Newcastle Jets’ Italian recruit Marcello Fiorentini says he already feels at home after arriving at his new club on Thursday.
Fiorentini said he was surprised to find Newcastle was similar to his northern Italian home.
“Absolutely, I love this country, I love the weather. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, I’ve stayed before for one month in Australia and now I hope to stay as long as possible,” Fiorentini said.
After spending his formative years in the city of Roma in the youth setup of Serie A club SS Lazio, the 29-year-old has lived in the city of Brescia.
“Brescia is similar to Newcastle, it’s not so big but there we have no beach, but it’s nice and similar.”
“I was born in Roma, it’s a big city like Sydney but I found my true dimension in Brescia, which is a little smaller but you can find everything.”
The midfielder said the Jets’ tight-knit dressing room could be the catalyst for the team’s success in the new Hyundai A-League season.
“I don’t speak English very well, but the first thing I discovered was that (my teammates) try to help me, and that has been the top discovery for me. I love that because all of them have helped me with everything.”
“That’s what Branko (Culina) asked of the team, was that we make a good friendship to each other,” Fiorentini said.
Fiorentini, who will wear the number 17 jersey for the Jets, also has another link to his homeland through former Jets marquee player Fabio Vignaroli.
“I never met him, personally, but obviously I know of him and I know he has had a good career in Italy. My team-mates here told me he has done well here, he has just been unlucky about his injury.”
“In Italy 17 is an unlucky number and the history of the 17 here in Newcastle with Vignaroli is no good because he had a bad injury, but I want to change the history of the number, absolutely,” he said.
The Jets will begin their Hyundai A-League 2010/11 preparations on Thursday night when they take on start-up club Melbourne Heart in Morwell, Victoria for their first pre-season hit-out.
The team’s first pre-season match in Newcastle is on July 14 when the Jets will take on Northern NSW XI at Darling Street Oval.
