“sean connery was often in the dressing room. he said i could have been an actor!”

LORENZO AMORUSO

As a local boy, what did it mean to make your professional debut for Bari in Serie A? It was a dream come true because playing for your boyhood team, in the town where you were born, is something so unique and beautiful. My family, friends and schoolmates were there, cheering for me. All the sacrifices I had to make as a kid were worth it in that moment. It really was an unforgettable day.

You joined Fiorentina in 1995 and won the Coppa Italia in your first season. Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa, Francesco Toldo and more – how special was that team?

That was an unbelievable side, managed by Claudio Ranieri and made up of great men and great players. Our team spirit was vital during two absolutely wonderful years. We narrowly missed out on a Cup Winners’ Cup final, too, losing to Barcelona – a pity, as we deserved to win that tie. Batistuta wasn’t in the return leg and that was the difference. It was a united team. You could see our bond in our dinners together; the fun and laughter.

In that Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final, you had to defend against Ronaldo in his prime. How tough was that?

Well, Ronaldo was known as ‘O Fenomeno’ for a reason. He was an incredible player, with speed, strength, absurd technique – it was difficult to find a weak point. Pasquale Padalino and I trained for a whole month, doing extra sessions to try to avoid mistakes – we needed to be much quicker and more focused against Ronaldo. They eliminated us but it was brilliant for me, personally, to stop him from scoring in either leg. We swapped shirts after the second game. I still have it.

Should that side have won a Scudetto?

We probably should have, yes. We fought for the league title but, unfortunately, we just didn’t have the depth of Juventus or Milan at the time. But we were a top team, which we proved by beating Milan in the Super Cup – they were a stellar side, with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi.

You left Fiorentina for Rangers in 1997. Why did you choose to go to Scotland?

Fiorentina were going through some issues economically, and even went bankrupt a few years later. They were forced to sell players and a lot of us left, including Batistuta and myself. A few teams were interested in me, including Manchester United and Rangers. I was only 26 and very ambitious: I hadn’t won a league title in Italy so I wanted to win silver