Luca Antonini, coach of the Al-Nasr under-19 team, competing in the Saudi Premier League, confirmed that the future of Saudi football is bright. He joined the legends Totti, Trezeguet and Gomez in “Sharjah Stars Week.”
Sharjah Stars Week will return for its third edition this week, and will include a friendly match held on Saturday in which former stars will participate, including Paolo Maldini and Rivaldo, along with Totti, Trezeguet and Gomez.
Saudi Arabia winning the right to host the 2034 World Cup was a hot topic among the gathered graduates. Trezeguet was not surprised by the return of the World Cup to the Middle East for the second edition, noting that the region has grown significantly as a center for major international sporting events.
Luca Antonini, former Milan defender and coach of the U-17 team at the Saudi club Al-Nassr, believes that Saudi Arabia will host “the best World Cup ever.”
Antonini won the Serie A title with Milan in 2011 and spent the bulk of his career at the club. He was in Riyadh on Monday evening to support the Rossoneri when they beat their rival Inter Milan 3-2 to lift the Italian Super Cup.
Antonini said in statements reported by “The National” website: “I was very happy for the players, for the Milan fans, and for the club because the club deserves this. New coach Sergio Conceicao has changed something. “Winning a cup is great to start a new story in Milan because Milan is used to winning trophies and winning matches like this.”
Antonini stressed that he and his family enjoy life in the Gulf and that he is excited about the country’s sporting potential.
Antonini added: “I love the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I love this country as well. In Saudi Arabia you can build something great, and I am very happy to be there, so I do not think about returning to Italy or anywhere else. “I want to stay there, have fun and help the players develop into great players.”
Antonini takes pride in helping ambitious Saudi youth on their football journey, and said he admires the desire of the players he coaches to continue improving. He said: “I work with the young team, with players who are 17 years old, and they want to learn. “They are very passionate about football.”
He continued: “They watch all the Italian League and English Premier League matches, so they watch a lot of matches and want to develop into professional players. For example, after an hour and a half of training, they ask me to continue playing a match.”
Antonini said he believes that the mentality of Saudi youth will serve their country well in the future.
The former Milan defender continued: “This is a great thing for the U-17 players, because they want to learn, play and train. This is the mentality of people in the Arabian Peninsula at the moment. “This is great for the country and for the people who will accompany these players.”
The future looks bright for the youth in Al-Nasr and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as for Antonini, who has ambitions to enhance his coaching career under the leadership of his Italian compatriot Stefano Pioli, the current coach of the first team at Al-Nasr Club.
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