Torino, Belotti: “Rooster gesture? I'll never stop celebrating like this"

Is it the year of "The Rooster" Andrea Belotti? He's scored 5 times already this season, and even scored in his debut for the Italian national team last week. According to many, he's the future striker of Italy, and unlike many before him, he has the character to carry that responsibility. In an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport, he spoke about his path to prominence: "When I was 16, seeing my friends go out to dance and having to go to bed, almost in tears: 'I can't, tomorrow morning I have to play.' Even refusing Serie A teams, Sampdoria e Verona, preferring the risk of playing in Serie B coming off the bench more than the risk of landing in a Primavera squad. My agent, Sergio Lancini, helped me choose and I still thank him today: not all agents today would give you that advice." This year "Belottino," has missed two penalties, but in the future, he doesn't have any fear of taking another one: "It goes like this: you only remember the last ones you took. I always have scored penalties, I missed one at Palermo and two this year, but I know why: at the San Siro, I slowed down my run and didn't look Donnarumma, but against Bologna I was influenced by that mistake as well. But Mihajlovic never told me that I'm done taking penalties: I try them in training. If he prefers to choose someone else, I would respect his decision, otherwise I'm ready and I have a clear head. I could have already taken one, against Roma, but I had a cramp in my calf. And then it was right to leave it for Iago Falque against his former team." His goal celebration? He will never lower the rooster's comb: "The first time I celebrated with the rooster's comb was because I promised my friend Yuri Gallo that I would do it. He didn't believe that I would ever do that after a goal, but I don't do my hair like that anymore because it's an excessive hairstyle: today's styles, with such precise lines, doesn't reflect my way of being. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing the rooster celebration after a goal. It’s also a way of fighting back to those who say one day I’ll get big-headed, because I never will. A lifetime founded on the presumption of your ‘status’ creates nothing but false relationships." Who are his idols? "Easy: Sheva. For me he's like a saint: he could be on the same pitch with Maradona, but I'd see only Shevchenko. I wanted everything from him, but from the other strikers I've studied, I only want one of their qualities: the coolness in front of goal of Mario Gomez, the ease of breaking free from defenders that Torres has, lthe physical dominance of Drogba. Today, I try to steal some secrets from Aguero: his movements, positional sense, how he knows where the goal is and gets to the ball before his opponents. He always scores goals in every way and is a leader too, and that's what I like about him." @GIANMARCalciO