I saw Nedved every day in Rome, he was an excellent footballer, says Italian native living in Prague

His name is Massimo Montermini. He is a native Italian, a fan of AS Rome, but he has been living in Prague for years, where he works, found a partner and has three sons with her. He speaks Czech better than the former Prime Minister. And thanks to this knowledge, he met Czech Golden Ball Pavel Nedved. “As a footballer, Nedvěd was excellent,” Montermini is clear.

Can you describe a situation when you met Pavel Nedved in Rome?

He lived about a hundred metres from me. I had seen him once before, standing at a bus stop, walking past. We exchanged a few words, I was in a hurry to get to work, there was no more time. But then I met him at the grocery store where I was shopping with my mother.

Suddenly the butcher who worked there approached the others to see if anyone could help, saying that he didn’t understand the gentleman. He only spoke Italian. So I walked over and saw Pavel Nedved and his wife. I started to speak Czech, he just stared… He explained that he needed meat for goulash, so I translated it for him.

You didn’t exchange any more sentences?

I asked him how he liked it in my native Rome, he said yes, that he had a nice apartment and was happy. We also talked about the Czech coach, Zdeněk Zeman, who was coaching Lazio at the time, and he said he was glad to have his countryman here. And thanked him several times for his help. I just warned him not to score in the derby with AS, whom I support as a true Roman. Otherwise I’ll kill him..

Did you recognize Nedved immediately? Did you know he was coming from Košice to join rival Lazio?

I knew him well, I watched Euro 1996 in England in Rome. And even when Italy played the Czech Republic in the group and Nedved scored, I was rooting for the Czechs. More to piss off my friends. When they won 2-1, I went out on the streets of Rome with the Czech flag.

A typical Italian, a native of Rome, and he speaks Czech. Can you tell me how that happened?

It was my grandmother, who moved to the Czech Republic after the war with her sister, my great-aunt. My father was born in Znojmo in 1946. He was baptized Joseph, but they don’t call him Giusseppe, but Jozi or Djoze. After a while, however, my grandmother and the whole family, including my dad, who was six years old, returned to Italy.

At first, my dad only knew Czech, but soon, because he didn’t use the language much in the village where they lived, he forgot. My grandmother and grandfather, however, could. But my aunt, my mother’s sister, stayed in Bohemia, and we knew that we still had a base here. In August 1989 I went to see her, then I went to Prague at least three times a year, learned the language, and finally stayed here. I found a partner, I have two boys who kick for Xaverov. And at home we speak mostly Czech.

So you have a warm relationship with Czech football?

My grandfather, who was also Italian, but also went to the Czech Republic after the war, worked in Teplice with Josef Masopust. They were great friends. So our family has a relationship with both Czech Golden Balls..

How did you become a fan of AS Rome? I suppose your father got you into it.

He wasn’t that into football, whereas I’m crazy. But he got me into it, yes. I was nine years old when we went to an AS game, against Cesena. I remember that very well. Rome won 1-0, Roberto Pruzzo scored.

And suddenly fate threw Nedved at you.

Someone upstairs must have arranged it. Like I said, he lived just down the Via Gradoli. Years later I reminded him, but he defended himself by saying he lived in Via Cassia, which is a good address in Rome. I just pointed out to him that the entrance to his house was on Via Gradoli. This is famous in Italy, but not very pleasant.

When the Red Brigades kidnapped Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, they imprisoned him there. There is a nice area at the beginning of the street, but it is actually divided into two parts:: on the right side are nice houses and residences, on the left side normal people live. I lived on the left, Nedved on the right..

Did you see each other again?

We met almost every day. He would go for walks with his wife, he was very pleasant, he was happy to talk to somebody, at the beginning he probably didn’t have many opportunities to exchange a few words in Czech.

There was another connection, his wife Ivana was giving birth in a private clinic where my mother worked. That’s where his daughter Ivanka was born. A lot of people used to bother him on his walks, asking for his autograph, his jersey, tickets to the game. I’m not a Lazio fan, so I didn’t want tickets.

Were you sorry he didn’t play for your AS Roma?

I respected him immensely as a footballer, but I didn’t begrudge him his contract at Lazio. All I know is that the Swiss legionnaire Guerino Gotardi used to go to all the training sessions and games with him. They were always together.

In fact, many Lazio players lived in that neighbourhood, for example the Uruguayan striker Rubén Sosa or the goal scorer Bruno Giordano before them, and later Thomas Doll, Aaron Winter and Karl-Heinz Riedle. They were closer to the training centre. I used to see all of them.

You came to Prague regularly. Did you boast about living next door to Nedved in Rome?

In 1997, I went to Prague and had a beer at the famous U zlatého tygra restaurant. There were Spartans sitting there, the whole gang. I took a coaster and told them to write a greeting for Medja on it. Martin Frýdek took over. I gave it to him and he was very happy.

In the summer, I stopped by Tiger again, and there were Němeček, Svoboda, goalie Kouba. Frýdek came and when he saw me he said. Then I was more in Prague than in Rome, Nedvěd moved to the best district of Rome, Lui Giatta, then he moved to Juventus Turin, we never saw each other again.