When it comes to work ethic, there should be a whole chapter dedicated to Lucas Biglia, who, as a teenager, would travel 200 kilometres every day from his hometown of Mercedes to Buenos Aires and back, all to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer.
Forced to finish his studies as an adult after making it to the top level, the former midfielder for Lazio, AC Milan and the Argentina national team is now part of the coaching staff at Belgian giants Anderlecht.
In this exclusive with Flashscore, he reveals that even now, he splits his time between studying and working, travelling back and forth every week between Brussels and Coverciano.
What does your life look like these days?
"Well, for example, this weekend we (Anderlecht) play on Sunday. On Monday morning, I catch a flight, land in Milan, and then take the train to Florence.
"Then on Wednesday night I return to Milan, stay the night, and fly back to Brussels on Thursday morning."
Sounds like an even tougher schedule than when you were playing…
"And I’m also taking English lessons, since that’s the language we use at Anderlecht to communicate with the players. Over my career, I’ve learned French and Italian, and I’ve always spoken English on the pitch, but now I’m trying to take classes twice a week.
"But between training and having to switch between Spanish at home, French at the club and Italian at Coverciano… Until I finish the course in mid-December, I’ve asked my teacher to be a bit patient with me!"
That’s a bit like your life story. As a teenager, you had to leave high school to focus on football…
"Yes, because every day I’d take two trains and two buses to get to Buenos Aires, both to play for the Argentinos Juniors youth teams and the national youth sides. One day, the school called my dad and told him I wasn’t performing as I should, so I had to make a choice, and I ended up finishing my studies later, as an adult."
Why did you choose Coverciano?
"I’d spoken about it with Cambiasso (Esteban), because at first I was thinking of doing it in Spain. But on his advice, I decided to do my UEFA B and UEFA A courses in Italy, which I’m working on now, because tactically, this league gave me something unique.
"And it’s crucial, when you want to learn to be a coach, to listen and develop yourself."
So you’d like to coach in Italy one day?
"One day, yes, but not to start with. Let’s say that by next June I’d like to take charge of a team, but in Italy you’re expected to deliver results straight away.
"In the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland, there’s more of a focus on long-term projects, and I think you get more time to work. In Italy, after five games, you’re already under scrutiny."
Christian Chivu’s case at Inter is almost unique...
"But Christian had to coach for years in the Primavera and then at Parma. Still, I think a top Primavera side in Italy could be a good starting point for me.
"When I do take on my first head coach role, I’d like to have the time to make mistakes and learn, but in Italy, it’s tough - they don’t give young people time, not even as players.
"Under-23 teams in Belgium, for example, are made up of 17- or 18-year-olds, but not in Italy. That mentality needs to change."
Simone Inzaghi started out with Lazio’s Primavera...
"Simone is one of the coaches I study the most. He won a league title with Lazio’s Primavera, and he’s one of the managers who’ve evolved the most.
"We shouldn’t be fooled by the 3-5-2 formation - it wasn’t the same at Lazio as it is at Inter. But in Italy and everywhere else, we need to understand that someone like (Pep) Guardiola is the exception, not the rule."
You were with Inzaghi at Lazio, where you arrived in the summer of 2013.
"I was recommended by my current coach, Besnik Hasi, who was Anderlecht’s assistant at the time, to Igli Tare, who, after a match where we beat Bruges, came to tell me that the following year I’d be a Lazio player. But the negotiations were exhausting."
What happened?
"I spent 18 days holed up in a hotel in Rome, near the Foro Italico, because the deal just wouldn’t go through. I was even at risk of a FIFA case because I didn’t report for pre-season in Belgium and went straight to Rome.
"(Claudio) Lotito didn’t want to pay the two million in commissions, only the seven million for the transfer, so somehow we had to find that money."
How did it get resolved?
"They organised a friendly between Anderlecht and Lazio in Belgium, which I didn’t play in, and the rest of the money, about 400,000 euros, had to be put up by me and my agent.
"But that wasn’t the end of it, because when I went to sign at Lotito’s house - and I won’t even tell you how long he made me wait - after I’d signed, he turned to Tare and said: 'And who’s this?' He didn’t even know who I was."
Those 18 days stuck in a hotel must have been hell…
"All while my wife was pregnant! She was organising, with her mother, the move from Brussels to Rome.
