Italy's Barbara Bonansea on Women's EURO, her Juventus idols and her reading choice

Juventus and Italy forward Barbara Bonansea sat down for a chat with the @womensfootball team, and talked through her team's playing style, her favourite players and a goal that can still bring tears to her eyes.

How excited are you for the UEFA Women’s EURO coming up very shortly this summer?

I’m excited, and also my team-mates are excited to join the EURO this summer, and we are working a lot. We are happy. We feel good together. There is a good – how can I say? – a good harmony with the team. So, I don’t know. I’m excited to see what can happen.

I think our biggest strength is our passion, of course, and the relationship between all of us because we like to work together and we laugh a lot. I think we always fight until the end for each other.

Has Italy's victory at UEFA EURO 2020 increased the pressure on you?

I don’t know. I think not. I don’t feel the pressure. I feel the ambition and the hope on us. I would love to do something big, to win something big for Italy. So, why not? This summer could be a really good summer for us.

It was amazing for us seeing the men’s team win the EURO. I don’t know what to say. For me, it could be one of the most important things for me, if we can win. So, I’ll cross my fingers! I always dream big, so I’d love to say we can win and we will do everything for our team, but I really don’t know. I hope it will be a good summer for us.

Vivianne Miedema: "How can she be like that?"Getty Images

What other team in the EURO are you excited to see?

I think I’m excited to see the French team, because we have to play against them. Another team is Denmark, because we have two players at Juventus that play for Denmark, and we play against them and they are really good. But the draw was really tough for them, so I want to see what they can do.

How will it be to face my Juventus club-mates at international level? I don’t know: it could be interesting. We will face Pauline Peyraud-Magnin against France, so I hope we can score some goals against her, but she’s a really good goalkeeper, so I really don’t know.

Who is your favourite player?

Good question. I think Vivianne Miedema is a really good forward, and I like when she plays. She is always calm on the pitch. I like that, because I am always stressed on the pitch! So, I look at her like: "Wow, how can she be like that?"

Bonansea after scoring against Australia at the 2019 World CupAFP via Getty Images

What are your fondest memories of playing for Italy?

My favourite memory was in the [2019 FIFA Women’s] World Cup, when we played the first game against Australia, because nobody thought we could win this match. So, that was one of the best moments I had. I also scored, so it was amazing. I think with this game, people in Italy started to watch women’s football, so this was the best moment for me, I think.

What was my favourite goal for Italy? It was that goal against Australia – both of them. When I see this goal, I always get goosebumps and sometimes I cry. So, it’s something that will stay in my mind forever. I don’t look at my goals [often], but sometimes they come up on Instagram, so I like to watch it and remember the emotions of the moment. Also, sometimes when I’m a bit sad, I love to remember that scoring goals is something amazing.

What do you do in your spare time on camp?

Now, I am looking at houses, because I want to buy a house. I read books. I love to read and also watch films. What do I like to read? One of my favourite books is written by Dan Brown; The Da Vinci Code.

Bonansea: "I’m so, so lucky to play for my black-and-white team"©Juventus

Who was your favourite footballer as a child?

I had two players: it was Pippo [Filippo] Inzaghi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I’m a Juventus fan. I was a Juventus fan when I was a baby girl, so I’m still a Juventus fan, and I’m so, so lucky to play for my black-and-white team.

Five years ago, [Juventus weren't involved] in women’s football, so when [the team was set up], they asked me and also other players to join Juventus, and I said, instantly: "Yes! Yes, of course." It was like a dream come true. And also playing at the Juventus Stadium was something that can break my heart. It's difficult to explain.

Do you have a pre-match routine?

I had before, but now not so much. Something I always do is put my shin guards [on in a certain order]: [first] the left one then the right one. And also the shoes: I always put the left one then the right one. It’s something that can activate my brain to be ready for the game, but not something superstitious.