#AskPellegrini: The midfielder on his best goals, dreams for Roma and more

After rounding up the best fan questions, we sat down with midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini for a live Facebook interview on Thursday afternoon.

The Italy international, a Roma native who rejoined his boyhood club in the summer, certainly had plenty to talk about.

See everything he had to say in the transcript below.

Interviewer: What's your personal objective for the season?

Pellegrini: “Firstly, to improve as a player and hopefully to enjoy a bit of success too – both on a personal level and as a team. It would be amazing for our fans if we could go all the way and lift a trophy come the end of the season.”

Have you thought about what it will be like when you score your first goal at the Olimpico?

“Sure, you do think about it. I joke about it with my family and that. I hope it happens soon because it's something I really, really want.”

Would you fancy following in the footsteps of Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi?

“This one's easy! Daniele and Francesco are Roma legends and of course being Roman myself I'd be honoured to achieve just half of what they've done. Here's hoping!”

Apart from Totti and De Rossi, which player have you always admired?

“When I was a kid I used to love Ronaldinho because he was always so cheerful and seemed to love his football. It made you want to get out there and play yourself with the same chirpy attitude. Plus, he was a real game-changer for years. He was the happy side of football. All Brazilians are like that though – it's the same with the lads we have here.”

Which is the best goal you've ever scored?

“The one everyone remembers here at Roma, from my time in the academy, is when I scored against Manchester City. That was my best at youth level. As a pro, I really liked the one I scored against AC Milan at San Siro last season. Not that it did much good, mind, because we ended up losing 4-3...”

Which former Primavera team-mate have you stayed closest to?

“I've kept in touch with loads of them, actually. But if I have to name one it's got to be [Arturo] Calabrese. We were always very close and still are. We had some fantastic times together and it's nice that we're still in touch. Sadly we don't get to meet very often now because he's in La Spezia but he's a really great guy.”

Do you see yourself more as a box-to-box midfielder or do you prefer operating in the holding role?

“I've always said that for the time being I prefer having a licence to get forward. I have more freedom, can get up into the box and try to score this goal everyone keeps asking me for! That's my preferred position but if I'm needed in the holding role I'm happy to play there too.”

How did you feel when you realised you were coming back to Roma?

“It came about over quite a long time because there was talk of Roma putting in an offer for me in January. By the time we got to May I knew it was going to happen because they wanted me and I knew what I wanted. I spoke to Monchi and that made me feel more relaxed too. When it came to sitting down for talks, it all went very smoothly.”

What's your favourite film?

“My favourite film is 'Law Abiding Citizen' but I won't say any more or I'll ruin it for you. Just watch it – it's amazing.”

What's your favourite food?

“That's a really tough one. I can tell you the one thing I missed more than anything when I was in Modena: chicory. They sell you stuff they call chicory there but it's not the same as in Rome. It's fake chicory. There's a bunch of Roma lads up in Modena and they must be missing it too. We should get some sent up to them... The food in Modena is delicious, though: tortellini, tigella, ham. They just don't have chicory.”

So can we say chicory is your favourite food?

“Yes.”

Not cacio e pepe or carbonara like everyone else?

“Nah, none of that commercial stuff!”

What do you think is your best attribute both on the pitch and off it?

“Well, I think you should always be yourself. Don't change for other people. Say what you think. Obviously that's not enough on its own when you're out on the pitch. But generally you should always try to be yourself.”

Who's the rowdiest in the dressing room and who's the biggest prankster?

“Well, [Alessandro] Florenzi comes to mind – not because he's always fooling around but he laughs a lot. He cheers you up. You might be heading out to the pitch in not the best of moods and you look at him and he picks you up immediately. Ale's such an important figure in the dressing room.”

Who have you bonded most with?

“[Stephan] El Shaarawy, for lots of reasons. Firstly, because we're of a similar age, We room together the night before games. We went away on international duty together too. Stephan's great.”

How did you feel when you got your first call-up to the senior Italy squad?

“I was thrilled because I really wasn't expecting it. I was getting ready for the U21 Euros. It was a really big moment for me but at the start I didn't think I'd actually get to play. I saw it more as a reward after the good season I'd had. I thought I'd go there, get to know the lads and see what it was like. I ended up playing the full 90 minutes against Liechtenstein, which was amazing. You never forget your debut.

"Three days later we set off for the Euros in Poland, which sadly didn't go as we'd hoped. It was disappointing because we really felt we could go all the way.”

Why do you have the number 37 on your hands and why isn't it your shirt number?

“I have it on my hands because it's a place you don't notice initially if you don't know the person, whereas I can see it every day. I only need to look down. It's a very important number in my life for lots of reasons. I won't list them all but it's the year my grandma was born, for example. She's really important to me. But there are lots of little reasons. I didn't choose it as my shirt number because I don't think your shirt number necessarily has to be something so personal. Plus, I like having a single number: at Sassuolo I had No.6 and here I've got No.7, which is Bruno Conti's number – a nice number and a prestigious one too.”

Matteo asks if you're happy to have been a part of his all-conquering fantasy football team last season.

“Well done, Matteo. I hope you picked me this year too and I'll try to help you win again.”

Do you get that from friends and relatives? Do they say things like, “Look, you're in my fantasy football team so you'd better perform”?

“They sure do. It's incredible. When it gets to the end of August, early September time everyone starts saying things like, 'This is going to be your year, I know it. Best of luck – make sure you do good!' When I ask what they're on about they say, 'I've got you in my fantasy football team and I spent this much on you...' I'm like, 'Look, I'm getting more aggro from you than the coach!'”

Which team-mate has impressed you most in training so far?

“The player I've been most impressed by is Edin [Dzeko]. For a start, I know him personally so I can tell you he's a smashing lad. He never says a word wrong. But he's a real force of nature and I just think he's an amazing player. Before the game against Inter I was asked which Inter player I liked most and I said [Mauro] Icardi, but Icardi wouldn't get in the team here because we've got Edin.

"I think he's phenomenal. Everything about him – not just as a player, but in general. He's the guy I've been most impressed by.”