"My wife arrived in Rome on 14th August and two weeks later my son was born. The arrival was hellish, but the departure was maybe even worse."
Why was that?
"I came in for a lot of criticism from the fans because I wanted to leave. That was because in 2015 I’d received an offer from Manchester United, when (Louis) Van Gaal was there. Lotito told me he’d never let me go, and I agreed to stay on the condition that we renewed my contract.
"On top of that, Marcelo Bielsa was about to arrive, but in the end, nothing came of it. I was promised a new contract, but it never materialised."
Negotiating with Lotito must have been a nightmare...
"He’d call me to Formello at midnight, which must have been when he finished work. He’d sit down, eat, and then fall asleep!
"Meanwhile, Tare would tell my agent to talk to him anyway, as he’d be listening, and when we got to the subject of the pay rise I’d been promised after turning down United, he’d wake up and say he couldn’t do it because it would make the other players jealous, or that he couldn’t because of Financial Fair Play."
But in the summer of 2017, you managed a move to Milan!
"I’d already signed a pre-contract with Milan in January, because I’d decided to leave even though Inzaghi wanted me to stay. I thanked him but told him I was 31 and after the failed contract renewal, I’d be going to Milan, who were about to change ownership.
"There was a standoff because Lotito wouldn’t respond to the offer by email and wanted me at Auronzo for pre-season.
"In the end, I turned up at the training camp at night, and the next day, there were 5,000 fans ready to insult me. And usually, it was families there, not the ultras, who didn’t know anything about the situation."
That must have been really tough.
"Angelo Peruzzi came and told me to go and talk to the fans, but I refused, and after he insisted, I left the camp and convinced Lazio to let me go, after speaking with Inzaghi, who told me I was right.
"The next day, I went to Formello to sign the contract termination - they still owed me three months’ wages and the Europa League qualification bonus.
"But one of Lotito’s assistants worked so hard to deny me those payments that I left without collecting any of them. And my agent is still giving me grief about it. But I just couldn’t take it anymore."
Still, you had some important years in Rome, didn't you?
"The first year was about adapting, but then I think I had three excellent seasons. I remember that brace against Fiorentina, the only one of my career.
"And despite the complicated and painful farewell, I’ll never close the door, because if one day Lotito calls me to coach Lazio, of course I’ll go!"
When you arrived at Milan, there was that 'Forza Lazio' moment that caused a stir.
"I’d arrived the night before after two incredibly intense days. The next day, I did the tests at Milan Lab, which are very demanding physically, and I had just had about forty days of holiday without any specific training.
"I was under a lot of stress, and I even threw up at the end of the tests. As I was leaving, someone - not even a real fan - asked me for a greeting and I said that 'Forza Lazio', which went down in history, especially because it was caught on camera. But nobody knew what had happened before."
Your discoverer, Tare, now works with Milan.
"When you work with a foreign ownership, it’s not easy, but if he’s given space and time, he can do very well."
You were less fortunate at Milan, for various reasons, weren't you?
"I had a lot of injuries, that has to be said. I never managed to win a league derby, but there was a 1-0 win in the Coppa Italia that I remember fondly."
On your Milan side, there were already Rafael Leao and Matteo Gabbia, now both regular starters.
"I remember Gabbia once got a real telling-off from Ibra after a mistake, as he often did, and he responded. Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) did it to bring out the character in his teammates.
"And after Gabbia answered back, he said: 'That’s what I wanted to see from you.'"
What do you think of Leao?
"For me, he can be a player at another level. But the problem is, he has to believe it himself first; otherwise, we could have another case like Joao Felix.
"Such talent that never fully explodes because of his own choices… He needs to change and stop putting limits on himself."
Let’s finish with Ibra, who came to Milan almost at the end of his career and won again.
"Soon after he arrived, the COVID pandemic hit, and the club started saying salaries needed to be cut.
"His response was clear: 'I played for Berlusconi’s Milan, and I’m not giving up a single euro. You can go bankrupt for all I care.'"
Now he’s a director, though not as central as last year...
"I think he’s realised he needs to learn to delegate and can’t do everything himself. Now he’s got someone like Tare alongside him, so he’s rightly stepped back a bit.
"On the pitch, he was extraordinary, with a unique mentality."
You’ve played with strikers like Lionel Messi, Ibrahimovic, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Miroslav Klose, just to name a few. Who would you always want on your team?
"Apart from Messi, of course, I’d say Higuain."