Dubbed “Mini Vinnie” for his similarities to Socceroo midfielder Vince Grella, Carl Valeri has been quietly learning his trade in Italy’s lower leagues with Grosseto
As far as comparisons go, being likened to Vincenzo Grella is a pretty good one.
It started when then-Socceroo coach Graham Arnold called little-known Grosseto midfielder Carl Valeri a natural successor to Grella’s crown in the build up to the Asian Cup last year.
Being compared to the Torino hardman and established Socceroo certainly made people sit up and take notice of the 23-year-old who had been toiling away in relative obscurity in Italy’s Serie C1. Who was this guy with such a big rep? How did he end up in the Italian lower leagues? And where the hell is Grosseto anyway?
“No, I don’t mind the comparison at all,” says Valeri. “I take it as a compliment. Vinnie is a player I look up to because he took the path that I’m on. He started at the AIS and then went over to Italy to play his football, so to be called “Mini Vinnie” is an honour for me!
“To play his role in the Socceroos, it’s pretty big shoes to fill. But I’m not sure if we’re similar players. I think Vinnie is technically better than me at the moment, but hopefully I can get better and be at his level soon and hopefully play alongside him one day.”
Teaming up with Grella in the heart of the Socceroos is just one of many goals for the Canberra-born midfielder who has preferred to take a slow and steady apprenticeship at less fashionable clubs rather than settle for warming the bench for a glamour team.
After being picked up as an 18-year-old by Inter Milan, he was sent out on loan to regional sides SPAL and Grosseto and cut his footballing teeth in the down and dirty Italian lower leagues. It’s a route he’s comfortable with and one he feels has made him a better player.
“For me it’s important to play,” he notes. “I didn’t want to go back to Inter and be lost in the books of players they have – they have over 60 players under contract and that doesn’t include their first team squad. I didn’t want to get lost, I wanted to feel important in a team and I wanted to be pushed by a team. I knew that Grosseto was the right place to do that. And I’m still learning about the game every day I play.”
How was it growing up as a footballing kid in Canberra?
It wasn’t too bad actually. I played my football at Tuggeranong United which is a local football club [read about Tuggeranong on page 84] and I always dreamed of being a football player. But I never realised I was any good until I started making the ACT rep teams and I was selected for the U17 Joeys camps. I was put into the ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS) with Ray Junna and that’s where I started to learn football. It was awesome because I was playing good quality football – I think I was about three years younger than most of the players I was up against and they were all good players in the Canberra football scene.
And the Canberra football scene is pretty good isn’t it?
It’s actually really good and it’s a shame that there’s no place for the younger Canberra players to go on to professionally. Pretty much, if you don’t make ACTAS or the AIS, then you’re limited in what you can do. It’s tough because I grew up with a lot of good players and there were a lot of guys who worked just as hard as I did and weren’t able to take the next step. Sometimes, I think if there was something for the players to go on to in Canberra, you would have a lot more pros coming through the ranks.
Your dad Walter was a big personality in the Canberra football scene as a player and coach. Did he have a big influence on you?
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see him play in his prime but he tells me that he was fantastic, which he tells a lot of people! But my main memory of him playing is me going to his games at the local league and kicking the ball around on the sideline. I don’t remember watching him too much. He was also my coach in U11s when I was 10 and [Perth Glory’s] Nikolai Topor-Stanley was in that team as well. He also coached at a pretty high level in the ACT, as well at ACTAS (ACT Academy of Sport) when it first started up. To have my dad as a coach was awesome, he’s always been helping me out as a player and has always been there – I went through some tough times, especially after the Olympics, but without him and the rest of my family I wouldn’t be on the path I am today.
So how does a young Canberran footballer end up getting picked up by Inter Milan?
Well it helped that I had an Italian passport as well! How it came about was that they had shown interest in me after the U17 World Cup – goalkeeper Nathan Coe and myself had both made the FIFA World XI from that tournament and they bought both of us at the end of the tournament. I was signed by Inter just before I turned 18 but I stayed an extra year at the AIS and then made the move to Italy.
Other than trips with the Australian teams, this was the first time I was away from home and it was a bit tough at first. I’m a very family-oriented kind of person so it was hard, but I spoke to my parents nearly every day and my mates every week so that helped. Also going over there with Nathan Coe really helped me a lot. But it was tough.
To be accepted by a group of Italians that are considered to be the best in the country – because Inter traditionally buys the best young talent – was hard, especially coming from Australia which doesn’t have a great footballing background. It took us a while to prove ourselves – actually it took me a whole year to get the confidence to play my best football consistently. So I struggled after the first year, but in the second one I came back with a different mentality.
