Demetrio Albertini, a legendary figure at Milan and former head of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation, has released "The Revelations of the Pitch – Talent, Vision, Responsibility: Everything Football Teaches About Life." In the book, he revisits the most significant moments of his professional career and draws inspiration from sports stories to address everyday personal challenges.

"We suffered with the national team too, but the beauty of sport is that you can always start fresh. Losing to France in that European Championship is my biggest regret; I knew it was my last chance to win a trophy wearing the Azzurri shirt. That penalty in 1994? It was the first official penalty of my career. In those 30 meters from midfield to the penalty spot, everything flashed before my eyes. But scoring that goal was also a relief," Albertini recalled.

Turning to the current state of the Azzurri, he addressed their three consecutive World Cup qualifying failures: "People always say Italy lacks talented players, which simply isn't true. The problem is that instead of developing local talent, it's easier to buy foreign players—there's convenience in that approach. We need to rebuild a proper development pathway to maximize what our youth academies produce," he emphasized.

"There's now a mindset that missing the World Cup is acceptable. And when you're afraid, it becomes even easier to fail. In each of the three times we failed to qualify, our squad was stronger than the teams that eliminated us," Albertini admitted. He then reflected: "In 2006, our clubs were competitive in Europe, and the national team reflected the strength of the league. We had mature players then, but for too many years now, we've had far too few players capable of performing for teams that can reach a Champions League final."

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