Santiago Pierotti sees his third season at Lecce as more than a personal passage through Serie A. The Argentine winger feels rooted in the city, increasingly responsible within the dressing room and determined to help the club keep building after an encouraging opening to the campaign.
With six points collected from the first five league matches, Lecce return to action on Sunday against a Bologna side now under Raffaele Palladino. For Pierotti, the restart after the break is an opportunity to turn a decent beginning into the steady accumulation of points required for survival.
A player growing with the club
Pierotti described Lecce as “family” and “home”, pointing to the warmth he receives when he is around the city and the atmosphere he experiences every day at the training ground. He said he enjoys a strong relationship with the squad and remains happy to go into training.
He has also watched the club develop around him. Since his first year in Salento, Pierotti believes Lecce have made substantial progress, from work at the stadium to improvements at the training centre. In his view, the club’s direction is clear because it knows how to work and must continue along the same path.
The next international break could bring a significant individual milestone. If Pierotti plays every match before then, he will reach 100 appearances for the Giallorossi. He said the prospect fills him with pride, having first been told several months ago that the landmark was approaching.
- In his first six months at Lecce, Pierotti had limited playing time and treated the period as an adaptation to Italian football.
- Even in shorter appearances, including matches against Empoli and Monza in 2024, he was able to make an impact through assists.
- His first Serie A start came away to Napoli, at the Stadio Maradona, a particularly meaningful occasion after he had visited the ground before joining Lecce and wondered whether he might one day play there.
- He has since added different responsibilities, including spells in midfield during pre-season before returning to a wider role when the team’s needs changed.
The central-midfield role appeals to him. Pierotti said he had played there previously and enjoys moving inside to receive more of the ball. He cited last season’s match at Pisa as evidence of that potential, believing his driving runs through central areas helped show he could offer another option away from the flank.
Di Francesco’s influence
Pierotti said Eusebio Di Francesco was important in keeping him at Lecce during the summer and has helped him take another step forward. The player believes coach and winger share an approach based on playing forward, seeking depth and pressing high.
Di Francesco, he said, has given him useful guidance both without the ball and in the different spaces he can occupy, whether inside or on the wing. Pierotti remains available for either task, while recognising that his current role has again become predominantly wide.
There is one area in which he wants to add more. Known for defensive work, ball-carrying and creating for team-mates, Pierotti admitted that when he reviews matches he sometimes feels he should cut inside more often or shoot. In the intensity of a match, however, his instinct is usually to find the better-placed colleague.
He is working to become more selfish in the constructive sense: not abandoning the collective, but taking greater responsibility in front of goal.
Responsibility after the break
As one of Lecce’s longer-serving players, Pierotti feels he has a leadership duty. He said he wants to help lift the group to a higher level and believes the squad must continue following Di Francesco, whom he considers its guide.
His priority remains clear. Individual goals and assists matter, but safety in Serie A comes first.
Pierotti judged the opening five rounds positively overall, despite admitting that Lecce’s concentration fell below its usual level in some matches. In others, he felt the side performed very well. His conclusion is that the campaign now enters a fresh phase after the break, with points still needing to be earned week by week.
Bologna’s managerial change adds an element of uncertainty. Lecce have studied what Palladino’s team may try to do, but Pierotti stressed that his side will go into the match with its own principles at the centre of its preparation. Awareness of the opposition matters, he said, yet Lecce will need their best performance regardless.
Messi, Argentina and gratitude
Before turning fully to Lecce’s season, Pierotti reflected on Lionel Messi’s farewell to Argentina. He spoke of sadness that Messi will no longer wear the national shirt, but also of gratitude for a player who has written sporting history.
For Pierotti’s generation, Messi represented everything. He praised the forward not simply for trophies and individual awards, but for continuing to fight for Argentina and showing enduring affection for the national team.
That sense of belonging now shapes Pierotti’s own chapter in Italy. He thanked Lecce supporters for their backing across his three years at the club and hopes that player, team and city can add another meaningful page to their shared story this season.
