Mexican defender Rafael Marquez spoke of his happiness and ambition after joining Hellas Verona from Leon.
The 35-year-old also said that he is keen to test himself in Europe again following spells with New York Red Bulls and Leon.
“I’m very happy for the interest Hellas Verona showed in me,” said the former Barcelona man at his presentation in the club shop.
“My motivation is clear, to return to Europe and one of the most important leagues in the world.
“I was very surprised by the incredible reception I was given here, this gives me an even greater sense of responsibility.
“Everybody has told me Verona is a beautiful city, amongst the most important in Italy.”
Marquez also said that he joined Hellas for sporting rather than financial reasons.
“I signed a contract with the lowest wages that I’ve ever seen, I just wanted to go back to Europe and play with Hellas, the money didn’t enter into my decision”
“Verona were not the only club interested in me but they convinced me with their offer.”
Marquez also spoke about how he is looking forward to linking up with his new teammates:
“Luca Toni? It will be very special to play with him.”
“He has lots of experience and had an excellent season last year and I want to do the same.
“For me it’s not important to be the captain but to be able to express myself on the pitch.”
The player went on to speak about his objectives for the future as a defender with the Scaligeri:
“I would like to play against [Mario] Balotelli, he is a player with unique abilities who I have not met yet.”
“This is a new challenge for me, to return to the top level in Europe.”
“I feel lots of responsibility, I’m at 100 per cent of my abilities and I want to win as many games as possible.”
The 35-year-old also said that while survival remains the primary objective, he feels Verona can achieve more:
“When I arrived at Leon it was a team who had spent little time in the top flight like Verona.”
“There also the objective was survival but instead we became champions twice in a row.
“We have the same ambition here, not just to stay up but to achieve a bit more.
“I don’t know if we’ll win the Scudetto but we have to aim as high as possible.
“I want to clarify that I’m not saying we’ll win the league, The first objective remains survival but I want to win as much as possible.”
