The former defender for Napoli, Inter, and Udinese: “I was a wild child, but two injuries changed me. I drove Zac crazy, I drove into his office in my car and honked the horn.”

Two injuries changed his career, his mind, and probably his life. At the age of 20, Giovanni Bia had to contend with two cruciate ligament tears in the space of a year and a half, learning to live with that annoying feeling you get when you’re stuck and the world seems to be spinning at twice the speed. “Many would have given up. I tore my cruciate ligament, then I came back and tore the other one during my first training session with the team. It was a real blow.” However, it helped him change his perspective, sweeping away his fear of quitting and having to find a plan B. “As a kid, I was a bit of a hothead, but that year and a half really made me grow up.” Today, after a sixteen-year career as a soccer player, Giovanni is an agent and runs his own agency, Bia Soccer Agency, with more than 80 young and professional players. “I also try to teach the kids values. I’ve seen too many with boundless talent who have lost their way. It could have been my end too.” Blessed cruciate ligament, one might say.

Giovanni Bia, let’s start from the beginning. You made your debut in Serie B at the age of 16: at that age, do you think you have the world at your feet?

“Eh… a little bit, yes. I was a hothead, I knew I had talent and I felt invincible. I made my debut in Parma and after the games I would ride my motorbike along the stadium’s avenue. I was a strange guy, let’s put it that way.“

Then two injuries changed you.

”Absolutely. I was twenty years old and scared. I tore my cruciate ligament, came back after six months, and during my first training session with the team, I tore the other one. It was a blow. Many would have given up. I looked in the mirror and said, ‘I want to be a soccer player, I have to come back stronger than before.’ That was the trigger.“

After a good season in Serie B with Cosenza, Napoli gave you a taste of Serie A.

”With Lippi as coach, so many memories. That was a strange season too. The club had a lot of debt, and we didn’t get paid for months. In the locker room, we made a pact: ‘If they start paying us again, we’ll all stay.’ That didn’t happen. They made a lot of transfers to raise cash and start over.”

Yours was one of those. You chose Inter. Were there other options?

“I can only tell you that the Nerazzurri have always been my first choice. I said yes in five seconds. I didn’t even care about the money. Playing at San Siro was my dream.”

You were a great group, a locker room full of champions and lots of Italians. Pagliuca, Berti, Fontolan, and company. Any anecdotes?

“Eh… there are too many to tell. I’ll tell you this one: one day Fontolan arrived at Pinetina and started saying that the next day he would arrive at training by helicopter. Bets were placed and jokes were made. We gambled half a million. And sure enough, that crazy “Fontolino” really did show up in a helicopter the next day. We were all speechless. And the funny thing is that it cost him more than ten million to rent it, spent to win… half a million. But I think our faces that day were priceless.“

Dennis Bergkamp was also on that team. What do you think went wrong?

”Dennis is a very good guy, as well as a unique champion. And I’m certainly not the one to discover that. However, he was very shy, introverted, and spent all his time with Jonk. He couldn’t express himself. I think he also suffered from the boos at San Siro. It’s not easy to put up with 80,000 people grumbling and always expecting you to play like a champion.”

Fontolan arrived in Appiano by helicopter: he won half a million in bets and spent ten…

Giovanni Bia

It is said that Moratti wanted it. What was your relationship with the president like?

“A man from another era. He had eyes and ears everywhere. He cared about us, our families, he was curious. I remember many conversations with him after dinner. He used to hang out in the locker room, he was one of us.“

Then Udinese. Any memories?

”Those were two very good years. My son Riccardo was born there, I will always be attached to the city and the Friulians. We were a great group, with Zaccheroni on the bench. We played so many pranks there too…“

Can you tell us one?

”Once, Giovanni Stroppa and I drove a vintage Fiat 500 straight into the coach’s dressing room, honking the horn. Zac shouted, ‘You’re crazy, stop it’. Then he burst out laughing too.”

He also enjoyed himself in Bologna.

“My goodness, we had Signori in attack, who is the best I’ve ever played with. He would stay after every training session to practice one-on-one with our third goalkeeper. And he always scored. You could already raise your arms when he started dribbling to get past the goalkeeper: it was a foregone conclusion.“

Signori was the strongest, then. But as a defender. Who was his role model?

”Franco Baresi. Playing against him in the derby was an honor. Then there was also Ciro Ferrara, who was like an older brother to me. In Naples, he would take me aside and explain who the opponents were that I should mark, what their characteristics were, and give me advice. He was a match analyst on the field.”

Ferrara was like an older brother: before games, he would explain everything to me.

Giovanni Bia

Finally, the present. Today he is an agent. He manages Cambiaso, Ravaglia, and many others.

“I also try to teach the boys values and to have the right approach. I’ve seen too many with boundless talent who have lost their way. It could have been my end too.”

What is the most absurd thing that has happened to you in so many years of negotiations?

“Once I had to send a kid from Parma to a Serie C team. I did all the paperwork, prepared the contracts, and went to the team’s box to sign, and… the sporting director was no longer there. They had fired him on the spot. Two minutes earlier, he was with me writing the contract, then… he vanished into thin air. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.”