Legend's Corner | A Young David

A LIFE BETWEEN TWO CONTINENTS 

My love for football started when I was a child: my father was an Argentine professional footballer, and I was born in Normandy, France - in Rouen, to be exact - because he was playing there at the time. I was born in Europe, but my blood is Argentinean and South American, so it's normal that football is something I immediately felt within me.  

When I was a child, back in Buenos Aires, all I wanted to do was play football. I had a tryout at Platense when I was 10, which was my first experience with real football, the rules, a coach, teammates. I remember that day, just as I also remember very well my first time in training with professionals: I was 16, and that event was unique for me, a mix of emotions, desire, maybe even fear.  

You're young, but you find yourself in a locker room of professionals, who look at you as the 'little one', giving you advice and sharing what life will be like as a football player. For the first time, the fun aspect of football was combined with the reality that playing could become a job...

RETURN TO EUROPE 

I had a lot of fun as a boy, and it's something I still encourage young people to have today, because having fun is fundamental. Then there are the turning points: the first for me came when I was 17. The story of my life intersected, funnily enough, with the same path my dad, who was still working with France, took. I was very lucky, because my family always supported me in all my dreams, staying by my side, at a difficult age, when you risk losing focus.

A BOY IN THE PRINCIPALITY, A FUTURE WORLD CHAMPION 

I returned to France in 1997, making the journey from Buenos Aires to the Principality of Monaco. For me Europe was fundamental: I learnt great professionalism, attention to detail, and it was my landing place in the world of professional football. A landing that a few months later led me to the national team: at the time I could not have two passports, so I took French citizenship. I won the Under-17 European Championship, beating Spain in the final. I also played in the Youth World Cup in Malaysia, and since there was a well-established pathway between the senior national team and the Under-17s, the call-up to the senior team finally came...

IN THE STARS AT THE STADE DE FRANCE 

I played in the opening match of the Stade de France in February 1998, when we beat Spain. And then came the World Cup: I became a World Champion at the age of 20.  

What was it like playing in that national team for me, being so young? It was a special moment: the national team had to be rebuilt, and the adventure of that tournament was incredible, not only for football, but also for the great impact that victory had on social issues, such as racism, which were very much felt in France. I lived that incredible adventure, spending two months with just my teammates and almost no other contact: this really helped to stay focused and not get overwhelmed by emotions, and led to an incredible victory for our team.

RAISING THE BAR 

The next step in my growth was still with the national team: after the World Cup, we had to continue on, as we pushed for the European Championship two years later. In that case too, we went all the way, but I remember that period very well also because, just a few weeks before the end of the tournament, I signed my deal with Juventus. There were, in the national team, two players who knew Juve well: Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane. I had a few proposals on the table, but when I heard that the Bianconeri wanted me, I had no doubts. I was still young, but I wasn't afraid to join this historical club, where several French players had shone down the years.

SERIE A IMMERSION

A new chapter with Juve: a whole new world, an environment made up of so many champions, in a championship, Serie A, which at the time was coveted by all the world's great players. A league in which there was and still is a lot to learn, especially for a boy like I was at the time. It was difficult at the beginning, I was coming off the back of a European Championship Final, won by Italy. But, as my story goes, I stayed for 10 years, I scored and won a lot, and I played with three Golden Ball winners – that's something that doesn't happen very often. Here at Juve, I used my instinct and talent, but I also worked a lot; in a club like this, I quickly learnt what my role was: I learnt on the one hand to understand my teammates, on the other hand I grew every day, in every game, comparing myself with the great champions who were in Serie A at the time.

BRIGHT PROSPECTS

If I think of Juve today, I see there's great work going on within the youth sector. In a way I see again what I experienced in 2006, when players like Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco grew up: this year there are youngsters who have stood out and shown their qualities, and that's a very good thing. Everything has a beginning, and seeing these youngsters play, I think back to my own; it's important that the club supports and grows their own players who can become important, because the public loves the boys who are 'born' into their team.