Tony Popovic told us recently that some of the A-League players would get a real culture shock about the competitive, cut-throat nature of the game over in Europe. Did you experience that while you were there?
Definitely. Although we were all young players you could still sense it in the air. I was used to playing the little six-a-side games in training and having a bit of a laugh – obviously being upset when you lost but not taking it too seriously. But I remember one time in Italy I made a mistake in one of the little games and we ended up losing 3-2 and the guys on my team didn’t speak to me for about a week because of that. Just little things like that show you what a big step up you are making. Everyone is fighting for their position and a place in the team, so people aren’t going to be smiling and patting you on the back all the time. But that’s just the way it is. You really have to put yourself out there, show your personality a bit and then you’re more likely to be accepted by those around you. And when I was able to do that and get my confidence it was fine and I fitted in. Now I fit in great with the players – I’ve met some fantastic players and made some great friends during my six years in Italy.
After signing for Inter, you were sent out on loan to the lower leagues to get some match experience. By the sound of it, that’s been successful for you…
Yeah, it has. The first team I went to after the Olympics in Greece was SPAL, which is in C1, and I had no idea about the team – Inter just advised me to go there and get regular football which was good at the time. I went there and it took a little time to fit in, because sometimes I’m a shy person and my Italian maybe wasn’t as fluent as it should have been. For the first seven or eight games I just sat in the stands and then I finally made a decision to give it everything I had – if it didn’t work then I could go home or change clubs, but I made sure I was going to give it a real go.
I started training well and fitting in with the players and got a place in the first team. I ended up playing 25 games that season. The coach at the time – Massimiliano Allegri – moved to Grosseto and he wanted me to come with him, so that’s how I ended up there. Last year we won the league to take us to Serie B, which is the first time the club has been this high in Italian football. The last game of the season we had to win – there was one point between the top three teams. I had worked hard all season and
I don’t get to score many goals so for me that was an awesome feeling. I was in the right spot at the right time. It wasn’t the most beautiful of goals but when you score an important goal in a must-win game to win the championship, it doesn’t matter how it goes in. It was a great honour to be part of the team to take them to Serie B for the first time, and I really feel part of the city now.
How are the fans? Are they as rowdy as their Serie A counterparts?
They’re very passionate, although there’s not as many of them compared to the bigger clubs here. They travel all sorts of long distances to watch us play and give us lots of support. We had a party after we won the championship and we came into the stadium and it was packed. Pretty much the whole city was inside – it looked like the stadium was about to collapse! It was an awesome moment for me to win something like that – I can’t even imagine what it must feel like winning the Serie A or a Champions League final…
How’s the standard of football in the lower divisions in Italy. Is it all blood and thunder or do teams try and play proper football?
It’s definitely a war – every game is a war. Very few games we actually get to play at our pace and dictate the game. Honestly it’s a really tough league and it’s full of good players who maybe didn’t quite make it in Serie A, so they playing in Serie B. Grosseto are doing well considering it’s our first season in Serie B. Unfortunately we’ve changed a lot of players from last year’s team – there’s only four left – but the new players are settling in well and we all get along well off the pitch. For me that’s really important because being alone a lot of the time, they’re your mates. We’re where we want to be – we want to stay in Serie B and that’s our objective for the season. We went the first three games without a point and our president, who is quite a personality, sacked the coach but Stefano Pioli is now our coach – he coached Parma in Serie A and we’re doing quite well now. The team have always been behind me – they have bought me outright from Inter now and have made me vice-captain which is a great honour. I’m really happy here – I couldn’t think of a better place to start playing football in Italy.
Going onto playing for Australia, you were thrown into the deep end a little with your debut against China last year. Any nerves?
I was a little nervous. I remember looking at a photo of myself outside the changing room and I looked really nervous, looking back at it. But as soon as I ran out onto the pitch and thought about what I was going to do, the nerves went away. I was too focused to be really nervous. Some players do get nervous before a game but I just think about my job, what I have to do for the team and how I’m going to go about doing it.
I was lucky to get that chance because not a lot of players in the third league in Italy get a chance to play for the Socceroos. Mentally and physically I was ready to take my chance. The game is a bit of a blur when I look back on it. Normally the night of the game I’m up late and I can’t get to sleep because I’m thinking about all the mistakes I’ve made. I remember calling my parents to speak to them as it was something that I dreamed of and worked for my whole career. It was a fantastic experience and I’ll never forget that day… even if I can’t remember much of the game!Well you must have been doing something right as you got a spot in the Socceroos Asian Cup squad…
That was a fantastic experience that I wasn’t expecting at all. It came as a real surprise to me. It capped off a fantastic year for me. In the Asian Cup I learned a lot. Maybe we didn’t do as well as a team but I definitely learned a lot as a player. Unfortunately I didn’t get to play but I was able to take in so many little things by watching and working with all the players in the squad that I have looked up to over the years.
