The very young girl who has been wearing the red and white jersey for the past few months tells her story. Her favorite player? She plays for Barcelona.
Susanna Federiconi knows what it means to burn milestones: since joining Perugia Calcio Femminile in August 2019, she has played with the Under 17, Primavera, and was also called up to the first team where she was immediately a star player. To get to this point the class of 2002 had to sweat a lot: “I started playing at 5 years old with the boys in a team near home in Baiano, the Superga 48. Then I went to Spoleto where I stayed for 7 years. After that I played soccer first with the Ternana soccer team and then with the Picchi.”
The next step was Perugia: “The first game in the red and white was with the Primavera team away to Naples. The excitement was great because I was wearing an important jersey, I always saw Perugia as a team of depth and of the highest level. With the first team, on the other hand, I made my debut against Riozzese. Everything happened very quickly. I had been training with the first team for a week and then I played as a starter. I was happy because the coach gave me confidence right away but at the same time I knew I had been given an important task. It was a source of pride.” In her second appearance with the first team also came the goal that proved decisive for the 1-2 final: “There was a corner kick for us. We had rehearsed a scheme during the week, which we executed, and I hit the ball with my head and scored. To receive the affection of my teammates was nice.”
Over the years Susanna has changed positions on the field: “When I played with the boys I was a central defender, when I started playing in all-female groups they moved me to the three-quarter.” It is precisely to the world of mixed teams that a precious moment in Susanna’s soccer career is linked: “My fondest memory related to soccer is the last game I played with the boys. Playing with them made me grow so much, it was really emotional because I knew it would be the last match.”
The perfect game for Susanna is not so much about patterns but attitudes: “The important thing is for the team to be united and to put heart and grit into it. The group, thechemistry with teammates,helping each other in my opinion are the most important things in a team.” While from a personal point of view Susanna knows what the next step must be: “It’s only a few weeks that I have been training with the first team so I still lack some rhythm. From this point of view the difference with the first team is really big. I would like to improve this aspect. From a technical point of view you can always do more.” Susanna is inspired by “Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona because he is a young guy and has great personality and technique. I think we will hear a lot about him in the coming years.”
Despite her big soccer commitments Susanna manages to have the life of any girl her age: “When I’m not training I’m studying because I’m in the fourth year of scientific high school, then of course I go out with friends. I also like to watch TV series, my favorite being The House of Paper.”
Tuteri photo. Reproduction prohibited.