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Serie A great urges more British players to experience life in Italian league
John Charles may have been the first to venture to Serie A in the late 1950s, and later on, we saw the likes of Trevor Francis and Luther Blisset lead several names to the league before Paul Gascoigne and David Platt starred in the 90s, but they were mere cameos compared to the number of players currently playing in the division.
Scott McTominay is perhaps the poster boy, given what he's achieved at Napoli, but he's one of several names that have made a success of moving from England, with Jamie Vardy being the latest name strutting his stuff at Cremonese.
One man who had the same experience three decades ago was Paul Ince. The former England midfielder moved to Inter in the summer of 1995, one of the very few British players to try their luck in Serie A, which at the time was seen as the best league in the world.
Ince spent two years in Milan, helping them to a UEFA Cup final and achieving cult status with the San Siro fans. Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, on behalf of the Covers.com World Cup betting team, Ince looked back on his time in Italy and the players who are currently starring in Serie A.
“The Jamie Vardy transfer to Cremonese was a bit of a strange one – I can't believe no Premier League clubs came in for him!" he said.
"But for Vardy, at his age, to go and experience life in Italy… It’s brilliant, such a wonderful country to play football in.
“And for Scott McTominay, he’s really hit the ground running at Napoli. The fans absolutely adore him. He’s scoring goals, big goals too.
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“It’s a lot easier now for English players to move to Italy. In my time, when I went out there in the 1990s, it was tough because you had to learn the language and immerse yourself in the Italian culture. Nowadays, most players in European football can speak English, which makes it easier to settle.
“When I first went to Italy, the first two or three games were an absolute nightmare for me. I found it hard to settle into the style of football, too as my game was slightly different.
"Then I used to sit at the end of the table and everyone used to be speaking Italian, and I didn't know what they were saying, which can make you feel out of place. In the first couple of months, I wanted to come back home.
“Nowadays, it's easier. We saw it too when Jude Bellingham went to Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho as well. It's great for English players to go and have that wonderful experience. More players should be doing it, because it makes you grow up quickly, that's for sure.”
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