You’re a part of the new wave of players coming through the ranks. How do you see them going and what do you feel will be your role?
I think there are some good players emerging. When you look at Scott McDonald, Josh Kennedy, Paddy Kisnorbo, Brett Holman… we’ve got some guys playing in the best leagues in Europe coming through. I think the batch that is coming through is fantastic. I played alongside these guys at U17s and Olympic qualifiers and they’re accomplished players. You’ve also got a lot of younger players who can still mature and get overseas and make a name for themselves. As for me, I just want to get on the pitch. There’s talk about me being Vince Grella’s replacement but I believe that I can play alongside him, not just as his replacement when he’s not there. For me I just want to be in the starting XI wherever that may be and if that’s alongside Vinnie then fantastic.
And you’re looking forward to coming back home for some more World Cup qualifiers after getting a bit of a run out against Qatar?
Definitely. Some players look at all the travel and midweek games as a negative but I’m all positive about coming back and playing for my country as I know that it will be a chance for me to show what I can do and prove myself. I’m definitely looking forward to it but I’m not holding my breath because I know that World Cup qualifying games are really important and Pim will want his best team out there. For me to play against Qatar was great. I only played for half an hour, but I did what I had to do.
How is Grosseto with all the travelling you have to do?
They’re really happy for me individually but for the team they’re not so happy. For example, for the Qatar game against Melbourne, I played for them on Saturday, left on Sunday, trained Tuesday with the Socceroos, played 30 minutes against Qatar on Wednesday night, got back to Italy Friday and then played a full 90 minutes for Grosseto on Saturday. So it was pretty tough, especially as we had a midweek game on the following Tuesday as well. I didn’t play too badly though because one thing I think we are very good with in Australia is the physiotherapy and how we look after players. So I felt OK when it was time to play in Italy again. And I think it was really good for Grosseto to see that I can make the trip and still play well for them when I get back. They’re a bit more open to letting me go now they’ve seen it doesn’t harm me too much.
And what’s in the future for you?
I feel I’m growing. My dreams and my goals are to make it into Serie A and make the next step – there’s been a lot of talk about it but nothing for certain, so I’m just going to keep working hard and keep learning, even if it does mean I play another season in Serie B.
It started when then-Socceroo coach Graham Arnold called little-known Grosseto midfielder Carl Valeri a natural successor to Grella’s crown in the build up to the Asian Cup last year.
Being compared to the Torino hardman and established Socceroo certainly made people sit up and take notice of the 23-year-old who had been toiling away in relative obscurity in Italy’s Serie C1. Who was this guy with such a big rep? How did he end up in the Italian lower leagues? And where the hell is Grosseto anyway?
“No, I don’t mind the comparison at all,” says Valeri. “I take it as a compliment. Vinnie is a player I look up to because he took the path that I’m on. He started at the AIS and then went over to Italy to play his football, so to be called “Mini Vinnie” is an honour for me!
“To play his role in the Socceroos, it’s pretty big shoes to fill. But I’m not sure if we’re similar players. I think Vinnie is technically better than me at the moment, but hopefully I can get better and be at his level soon and hopefully play alongside him one day.”
Teaming up with Grella in the heart of the Socceroos is just one of many goals for the Canberra-born midfielder who has preferred to take a slow and steady apprenticeship at less fashionable clubs rather than settle for warming the bench for a glamour team.
After being picked up as an 18-year-old by Inter Milan, he was sent out on loan to regional sides SPAL and Grosseto and cut his footballing teeth in the down and dirty Italian lower leagues. It’s a route he’s comfortable with and one he feels has made him a better player.
“For me it’s important to play,” he notes. “I didn’t want to go back to Inter and be lost in the books of players they have – they have over 60 players under contract and that doesn’t include their first team squad. I didn’t want to get lost, I wanted to feel important in a team and I wanted to be pushed by a team. I knew that Grosseto was the right place to do that. And I’m still learning about the game every day I play.”
How was it growing up as a footballing kid in Canberra?
It wasn’t too bad actually. I played my football at Tuggeranong United which is a local football club [read about Tuggeranong on page 84] and I always dreamed of being a football player. But I never realised I was any good until I started making the ACT rep teams and I was selected for the U17 Joeys camps. I was put into the ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS) with Ray Junna and that’s where I started to learn football. It was awesome because I was playing good quality football – I think I was about three years younger than most of the players I was up against and they were all good players in the Canberra football scene.
