For over a decade, I have been travelling in the fascinating world of football, a cosmos that encompasses far more than just the round leather. My journey, both on behalf of football itself and beyond, has taken me across five continents and to almost 50 different countries – an odyssey that has broadened my horizons and understanding of human nature in a unique way.

In all these years, in which I shared my expertise and exchanged ideas with people from the most diverse cultures in the most varied ways, one realisation matured: football is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful ‘secondary things’ in the world, but the real main thing that ran through all my encounters was always the human behind the athlete, the official behind the office.

Strengthening them mentally, handing them the concept of resilience like a precious treasure, turning a collection of individuals into a cohesive team in which each individual knows and values their role, and paving the way to success for both the team and each individual – these were always the aspects that deeply excited and inspired me. They formed the compass and the key to my personal success.

I have always retained my own, unclouded view of things, a kind of inner compass that has given me direction even in stormy times. And so I remain unwavering in my conviction that no licence, no degree in the world, no matter how prestigious, can advance a person’s personal development as profoundly and sustainably as the experiences one gathers while travelling, the encounters with foreign cultures and the confrontation with the unknown.