Despite being the youngest of the Primavera pack, midfielder Andrea Bonanomi born in 2006 flaunts one of the highest playing tallies of the season thus far: in his 10 appearances between the league and the National Cup he showcased a remarkable contribution, with 4 goals and 6 assists to his name. “While I did not expect to play so much, I feel as if I hit the ground running with the Primavera ever since the pre-season camps where I gelled very well with all my teammates. Having coach Giovanni Bosi showed his utmost trust from the get-go, I always try to reciprocate his confidence with my performances. Knowing that there’s still much to do, I just hope to keep helping the team with my goals and assists”.
“Even though I’m a native of Erba – Andrea opens up the interview – I always lived in Cesana Brianza. I moved my first footballing steps back in kindergarten. Even though I sparked Atalanta’s interests ever since I was a child, due to my very tender age at the time and having to attend school until the late afternoon, my parents preferred me to play close to home, confident that, had I confirmed my level in the following years, I would have had a second chance. And their strategy eventually paid off: in 2017, after playing three seasons for Como, I joined Atalanta in my first year of junior high school when school commitments got more feasible to integrate with more complex training sessions. Although my commute between home and Zingonia is no run-of-the-mill; I always come to training with high spirits”.
Seeing football as leisure is Andrea’s best-kept secret and strength: “I fancy hitting the pitch, training and putting in the work. As my father Alessandro usually says, when this routine starts taking its toll on you, it means your love for the game has run out. He stopped playing after turning 35, with a stint in Ac Milan’s Academy to his name: even though he was left-footed like me, he would rather stick to the wings. Thanks to a shared background in football, he knows what the footballing world is like.
I try my best to live football with a smile: even though to me is, first and foremost, a divertissement, I’m still conscious that the more you go on, the higher commitment is required. Given my main traits, keeping a carefree feeling and having fun on the pitch is really helpful. Even though my childhood hero was Dybala, another left-footed CAM like me, ever since I joined Atalanta I looked up to the likes of Iličić and foremost Papu Gomez: I was in San Siro when he scored that banger against Dinamo Zagabria in the Champions League and the memory of that goal is still fresh. During the latest international break, I had the chance to take part in a joint training session with the first team. It was truly a sight to behold: they play a whole different football and you finally realize how quick thinking is. And don’t let me start on some of Muriel’s tricks…”.
Although Andrea, a thoroughbred “lefty”, has been honing his skills throughout the years, it is not uncommon to see him juggling through the Centro Bortolotti as a way to keep his technique sharp: “I strongly second the idea that technique can always be perfected through constant exercise: the many hours I spent juggling as a kid count as my rule of thumb on the subject. Even now, when I’m at home, I spend my spare time in the garden to train: dribbles, slaloms, one-two you name it! Everything that may help improve my technique. For instance, while we were training from home with coach Roberto Previtali during the lockdown, we used to send him our tries with a handful of video challenges. In one I had to juggle with increasingly small balls until I ended up giving it a try with tennis balls. While at first I couldn’t keep up with it, my constant training snowballed and I eventually found my feet, juggling it as if it was a regular ball”.
“I have always been a midfielder, switching between the roles of defending midfielder, mezzala and attacking mid. Given my main traits – Andrea elaborates further – always being in the thick of the game and managing the game flow as, much as possible, it’s crucial for me. Apart from my stint in the U16s, when I scored less than usual, my playing style seldom lacked goals and assists. Even though that year has been the toughest thus far for me, both in terms of performance and overall fitness conditions, it may as well have been the one I put down to experience the most: hardships are what spur your growth, and mental ones hold the most value in that regard. The more work I put in the more I grew. Despite that bad patch, I’ve always been lucky enough to carve out my space and accrue much playing time: since I know first-hand the helplessness that not playing may harbour, I always do my best to stand by the players who are going through a negative streak and are not getting much playing time”.
“Spending time with friends and family is my go-to whenever I need to unwind from time to time’ – these were Andrea’s closing remarks -. With Nicolò and Christian, my two younger brothers, playing for Molteno, I also fancy dropping by to cheer on them in my spare time. Naturally, I try my best to juggle between my football commitments, which are getting more and more frequent, and my studies as I’m enrolled in the Sporting High School in Lecco”.
