From Cagliari to Rome: Mauro Esposito reflects on his Giallorossi spell

“If I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I 'd choose Roma every time – even though I had the option of joining Inter, who were winning league titles at the time.”

Mauro Esposito joined Roma from Cagliari in the summer of 2007 as a highly talented, right-footed forward who had scored a hatful of goals in Sardinia and earned himself an Italy call-up. He and Antonio Langella – who played on the opposite flank – were two of the most impressive players in Serie A the previous season.

Esposito seemed to be a perfect fit for Luciano Spalletti's Roma, who played with pacy, technical players operating along the front line. He explains: “The coach called me several times to convince me to join, as did Daniele Prade and Bruno Conti. It was a dream come true for me to sign for a big club like Roma.”

Then what happened?

“Bad luck really. I had some fitness problems which meant I wasn't able to find consistency and play as I'd have liked. My time at Roma is the part of my career I have the most regrets about. I worked so hard to earn the right to pull on that shirt and be part of such a big club.

"Sadly I joined at a particular point of my career: I'd injured my knee at Cagliari and hadn't recovered fully. I went on the pre-season training camp but hardly did anything. I started pre-season later than the others but Spalletti still showed faith in my initially, albeit from the bench. And he handed me my Champions League debut.”

It wasn't enough though, was it?

“No. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to make an impact on games – just 20 or 30 minutes each time. Then I missed that sitter against Man United. I'm sure lots of fans still remember that mistake – to this day they still remind me of it.”

It wasn't a costly mistake, though. It was the second group match and Roma went on to reach the knockout stages.

“That's true but moments like that leave a mark on your career. I had a few good games after that – a backheel for [Francesco] Totti in a 4-0 win against Parma a few days before the away game at Real, but not much more.”

How much do you regret it? Would you make the same decision again?

“Definitely. I had the choice between Roma and Inter but I wanted Roma 100%. I was going to play with Totti for Spalletti. Plus, Rome is very similar to Naples, and since I never got the chance to go back and play in my hometown, I wanted to go to Rome and Roma. So I did. Of course it wasn't easy to force my way into such a well-oiled team, although I never really got a fair crack of the whip.”

You never really managed to reach the heights of your time at Cagliari anywhere else, did you?

“I had some fantastic years in Sardinia. I spent six seasons there – the longest spell I had at any club. Three superb seasons in Serie B and three in Serie A. I don't think I had a single bad year. I scored 50 goals in Serie B and we got promoted to the top flight. I was called up to the Italy squad too. All my hard work and sacrifices paid off having started with nothing.”

Tell us about it.

“I left my family at the age of 12 to go from Naples to Pescara and I only saw my parents when they came to watch my games at the weekend. I owe them so much as they always backed my choices. I had nothing, but I did have a dream. It was my desire and passion for the game, my will to improve every day and make a name for myself, that helped me make it to Serie A. And those are the same values I try to instil in the kids I coach in the Pescara academy now.”

Which age group?

“The Under-13s. It's great to be able to teach something to youngsters. It's not always easy, though – especially nowadays as kids of 13-14 already have everything and it's easy for them to lose their way or get distracted. Instead of focusing on their football, they have their phones and social media. You have to work very hard with them on that.”

Did you always want to go into coaching?

“No, actually. I didn't think it was a route I'd go down. I've lived in Pescara for years. It was like coming full circle. I started out in the Pescara academy and now I'm back here. I plan to keep on with the kids. I really enjoy working with them. They listen to you and it's very rewarding when you're able to give them something. I don't feel the same about working with the first team. I tried it for a few months with [Massimo] Epifani after [Zdenek] Zeman was sacked. After that I realised it would be better for me to go back to the kids.”

It's Roma v Cagliari on Wednesday – two of your teams facing off.

“Roma go into it as favourites but it won't be easy for them to win. Roma are doing well. They were excellent in the first half at Atalanta then faded. I expect it will be an open game. [Eusebio] Di Francesco is a really good coach but Cagliari are struggling a bit to strike the right balance and get results. Roma will be hurting and they'll be desperate to bounce back after losing to Atalanta.”

"Con il Cagliari vedremo una Roma ferita, che vorrà fare risultato"

- Mauro Esposito