With a superb dive-bomb, Candas Fiogbe scored the decider of the road game against Lecce, finding his first league goal after the two nets scored in the Coppa Italia game against Vicenza. “Still – as the 05s’ striker born in Benin and a Nerazzurro since the age of 14 cared to let us in on this professional secret of his – headers are not my strongest suits. I owe my goal to the specific sessions coaches Bosi and Zanchi put us through during the week. I’m happy to have halted my scoring drought in the league, considerably more so as it gave the team the win. If we brought home these three key points it’s mainly thanks to the effort from the whole team. I knew I was in with a great chance and I’m most pleased I could have honoured it properly. I dedicate my goal to all the people who cared for me and stood by my side , especially in challenging times. An the list is vast: from my coach and my teammates at Atalanta, to my agents, my friends and, naturally, my family”.
On the top of Candas’ list of honourable mentions sits mum Lucia: “In my childhood I used to carry a football wherever I went to then play with my friends after school for hours on end, until late evening. And thus, whenever I came back home even 3 or 4 hours late, I got a proper dressing-down. Even though my mother wanted me to study for my future, she knew football was my dream and she never deterred me from pursuing it, quite the contrary instead. As long as -her words, not mine – my marks weren’t disrupted by it. And I was a fairly good student too, to be fair”.
“Every gift I received – Candas recalls- was football-biased: cleats, shirts, footballs. Plenty of footballs, for how often and how many got punctured. I literally grew up with a football. It is my first love. I still recall the very first kit I was gifted: it was a Cristiano Ronaldo shirt, my childhood idol. I had a whale of time mimicking all his moves and faints. I’ve always been drawn by the thrill only a great dribble can give you, I really dig taking on my opponents. Even though, back in my childhood days, whenever I played with people older than me, I was placed in goal. Which saddened me a lot given my one desire to play upfront.
The move from Africa to Atalanta was a huge leap of faith: “The first time I stepped into the Centro Bortolotti I was awestruck when I saw all those pitches at once. I thought I was dreaming but it was the real deal. The first thought that crossed my mind was: “I’m in heaven”. And from that moment forward, it dawned on me just how big of a step being here meant for the pursuit of my dream, an opportunity I had to seize no matter what. I always fixate on the best footballers to soak up as much as possible in my attempt to be better. Here at Atalanta, my role model is Lookman: not only is he technically strong and he scores many goals, but he also pours his heart into it. I can’t help but reaffirm how an inspiration he is for me”.
While football has been Candas’ first crush, the black-and-blue striker is a music buff off the pitch: “I also have a walk-up song: before and after the matches I always listen “M3lo” by Tiakola, a french rapper. The lyrics are about how we shall never forget our roots, spurring us to always give our best to break our limits. I dig it and it helps me gain focus”.
