Ex-Italian midfielder ‘ran away from Atalanta boarding school’ to sign for Chelsea

Former Italian midfielder Samuele Dalla Bona reveals he ‘ran away from the Atalanta boarding school’ to sign for Chelsea in 1998 and recalls seeing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink eating carbonara before an important match: ‘Relax, I’ll score anyway.’

Former Italian midfielder Dalla Bona spoke about his time at Chelsea during an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

A product of the Atalanta Academy, Dalla Bona wasn’t even 18 when he joined Chelsea after the U16 Euros held in Scotland.

“It was May 1998. After losing the Final, I ran into Gianluca Vialli next to the team bus,” said Dalla Bona.

“He told me Chelsea were looking for strong young players and that he wanted me to join.”

Dalla Bona didn’t think twice about Vialli’s offer.

“It turned out into a mess. I ran away from the boarding school on the night of Ferragosto [August 15] to go sign in London,” he said.

Once in London, Dalla Bona crossed paths with somebody who would make Atalanta’s history a few years later, current CEO Luca Percassi.

“We lived there together, in a small apartment in Lancaster Gate, across from Hyde Park. Rain, wind, and football,” Dalla Bona recalled.

Dalla Bona, who also played for Milan, Bologna, Lecce, Sampdoria, Napoli and Verona in Serie A, decided to move abroad, but settling in a new country was not easy for him.

“Traumatic, I didn’t speak a word of English. Chelsea gave us a private teacher who didn’t know Italian and spoke at full speed. Sometimes I didn’t understand and I’d curse at him,” he said.

“But also earning the respect of others was tough. I made my debut under Vialli in 2000, but it was Ranieri who trusted me.

“I was 18, surrounded by people like Hasselbaink, Desailly, Zola, Di Matteo, my friend Cudicini, Wise, and Terry. Sometimes someone would look at me and think: ‘Who’s this guy?’”

Dalla Bona played 68 games under Ranieri at Chelsea, scoring six goals and providing four assists.

“In two years, I never heard him say ‘well done’, but he was a fundamental mentor,” said the ex-midfielder.

“Vialli as well. Before my debut, he called me while he was in the bathroom, on the toilet, and he told me he’d take me with him against Coventry. I was a bit embarrassed.”

Fair to say that Dalla Bona eventually ended up enjoying his time off the pitch as well in London.

“Once we went to a costume party outside London. The day after, Ranieri asked me: ‘What did you guys get up to?’ We were still out of it,” he concluded.

“At Chelsea, there were no training camps or diets. We Italians ate bresaola and a bit of risotto. I still remember Hasselbaink eating carbonara before an important match. Ranieri asked him what he was doing, and he replied: ‘Relax, I’ll score anyway.’”