And the Canberra football scene is pretty good isn’t it?
It’s actually really good and it’s a shame that there’s no place for the younger Canberra players to go on to professionally. Pretty much, if you don’t make ACTAS or the AIS, then you’re limited in what you can do. It’s tough because I grew up with a lot of good players and there were a lot of guys who worked just as hard as I did and weren’t able to take the next step. Sometimes, I think if there was something for the players to go on to in Canberra, you would have a lot more pros coming through the ranks.
Your dad Walter was a big personality in the Canberra football scene as a player and coach. Did he have a big influence on you?
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see him play in his prime but he tells me that he was fantastic, which he tells a lot of people! But my main memory of him playing is me going to his games at the local league and kicking the ball around on the sideline. I don’t remember watching him too much. He was also my coach in U11s when I was 10 and [Perth Glory’s] Nikolai Topor-Stanley was in that team as well. He also coached at a pretty high level in the ACT, as well at ACTAS (ACT Academy of Sport) when it first started up. To have my dad as a coach was awesome, he’s always been helping me out as a player and has always been there – I went through some tough times, especially after the Olympics, but without him and the rest of my family I wouldn’t be on the path I am today.
So how does a young Canberran footballer end up getting picked up by Inter Milan?
Well it helped that I had an Italian passport as well! How it came about was that they had shown interest in me after the U17 World Cup – goalkeeper Nathan Coe and myself had both made the FIFA World XI from that tournament and they bought both of us at the end of the tournament. I was signed by Inter just before I turned 18 but I stayed an extra year at the AIS and then made the move to Italy.
Other than trips with the Australian teams, this was the first time I was away from home and it was a bit tough at first. I’m a very family-oriented kind of person so it was hard, but I spoke to my parents nearly every day and my mates every week so that helped. Also going over there with Nathan Coe really helped me a lot. But it was tough.
To be accepted by a group of Italians that are considered to be the best in the country – because Inter traditionally buys the best young talent – was hard, especially coming from Australia which doesn’t have a great footballing background. It took us a while to prove ourselves – actually it took me a whole year to get the confidence to play my best football consistently. So I struggled after the first year, but in the second one I came back with a different mentality.
Tony Popovic told us recently that some of the A-League players would get a real culture shock about the competitive, cut-throat nature of the game over in Europe. Did you experience that while you were there?
Definitely. Although we were all young players you could still sense it in the air. I was used to playing the little six-a-side games in training and having a bit of a laugh – obviously being upset when you lost but not taking it too seriously. But I remember one time in Italy I made a mistake in one of the little games and we ended up losing 3-2 and the guys on my team didn’t speak to me for about a week because of that. Just little things like that show you what a big step up you are making. Everyone is fighting for their position and a place in the team, so people aren’t going to be smiling and patting you on the back all the time. But that’s just the way it is. You really have to put yourself out there, show your personality a bit and then you’re more likely to be accepted by those around you. And when I was able to do that and get my confidence it was fine and I fitted in. Now I fit in great with the players – I’ve met some fantastic players and made some great friends during my six years in Italy.
After signing for Inter, you were sent out on loan to the lower leagues to get some match experience. By the sound of it, that’s been successful for you…
Yeah, it has. The first team I went to after the Olympics in Greece was SPAL, which is in C1, and I had no idea about the team – Inter just advised me to go there and get regular football which was good at the time. I went there and it took a little time to fit in, because sometimes I’m a shy person and my Italian maybe wasn’t as fluent as it should have been. For the first seven or eight games I just sat in the stands and then I finally made a decision to give it everything I had – if it didn’t work then I could go home or change clubs, but I made sure I was going to give it a real go.
I started training well and fitting in with the players and got a place in the first team. I ended up playing 25 games that season. The coach at the time – Massimiliano Allegri – moved to Grosseto and he wanted me to come with him, so that’s how I ended up there. Last year we won the league to take us to Serie B, which is the first time the club has been this high in Italian football. The last game of the season we had to win – there was one point between the top three teams. I had worked hard all season and
I don’t get to score many goals so for me that was an awesome feeling. I was in the right spot at the right time. It wasn’t the most beautiful of goals but when you score an important goal in a must-win game to win the championship, it doesn’t matter how it goes in. It was a great honour to be part of the team to take them to Serie B for the first time, and I really feel part of the city now.
How are the fans? Are they as rowdy as their Serie A counterparts?
