The former Juventus and Milan midfielder: “My mother hid the keys so I wouldn’t go to Turin when I was 13. In 2007, at Juventus, when I saw Nedved and Buffon, I thought: ‘At best, I’ll be carrying water bottles here. ..’

“It was Padre Pio’s hand.” The title of the film about the career of Antonio Nocerino—an attacking midfielder who ran to support strikers and playmakers all over Italy—echoes that of Paolo Sorrentino. “At seven years old, you usually write a little letter to Santa Claus, but instead I wrote to Padre Pio.”

Why was that?

“My mother often took me to Lourdes. One day I asked her if Padre Pio would make me a soccer player; she told me to write it down on a piece of paper. ‘You pray and keep at it.’ The rest is history.”

Has your faith never left you?

“Never. My son’s name is Francesco, in honor of Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio. I’ve been to Pietrelcina, his hometown, dozens of times. Throughout my career, I often wore the number 23—the day he died. And when Juventus called me up to Serie A, I was in San Giovanni Rotondo, at the shrine. It was the summer of 2007. My athletic career is a series of coincidences.”

When you think of soccer, what comes to mind?

“The endless games on the street. I grew up in Naples, in the Pallonetto neighborhood of Santa Lucia—a place where you quickly learn to survive. I was a lively, bright kid. My mom was a homemaker, my dad a railroad worker. We didn’t eat very often at home. Every now and then I’d help my grandfather deliver chickens door-to-door—he ran a poultry shop. They taught me to be content with very little.”

How did Juventus spot you?

“By chance. I was 13 years old, and my dad was coaching me. A scout was in Agnano to check out another kid and spotted me. I was a chubby kid—they called me ‘panzerotto’—but he immediately asked who I was. The funny thing is, before the final tryout, I had back pain and almost didn’t play. My dad convinced me to go for it: I scored two goals in half an hour.”

“The day before I left for Turin, my mother locked the door and hid the keys. I jokingly told her I’d climb down from the balcony. I cried every night—there was fog, and people treated us Southerners badly—but I didn’t back down an inch. At Juve, I learned discipline and professionalism.”

And did those lessons serve you well?

“They shaped me. When I was 18, Avellino in Serie B called me up. Zeman spotted me in a game I wasn’t even supposed to play in. It was my senior year of high school; I asked to skip a tournament to study, but the coach called me up anyway. The Bohemian was in the stands. ‘You’ll be our midfielder,’ he said. ‘These guys are crazy,’ I thought. In the end, he made me a soccer player, but in training he really pushed us to the limit: we’d do step exercises… with teammates on our shoulders.”

Early in his career, he had several mentors.

“I played under Gasperini at Crotone; with Ventura, I scored my first Serie A goal in a match that was later forfeited. But the one who changed my life was Iachini in Piacenza, who moved me to central midfield. He taught me all the movements.”

How did you return to Juve?

“I wasn’t even supposed to go there—Napoli, Udinese, and Fiorentina all wanted me—but Ranieri told me to give it a shot. I saw Buffon, Nedved, and Del Piero and thought, ‘What am I doing here? I’m just the water boy…’ I felt out of place.”

In the end, he played 36 games, 26 of them as a starter.

“I always ran for the superstars, but my strength was recognizing my own qualities. I wasn’t Pirlo, but Nocerino: I had to do my part well.”

After Juve, Palermo.

“The place where I had the most fun: I would have stayed there forever. Three amazing years, filled with barbecues, dinners, jokes, and superstars: Miccoli, Pastore, Cavani, Ilicic. I didn’t care about money. In 2010, Zamparini completely overhauled the team, and I went to Milan for 500,000 euros. Looking back on it, it makes me laugh.“

What was your initial reaction?

”I saw Gattuso, Ambrosini, Van Bommel, and the others, and I thought, ‘Here we go, they’re going to stick me on the bench.’ But instead… boom: 11 goals between the league and cup competitions.”

How many assists did Ibra give you?

“Three or four. His introduction was devastating: he hit me with a backheel during a scrimmage and I took off. But I went out looking for those goals myself. Zlatan was marked by two players, and there was a gaping hole behind him. I’d slip right in there.”

Your best moment in a Rossoneri jersey?

“The goal against Barcelona at Camp Nou with my father in the stands. It encapsulates where I started and where I ended up, the suffering and the difficulties. That food on the table that was sometimes missing. From Piazza del Plebiscito to that stadium there…”

The worst, on the other hand?

“The goal disallowed against Muntari. It was impossible not to see it. We would have won the Scudetto again.”

A word for Berlusconi?

“Aura. He knew my children’s names and even where they went to school…”

And for Allegri?

“Courage. He showed it toward me.”

In 2016, he left Italy for Kaká’s Orlando team, who convinced him to go. Why?

“I felt out of place; I no longer recognized myself in what I saw: selfies, social media, I don’t know… Besides, my wife and I had just lost both our parents within a month. I’d played for West Ham, so I told myself, ‘Why not give it another shot?’ We’ve been living in Florida since 2020.”

How much do you enjoy coaching now?

“I actually like coaching more than playing, believe it or not. I coached the Orlando youth team, then Potenza’s Primavera squad, and Miami. Las Vegas, in the second division, wasn’t the project I’d hoped for, so I left. Right now I’m not coaching, but I watch every game and keep studying the game. I still dream of returning to Italy, but I’m happy here—and so is my family. We live near the castle at Disneyland.”

Do you have any regrets?

“Yes, three: spending a lot of time on the bench at Euro 2012, not playing for Napoli, and losing the Coppa Italia final to Palermo in 2010. Winning there feels different. Actually, you know what? As soon as you can, hop on a plane and go to Sicily. It’ll change your life.”