One of Italian soccer’s most promising talents, his fall from grace, and his comeback: “The locker room in Bari wasn’t easy, especially among the veterans… I took responsibility; for 13 months I trained on my own. After we ran away from the training camp, Casiraghi wanted to tell the newspapers everything, but…”

Davide Lanzafame has lived two lives in one. At 20, he was one of Italian soccer’s most promising talents: with Juventus, he won the top scorer title at the Viareggio Tournament, paving the way for a rising career. Five years later, however, his path came to an abrupt halt. The Bari Prosecutor’s Office, along with some of his teammates, investigated him for taking part in match-fixing involving two games: Bari-Treviso and Salernitana-Bari. A sudden, abrupt turn that marked a clear break in his career: “I took full responsibility, I paid for what I did, and I started over.” The price was steep: a 13-month suspension and a career to rebuild. From there, Lanzafame hit the reset button, starting over step by step. Today he coaches, he’s at peace, and he looks back on the past without hiding.

Do you think you’ve succeeded, in truly starting over?

“In my own small way, yes. I always wanted to be a coach after retiring. I started in Hungary but then came back, prioritizing my daughters. Today I’m happy. To my players at Autovip San Marco, in the Piedmontese Promozione league, I always say that at 17 or 18, you need character to make tough choices.”

What lesson has he learned from his life?

“That it’s possible to rebuild yourself from scratch. Fame, contracts, trust. I did it at 25, when everything seemed compromised.”

Let’s put this in context. August 2012: Davide Lanzame under investigation by the Bari Prosecutor’s Office for sports fraud.

“The charge related to match-fixing in two games: Bari-Treviso 0-1 and Salernitana-Bari 3-2, both losses. I always faced the issue head-on, taking full responsibility. I paid for what I did, receiving a 13-month suspension.”

At what point in your career did that blow come?

“At the worst possible time. I was in Catania, I was doing well with the Under-21s too, and the senior national team was within reach. In an instant, I found myself without a contract. I was training on my own, with a mental coach and a fitness trainer. A period of deep introspection began. Then I started over.”

How did you find yourself caught up in that situation?

“ When I arrived in Bari, I was 20 years old—very young. In certain situations, if someone in the locker room tells you how to play a game, you can’t say no. I don’t want to name names. The environment wasn’t easy, especially given the influence of the veteran players. But I’m not looking for excuses: I took responsibility and paid the price. It was a massive blow. Many would have quit; I kept going. I owe it all to my strength of character.”

You once said: “I hoped to save myself even after the first arrests in Cremona.” Do you deny that?

“Yes, it’s all false. Those must be words from others that someone wanted to put in my mouth. The Cremona Prosecutor’s Office had nothing to do with my case.”

Is the story about Hungary as an escape true?

“No. I went to Honved in 2013 to try something different. I needed a break after so many years in Serie B. Marco Rossi called me, and I didn’t think twice. I took my wife and left. People called me crazy. In five years, I won two league titles, one national cup, and two top-scorer titles. I was reborn there.”

And to think you started out in the amateur leagues…

“I started at five years old at Barcanova thanks to my father, who was a club official. Then I had a tryout at Torino; it went well, but they didn’t sign me. That’s when Juventus came along, and I didn’t think twice. Those were thirteen memorable years in which I grew as a man and a soccer player, alongside some phenomenal players.”

With Juve, I was the top scorer at Viareggio; then we were eliminated by Nainggolan’s Piacenza”

Davide Lanzafame

Your fondest memory in black and white?

“I won everything between the Berretti and Primavera levels. I owe so much to Guido Mattei, my mentor since the Under-13s. A master of soccer, he was the one who honed my technical skills. In 2007, I was the top scorer at Viareggio with seven goals, many of which I scored as a substitute. We were eliminated in the round of 16 against Nainggolan’s Piacenza. At that moment, I was in the spotlight; I was thinking big. If it hadn’t been for the incident that involved me, who knows how things would have turned out.”

What kind of player was Lanzafame?

“I played just about every position. Striker, second striker, attacking midfielder, winger, central midfielder, and wide midfielder thanks to Conte. Antonio was a workhorse: in Bari’s 4-2-4 formation during my first year, I scored 10 goals and had 3 assists in Serie B. At first he’d give me a hard time, but then he realized my potential and gave me consistent playing time. He had to take care of me, but he was the coach who turned my career around.”

Is there something you’d like to do?

“In Hungary, I was about to write my autobiography with a journalist. It never came out, but I’d like to publish it in the future.”

And an anecdote you’ve never shared?

“When I was on the Under-21 team, Giovinco, Balotelli, and I snuck out of the training camp one evening—we were staying at a hotel in Tel Aviv. We stayed out chatting and joking around. Casiraghi and Zola realized we weren’t in our rooms, caught us, and gave us a stern talking-to. The next day we were playing against Israel in the European Championship playoffs. Casiraghi threatened us that if we didn’t win, he’d tell the newspapers everything. We won 3-1; Balotelli scored twice and I had an assist. Thank goodness.”