Alexis Saelemaekers has spoken to those at La Gazzetta dello Sport. Here are his words about his experience so far and also about leaving the Rossoneri team:
"It's very simple. I had lost joy and also trust in people... Motta, and with him Bologna, made me feel important again. I can't wait to show the player I am: unfiltered. Of course, the beginning wasn't easy..."
He added:
"I hadn't completed the full preparation before coming here. And as for the red card, well, I made a mistake: a player with several experiences shouldn't react like that. I'm not impulsive, but emotional, yes. I won't do it again, but..."
But... Where would Bologna be without those refereeing mistakes? Saelemaekers said:
"Just do the math. We would be higher. In the Europa League zone, that's it. I certainly don't understand how, with all the available technology, mistakes can still happen. No excuses though. Head held high."
How did Motta convince you to choose Bologna?
"We talked: I've never received words like his from a coach. I had lost joy, in the last year at Milan I didn't have much time to play or trust. I was down, that's it. 'You will be important for me,' he said to me in essence. Simplicity that brought back my smile. And made me feel like the person I was before."
If you hadn't become a footballer? Saelemaekers answered:
"I love animals. I would have studied veterinary medicine."
Did you always play football?
"I was a gymnast. When I was 8, the teachers told my parents they had never seen a child with that strength. The specialty? The parallel bars. I wasn't afraid of anything."
And how did you get into football? Saelemaekers said:
"I have a brother who's ten years older, but he couldn't balance studies and football well. My father Luc didn't want me to play, he had the unsuccessful example of my brother. When he, Jesse, came home one day saying he had joined a team, I started protesting. I was 11, and I said to Dad, 'Why can he and not me?' And Dad said, 'But I want you to study Flemish too.' We found a compromise and he took me to Beersel Dragenbos, a Flemish team. I started playing. But in the end, everyone spoke French, the other language..."
How many positions have you played since you started playing?
"I've even been a goalkeeper: now Motta knows, if something like with Giroud happens, I'm here... I've played right and left-back, midfielder everywhere, attacking midfielder, winger on both sides, goalkeeper, and striker. Just don't put me in central defense."
In an interview with a Belgian newspaper, you said: if Maldini were still at Milan, I would still be there.
"Let me explain: before he left, he and I talked and he told me he absolutely didn't want to let me go. That's all."
What does winning a Serie A title teach you?
"To want to win again. You know what? Even when I arrived at Milan at twenty, there was a situation similar to what I see here in Bologna, with the necessary proportions: a team with many talented young players, some experienced players, and a desire to grow, to progress. I hope it happens here too: I definitely believe that this team is strong, not only for the results but because an insane market has been made. And in the club, I see a great desire to climb."
Many think: in Bologna, there are the chromosomes of an Atalanta-like team... Saelemaekers replied:
"It depends on us, on our mentality. The potential is there."
As a child, which champion did you study?
"Cristiano Ronaldo."
You are very religious.
"Yes, faith helps me a lot. It makes me feel good, gives me stability, and pleasantness in relationships. Due to circumstances, I can't attend religious services, but I pray. I pray a lot."
Why has Belgium, full of talent, never won?
"Football is divided into two equal parts. 50% is you, the team, and what you determine individually; the other 50% is destiny, which you can't decide. The second has prevailed. But as Lukaku said: this generation is beautiful, sooner or later we will win."
Let's conclude: what do you dream for Bologna and for yourself?
"Europe for us. And to keep the rediscovered smile for myself."
