The midfielder has signed with the Giallorossi until 2030: “I’m here for Gasperini, I like his mentality.” And his father, a former tennis player: “Rome is the right city. When I played at the Foro Italico, I saw rivers of people going to the Olimpico.”
He introduces himself with a smile, the same one he showed when he arrived at Fiumicino two days ago. Neil El Aynaoui spoke today for the first time as a Roma player after last night’s official announcement that the French-Moroccan has signed with the Giallorossi until 2030. “What a warm welcome, I wasn’t expecting it. I’m here to help bring Roma back to where it deserves to be. I thank the management for how they handled the negotiations and I can’t wait to work with Gasperini. I followed him a lot when he was at Atalanta, I like his mentality,“ El Aynaoui told the club’s official channels. He also explained the reason for his number 8 shirt: ”When I was little, I lived in Barcelona and supported the Catalans, I’ve always loved Iniesta.”
Neil ended up in Spain because of his father, Younes. Barcelona was the training base of the famous former tennis player, one of Morocco’s icons in the early 2000s. He won five titles, ranked 14th in the ATP rankings and played that endless match (five and a half hours, ending 21-19 in the fifth set) against Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. “But my dad never forced me to do anything. I played tennis, then he saw that I was only interested in soccer. I was playing soccer all day long, so he let me choose, just like he did with my brothers. But we still play tennis together sometimes,” smiles Neil, who was born in Nancy but moved to Gavà, on the outskirts of Barcelona, at the age of two to make it easier for his father to train and travel. It was here that little El Aynaoui soon showed a greater passion for soccer than for tennis, thanks in part to Messi and Iniesta’s Barcelona.
FATHER’S ADVICE— Father Younes and mother Anne-Sophie still live in Spain. But they know Rome well. The former tennis player, who speaks seven languages, reiterated in an interview with La Stampa that the choice to play soccer was a natural one. “Neil fell in love with soccer from an early age. We lived in a city that lives and breathes soccer. He watched videos of matches while his friends watched movies, he kept himself informed. He also plays tennis very well, but soccer is his passion. Even at home, all he does is play with the ball.“ Despite the differences between the two sports, Younes has more than one piece of advice for his son: ”First and foremost, what to eat and what to do to become a great athlete. But above all, I told him that his goal must be to win the Ballon d’Or. If that doesn’t happen, it’s no problem. But to be at peace with yourself, you always have to try to give your best.“ Rome is certainly the right city. ”When I played at the Foro Italico, I saw the crowds going to the Olimpico,” explains the former tennis player. Incidentally, my mother is French, but her surname is De Gubliermi: my grandfather emigrated in the 1950s from a small village near Vicenza and only spoke Italian. Rome is the right city for him, it’s a fantastic city and the food is good, so I’ll come and see him often.”
MODERN MIDFIELDER— A city that El Aynaoui junior had never seen before. “I’ve never been to Italy,” admits Neil. “They told me before I left that Rome was a fabulous city, and that’s no lie: as well as being an incredible club, this is a wonderful place. They were absolutely right about my destination.” Now we’ll have to see if Massara is right about the qualities of the former Lens player, who was signed for €25 million. “I would describe myself as a modern midfielder with good stamina and able to play in both halves of the pitch. I’m always willing to give my all and I cover a lot of ground with generosity and sacrifice. Before playing in midfield, I played further forward, so I’ve always had an eye for goal. There are systems that allow me to get into the box, which, as I said before, I like and am good at,” concluded El Aynaoui.
