteen-year career: genuine, direct, someone who tells you what he thinks to your face and doesn’t mince words. He ranges from Adriano to Gilardino and Prandelli to Inter’s number ten, his heart divided between Bergamo and Parma.

Morfeo, let’s start with regrets. Do you have any?

“I regret not always having been a professional. If I had had a different mindset, who knows where I would have ended up. I lacked that, I didn’t like running or training.“

In 1996, against Spain, he scored the decisive penalty to win the Under-21 European Championship: in Serie A, at the time, everyone wanted him.

”I played recklessly, for me it was a blessing and a curse. Today, I would probably manage everything differently. Soccer was my best friend, it allowed me to have everything I have today, but it was also my enemy in some situations.“ Did anyone disappoint you? ”I fought with many people, almost everyone, I would say. The world of soccer is a world without friendships, made up of relationships of convenience. If I had to name someone who really disappointed me, I would say Parma president Ghirardi. I would have gone down to Serie B, but he waged war on me. But time is a gentleman… we saw what kind of person he was.“

Did Parma bring out the best in Morfeo?

”Yes, I felt strong where I was free to be myself. In Parma, Bergamo, and Verona. Let’s just say I didn’t like tactical impositions.”

If you could say thank you to someone, who would it be?

“I would say it to Prandelli. He gave me my debut, he was like a second father to me. A highly skilled, capable, intelligent coach. The best I’ve ever had and one of the best in Europe.”

During your career, you have played alongside many great strikers. A quick word about each of them. Gilardino?

“We had fun with Gila in Parma. Can you believe that nobody wanted him in training? He couldn’t even score with his hands. Then Adriano got injured and he started scoring goals left, right, and center. How many assists I gave him…”

You mentioned Adriano. You were together in both Florence and Parma. “An animal. For me, the strongest I’ve ever seen. Adri and I were very close. I took him with me to San Benedetto dei Marsi, and in a bar we saw some elderly gentlemen playing cards. So he said to me, ‘When I score my first goal, we’ll celebrate like this.’ He scored immediately, and we celebrated that way.”

It is said that Inzaghi gave you 5 million after winning the top scorer title with Atalanta in the 1996-1997 season.

“It was hard to see Pippo pull out the money… let’s just say he was a bit stingy. But in Reggio, before the last game, he told me that if I helped him win the top scorer title, he would give me 5 million lire. He scored two goals and wrote me a check in the locker room. I took the whole team out to dinner; I’ve always been generous.”

In Florence, they gave him ‘shirts of shame’ with the word ‘unworthy’ and the € symbol instead of the lily. There, too, he responded in kind…

“The important thing is to never bow your head. They didn’t understand anything. They accused me of not trying hard enough and of wanting to put the club in default. There were even those who said I was faking my injuries…“

It is said that at Atalanta, she earned a starting jersey by hitting a tree three times in a row…

”Prandelli told me that if I hit it, it meant I was fine and could play. He took me to a hill and challenged me. I won.“

What went wrong at Inter?

”We were a great team. Personally, I scored in the Champions League and I think I did my part. But yes, I was number ten and I could have done more. I know I pissed Moratti off. Everyone expected a lot from me.”

Do you think you missed something?

“I had the qualities to be a starter on the national team, but I didn’t have the mindset. Then at a certain point, other things took precedence over soccer and my desire to play, so I quit. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Today I run my own restaurant in Parma and I’m happy. Life doesn’t end with soccer.“

But you never even made your debut for the senior national team…

”There was a lot of competition in my day, but I’m sorry I never made my debut. If I were playing now, I would make different choices, without losing my identity and my way of being. I know I didn’t make the most of the talent I had.“ Do you miss soccer today? ”No, in fact, I hate what I see. I would never go back. I find it a fake world.”