Udinese defender Kinglsey Ehizibue sat down with Serie A ahead of Matchday 30 to speak about joining Udinese, playing in Serie A, Dutch footballers who have played in Italy, and the final part of the campaign.
Joining Udinese & Playing in Serie A
Italy is the birthplace of many of the game’s finest defenders. Legends were forged on Serie A fields and their tales inspired the generations to come. That’s why center-backs and full-backs from all over the world come to Serie A. Take Ehizibue, who’s been manning Udinese’s right flank this season.
“Of course, when I was in Germany or in Holland, I was following Serie A always. I really loved the competition and I’m thankful to play here, Udinese gave me the chance to play here in Serie A so I’m thankful for that. Serie A has a lot of great fullbacks, Dumfries is also a friend of mine and Udogie, a teammate of mine, I just see his qualities, he’s a really good player. I know – the first week I was here I thought “This guy is sprinting a lot, he’s running back and forward” I did the same 2 or 3 times and I was breathing heavily, he was still going, it’s a good thing, to be honest.”
Dutch Footballers in Italy
Serie A has always attracted extraordinary Dutch talents, those who inspired today’s Orange contingent.
“Seedorf, I enjoyed this guy. He’s so strong, so good, physical but also technical, such a good player and also Stam, Jaap Stam. He was also my coach in Holland, he inspired me a lot, he taught me defending, I always looked up to him because He really has a strong, good aura, so if you look at him you almost get afraid of him and you still had to impress him.”
The Final Stretch of the Campaign
The Dutch-Nigerian full-back took some time to adjust to Serie A, but now he’s playing a key role as Udinese seek to rediscover their early season sparkle.
“Yeah, we started great, then we had a little dip, a little difficult moment, but the thing is that we always believed in each other and we kept going on. And after some “ritiros” that we had, we came back on the winning side to come up after such a dip, it only makes you stronger.”