Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale has spoken of his desire to equal the Serie A goalscoring record of Roberto Baggio, while also revealing why he didn’t retire as planned at the end of last season.
The 36 year old striker shed light on the new direction Udinese will be taking this season after Francesco Guidolin handed over coaching duties to Andrea Stramaccioni.
“I am seven goals away from achieving 200.” he told the press. “It would be even better, to equal the record of Roberto Baggio’s 205 goals.”
However, the Zebretta Captain confessed it was not just the goal count that contributed to his decision to remain at Udinese.
“[Owner] Giampaolo Pozzo spurred me on and the good relationship with the fans and the city did the rest,“ Di Natale admitted.
Despite the positive outlook for the upcoming season, Di Natale acknowledged the problems Udinese faced last year and promised,“we [Udinese] must focus on the present and get 40 points as soon as possible.”
In order to achieve this goal, Toto discussed the changes being made to the team, including his thoughts on the recently signed Cyril Thereau, and current team mate Luis Muriel.
“He is proven to be a great player and can act as a playmaker,” Di Natale said about Thereau, who will be joining the captain in the Udinese attack.
“The Colombian [Muriel] is not fully aware of his potential and must now prove to he is a phenomenon.
“There are so many strikers in the team and everyone can express themselves in different roles, the coach will choose the tactics that best suits our features.”
Along with his teammates, Di Natale also remarked on the staff changes to Udinese, including the appointment of new head coach Stramaccioni and his assistant Dejan Stankovic, who previously work with the tactician at Inter.
“Both are young and already has a great experience,” Di Natale stated. “They’re capable of launching talents.”
