The former Parma and Atalanta playmaker now owns a restaurant and has no regrets: “I wasn’t very professional; I didn’t like to run. At Inter, I’m sorry I made Moratti angry. Ghirardi disappointed me, but time has been kind…”

If it’s true that every self-respecting thriller demands a murder, Domenico Morfeo’s story is one without a happy ending, leaving room only for regrets. As if we were still waiting for an ending—a murder, in fact. Morfeo had a left foot that sang; he possessed incredible class and will forever be guilty of having led us to believe he could define an era. “I was never a professional. If I’d trained properly and had a different mindset, who knows…” Instead, it will remain a big “What if,” a regret for all that could have been and wasn’t. Watching him play, you had the feeling of seeing a genius who was too confined within a lamp, a highly talented juggler who couldn’t fully express himself. He was a child prodigy his whole life, shouldering the responsibility of a promise he never kept. Today he runs a restaurant in Parma; he’s happy, and when he opens up, he tells his whole story, revealing himself just as we saw him throughout his fifteen-year career: genuine, direct, someone who tells you straight to your face what he thinks and doesn’t mince words. The conversation ranges from Adriano to Gilardino and Prandelli, all the way to Inter’s number 10 and his heart torn between Bergamo and Parma.

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

“I regret not always having been a professional. If I’d had a different mindset, who knows where I might 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 double-edged sword. Today I might handle everything differently. Soccer was my best friend—it allowed me to have everything I have today—but also an enemy in certain situations I experienced.“

Did anyone disappoint you?

”I’ve argued with many people—I’d say almost everyone. The soccer world is one without friendships, made up of relationships of convenience. If I have to name someone who really let me down, I’d say Parma’s president, Ghirardi. I would have gone down to Serie B, but he waged war on me instead. But time is a fair judge… 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, in Bergamo, in Verona. Let’s just say I didn’t like tactical constraints.”

If you could thank one person?

“I’d thank Prandelli. He gave me my debut; he was like a second father to me. A highly knowledgeable, capable, and intelligent coach. The best I’ve ever had and one of the absolute best in Europe.”

Throughout your career, you’ve played alongside many great center forwards. A quick thought on each one. Gilardino?

“We had a lot of fun with Gila in Parma. Can you believe that in training nobody wanted him—he couldn’t even score with his hands? Then Adriano got injured, and he started putting the ball in the net left and right. How many assists I gave him…”

You mentioned Adriano. You played together in both Florence and Parma.

“A beast. For me, the best I’ve ever seen. Adri and I were really close. I took him to my place in San Benedetto dei Marsi, and in a bar we saw some older gentlemen playing cards. So he said to me, ‘When I score my first goal, we’ll celebrate like that.’ He scored right away, and we celebrated that way.”

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

“It was a struggle to get Pippo to cough up 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’d give me 5 million lire. He scored two goals and wrote me the check in the locker room. I took the whole team out to dinner—I’ve always been generous.”

In Florence, they gave you ‘shirts of shame,’ with the word ‘unworthy’ written on them and the € symbol for the euro instead of the lily. You, even there, gave them a taste of their own medicine…

“The important thing is never to hang your head. They hadn’t understood a thing; 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 injuries…“

They say that at Atalanta you earned a starting spot by hitting a tree three times in a row…

”Prandelli told me that if I hit it, it meant I was fit and could play. He took me up a small 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 the number ten and I could have done more. I know I pissed off Moratti; everyone expected a lot from me.”

Do you think you were missing something?

“I had the qualities to be a starter on the national team; I just didn’t have the right 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 restaurant in Parma and I’m happy; life doesn’t end with soccer.“

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

”In my day there was a lot of competition, but I’m sorry I never made my debut. If I were playing now, I’d make different choices, without losing my identity and my way of being, though. I know I didn’t make the most of the talent I had.”

Do you miss soccer today?

“No, in fact, what I see disgusts me. I would never go back. I find it a fake world.”