From Serie D to the National Team, from the promotion party with Albissola to his first Azzurri goal against Belgium. The last seven years of Andrea Cambiaso's life have been like a long trip in the Russian mountains, a cloud nine from which he never wants to come down" "How I got here is a very good question - he told in his interview with Vivo Azzurro TV during the last National Team camp at Coverciano - I can't even explain it myself. The journey has been lovely, I'm happy that I am at the start of this dream that I've been achieving bit by bit". If there is a merit to be recognised, Andrea doesn't doubt it: "The tenacity, the hunger that I have had since a young age. I've always believed in myself and now I'm in the National Team". 

STOP AND GO. Every journey has its obstacles and overcoming them can show an extra sort of impetus to reach the goal in mind. His career was halted in 2019 in Alessandria due to an unfortunate injury, but an after a few months of rest, his career got back on track. His debuts in Serie B, with Empoli, and Serie A debuts, with Genoa, the team he grew up in as a child and with whom he attracted the attention of Juventus. The Bianconeri bought him for nearly €9 million, but he went on loan for a year to Bologna before rejoining Juventus in 2023: "I've always thought that if I hadn't broken my knee - he explains - I probably wouldn't be here today. It was a big setback, I was in the most important part of my career, I was doing really well at Alessandria and there was talk of interest from some Serie B clubs in January. I had to deal with my ACL injury and then Covid, but I did well because I kept my head and returned". 

AZZURRI DREAM. The first National Side call-up came one year ago: "It was the day before Juventus vs. Cagliari and the team manager gave me the news. I couldn't really believe it. I called my parents right away and my Dad said "Oh cool, you'll go be the water boy'. He was so happy, but he wanted me to keep my feet on the ground. This is something I've learnt from him". Cambiaso had to wait until the American games in March, three months later and among the call-ups for the Euro's, where he played three times coming on as a sub. Luciano Spalletti describes him as a player with whom it's easy to fall in love with: "I have a great relationship with Spalletti, he's a football man and it's great being able to work with someone who has a passion for the sport. He asks us to play on the floor, like Thiago Motta, and to always be available and ready for our teammates: we've shown this, above all in the recent matches". Cambiaso's first goal for the Azzurri is a recent story. On 10 October at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, in front of 40,000 fans, it took just one minute to break the deadlock against Belgium: "It was unbelievable, I didn't celebrate because I was scared of being offside. When I saw the ref point to the centre spot after the VAR check, the feeling was incredible". 

If love for the game has been with him since he was a child ("as a kid I perceived football players as heroes, to now be an idol for others gives me an amazing feeling", golf is a sport that he's found a recent passion for: "I like it, its a demanding sport from a mental point of view". While he waits to lower his handicap, it's another green field that he hopes to reach the greatest level of satisfaction: "The goal is to improve everyday. If you'd have told me three years ago that I'd be at Juventus and playing in the National Team, I wouldn't have believed you".