They’re very passionate, although there’s not as many of them compared to the bigger clubs here. They travel all sorts of long distances to watch us play and give us lots of support. We had a party after we won the championship and we came into the stadium and it was packed. Pretty much the whole city was inside – it looked like the stadium was about to collapse! It was an awesome moment for me to win something like that – I can’t even imagine what it must feel like winning the Serie A or a Champions League final…
How’s the standard of football in the lower divisions in Italy. Is it all blood and thunder or do teams try and play proper football?
It’s definitely a war – every game is a war. Very few games we actually get to play at our pace and dictate the game. Honestly it’s a really tough league and it’s full of good players who maybe didn’t quite make it in Serie A, so they playing in Serie B. Grosseto are doing well considering it’s our first season in Serie B. Unfortunately we’ve changed a lot of players from last year’s team – there’s only four left – but the new players are settling in well and we all get along well off the pitch. For me that’s really important because being alone a lot of the time, they’re your mates. We’re where we want to be – we want to stay in Serie B and that’s our objective for the season. We went the first three games without a point and our president, who is quite a personality, sacked the coach but Stefano Pioli is now our coach – he coached Parma in Serie A and we’re doing quite well now. The team have always been behind me – they have bought me outright from Inter now and have made me vice-captain which is a great honour. I’m really happy here – I couldn’t think of a better place to start playing football in Italy.
Going onto playing for Australia, you were thrown into the deep end a little with your debut against China last year. Any nerves?
I was a little nervous. I remember looking at a photo of myself outside the changing room and I looked really nervous, looking back at it. But as soon as I ran out onto the pitch and thought about what I was going to do, the nerves went away. I was too focused to be really nervous. Some players do get nervous before a game but I just think about my job, what I have to do for the team and how I’m going to go about doing it.
I was lucky to get that chance because not a lot of players in the third league in Italy get a chance to play for the Socceroos. Mentally and physically I was ready to take my chance. The game is a bit of a blur when I look back on it. Normally the night of the game I’m up late and I can’t get to sleep because I’m thinking about all the mistakes I’ve made. I remember calling my parents to speak to them as it was something that I dreamed of and worked for my whole career. It was a fantastic experience and I’ll never forget that day… even if I can’t remember much of the game!Well you must have been doing something right as you got a spot in the Socceroos Asian Cup squad…
That was a fantastic experience that I wasn’t expecting at all. It came as a real surprise to me. It capped off a fantastic year for me. In the Asian Cup I learned a lot. Maybe we didn’t do as well as a team but I definitely learned a lot as a player. Unfortunately I didn’t get to play but I was able to take in so many little things by watching and working with all the players in the squad that I have looked up to over the years.
You’re a part of the new wave of players coming through the ranks. How do you see them going and what do you feel will be your role?
I think there are some good players emerging. When you look at Scott McDonald, Josh Kennedy, Paddy Kisnorbo, Brett Holman… we’ve got some guys playing in the best leagues in Europe coming through. I think the batch that is coming through is fantastic. I played alongside these guys at U17s and Olympic qualifiers and they’re accomplished players. You’ve also got a lot of younger players who can still mature and get overseas and make a name for themselves. As for me, I just want to get on the pitch. There’s talk about me being Vince Grella’s replacement but I believe that I can play alongside him, not just as his replacement when he’s not there. For me I just want to be in the starting XI wherever that may be and if that’s alongside Vinnie then fantastic.
And you’re looking forward to coming back home for some more World Cup qualifiers after getting a bit of a run out against Qatar?
Definitely. Some players look at all the travel and midweek games as a negative but I’m all positive about coming back and playing for my country as I know that it will be a chance for me to show what I can do and prove myself. I’m definitely looking forward to it but I’m not holding my breath because I know that World Cup qualifying games are really important and Pim will want his best team out there. For me to play against Qatar was great. I only played for half an hour, but I did what I had to do.
How is Grosseto with all the travelling you have to do?
They’re really happy for me individually but for the team they’re not so happy. For example, for the Qatar game against Melbourne, I played for them on Saturday, left on Sunday, trained Tuesday with the Socceroos, played 30 minutes against Qatar on Wednesday night, got back to Italy Friday and then played a full 90 minutes for Grosseto on Saturday. So it was pretty tough, especially as we had a midweek game on the following Tuesday as well. I didn’t play too badly though because one thing I think we are very good with in Australia is the physiotherapy and how we look after players. So I felt OK when it was time to play in Italy again. And I think it was really good for Grosseto to see that I can make the trip and still play well for them when I get back. They’re a bit more open to letting me go now they’ve seen it doesn’t harm me too much.
And what’s in the future for you?
I feel I’m growing. My dreams and my goals are to make it into Serie A and make the next step – there’s been a lot of talk about it but nothing for certain, so I’m just going to keep working hard and keep learning, even if it does mean I play another season in Serie B.
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