Davide Frattesi’s return to Lazio has given a personal thread to the new season, with the midfielder describing the move as both a homecoming and a decision shaped by trust from Rino Gattuso.
Speaking while on Italy duty ahead of Thursday night’s Nations League meeting with Belgium in Rome, Frattesi reflected on the route that brought him back to the club where he played as a boy. The Lazio midfielder said Gattuso’s faith had mattered at a point when his opportunities at Inter had been limited.
“I had already worked with him in the national team and I always felt he had great confidence in me,” Frattesi said. “Last year I barely played at Inter, yet he continued to call me up because he saw something in me. I thought he could help me bring out more.”
Gattuso was therefore an important factor in the decision, but Frattesi said his attachment to Lazio runs deeper. The Rome-born player linked his wish to return to the city with the death of his grandmother and the desire to be close again to the place that had long felt like home.
“Since my grandmother passed away, I had always wanted to return to what had been home for so many years,” he said. “I feel Lazio is very much mine, and results affect my mood. Playing for Lazio is like defending something belonging to the family.”
A childhood ambition at the Olimpico
Frattesi recalled going to the stadium with his father and imagining the day he might play for Lazio’s first team at the Stadio Olimpico. That memory now gives a different weight to each match and each result as Lazio pursue their place in the wider Serie A season.
His years at Inter, meanwhile, have left him with standards he intends to carry into the next chapter of his career. Frattesi described the Milan club as a side accustomed to winning, where a draw or second place is not viewed as an acceptable destination.
He also pointed to the everyday habits behind that mentality, from nutrition to preparation and recovery around training. Those are the lessons he wants to retain after his time with Inter, rather than simply the experience of being part of a squad expected to compete at the top.
Italy place remains a target
Frattesi also revealed that Roberto Mancini, who returned to the Italy bench in the summer, had spoken to him before the Lazio move. The advice was direct: regular football would make a decisive difference to a player’s condition and standing when he joined the national side.
“His advice was to go somewhere and play,” Frattesi explained. “Arriving with 90 minutes in your legs and in good shape is one thing; arriving after playing 10 minutes per match is another.”
The midfielder said his priority is to contribute as much as possible for Lazio. If sustained performances in Rome help him earn another Italy call-up, he added, that would be welcome.
