I trained under Roberto for a few years before leaving to play in France full-time by signing a contract at PSG’s youth academy (from U14 until the Reserves) and I can confirm that I was able to compete at the highest level thanks to his training methods and knowledge of the game. Roberto was able to quickly identify my strengths and weaknesses, not only as a player (technique, positioning, fitness, etc…), but as a human being as well (intelligence, instinct, attitude, etc…) and would never hesitate to talk to me about them in person or in front of everybody (especially if you take more than 3 touches in defense!). The journey with Roberto, whether it was in North America or in Europe, was some of the best (formative) football years in my life because he opened my eyes to what quality training and competition is. Only a coach like Roberto can truly prepare you for what’s out there in the football world (university level AND European level) because it’s extremely tough and not only do you need to be a technically gifted player to even think about having a career, but you also need to be mentally strong, open-minded to feedbacks (the coach is always right, even if the coach is wrong), and be positive. I wasn’t even the most talented player, but he (re)taught me the basics of football at every single training and made them second nature (ie. from learning how to control a ball, then eliminating two players with your first touch during a match). It was an honour to have Roberto as a coach and to have him actually watch me play for PSG’s U14, U16, U18 teams as well as the Pro reserves whenever he came to visit me in France all those years ago. To be honest, his coaching was actually better than some of the coaching I got in France and Italy! Anyways, long story short, it’s difficult to find a better coach than Roberto today, especially in Canada – so, don’t think twice!
