The Godfather who was born to live a life of football

BY his admission, Antonio Conte is someone who lives, eats and breathes football around the clock, and he wouldn't want it any other way. The former Italy international player and now the manager of Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL) goes so far as to say - tongue-in-cheek, of course - that he already had a football with him in his mother’s womb when she gave birth to him 53 years ago in Lecce, in southern Italy.

“I love this sport so much. It doesn’t mean that I don’t pay attention to other things, but for sure football is my biggest passion in life,” he tells The Business Times in an exclusive interview at the London club’s Hotspur Way training complex, in the borough of Enfield in the British capital.

It’s this immense drive that has delivered him a bucketful of accolades in the Beautiful Game, first during a 19-year spell as a professional player and then the next 17 as a manager with 9 different clubs, including that of his national team.

As a player, Conte is most remembered for his 13 seasons at Italian giants Juventus, where he consistently wove his magic in the heart of midfield and helped the team to win the Champions League and 5 Serie A titles, among many other trophies. He remained with the Turin club until his retirement in 2004, having made 418 appearances and scored 43 goals in all competitions.

Last November, less than 6 months after leading Inter-Milan to the Serie A championship and the Europa League final, he flew to England to take charge of a Tottenham team down in the doldrums at that time. The Lilywhites (Spurs’ nickname) were a lowly eighth in the EPL and their season was in danger of heading into free fall, but a determined Conte quickly turned things around and last Sunday’s 3-1 home win over Leicester City - courtesy of a Harry Kane header and a double strike by Son Heung-min - saw them stay in fifth place in the standings.

That result was significant for several reasons. The game marked Conte’s 100th Premier League game as a manager, with 65 of those being victories. The 3 points meant Spurs remain in contention to achieve a top 4 place and a spot in next season’s lucrative Champions League competition, ahead of this weekend’s trip to Anfield to face quadruple-chasing Liverpool (Sunday, 2.45am kick-off, Singapore time).

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There were many winners off the pitch too. For the Leicester game, the Tottenham players also sported special-edition jerseys with “AIA Better Lives Fund in support of Community Chest Singapore” printed on the front. Life insurer AIA has been the club’s global principal partner since 2013. These autographed match-worn shirts and other memorabilia will be auctioned to raise funds for the AIA Better Lives Fund and the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

During the 20-minute interview, Conte - a man known throughout the sport as "The Godfather" - opened up about life at the North London club, what keeps him motivated each day, the importance of giving back to the community, and why he prefers spinning to running as his preferred form of exercise. The transcript has been edited slightly for brevity.

What’s your experience been like as Tottenham manager, and what do you like most about this job?

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I enjoy it here a lot, being at Tottenham at this time. We are talking about a really great club with a great organisation. From the first day I arrived, I had a positive feeling. I try to bring a fantastic atmosphere to the training ground and during the matches at our stadium, for our fans and the players and everyone else at the club. I can only speak well about being at Tottenham, and the close relationship that we have created.

You’ve been a manager at so many teams in the past - Chelsea, Inter-Milan, Juventus, the Italian national team and others. What motivates you everyday?

It’s this passion for football that always makes me push myself, and to always improve and ask more and more of myself. If you want to stay and be competitive and give your maximum as a leader, then you have to push yourself. In this way, I can also ask the same of all the players and the people that work with me.

We must all work very hard and make sure we do not stay in the same position. We have to try and improve and climb that mountain, to reach the top. 

With so much to deal with all the time, how do you unwind or relax away from football or work? 

I think I was born with a football when my mother was pregnant with me (laughs). I live a life of football. I love this sport so much, but it doesn’t mean that I don't pay attention to other things. For sure, football is my biggest passion in life. I believe that for every job, in order to perform at the maximum level, you need to have that passion for your work and whatever you do.

I suppose the challenge is how to maintain this every day, and it can’t be easy.

Yes, it’s not simple. You need to use a lot of energy (to be a manager of a football team), but at the same time I’m committed to do this. I love to work in this way.

Tottenham have a huge following in Asia, especially in South Korea where the club will head for a pre-season tour in July. For the fans in Asia, because of the time difference, they are awake at 3am, 4am or even later to watch the games live on TV.

What I have to say is, thank you very much. You have shown this great commitment to Tottenham, to wake up so early for us. It’s for this reason that we all want to work very hard to repay this passion of our fans, especially when they live very far away from the UK. 

You are 52, going on 53 at the end of July. You look like you could still play a top-level football match. How do you stay fit, and do you have a fixed exercise or training routine these days?

For sure, I try to pay attention to my diet as much as possible. I try to keep my body fit. I don’t play football anymore, but I do like to go on the bike and do some spinning. I used to enjoy running, but I’m on the bike more often so that I don’t stress out my knees and ankles too much. On the outside I may be 52 years old, but maybe inside I’m a bit older (laughs). As a professional player, you’re used to always pushing and pushing during the training sessions, and there are naturally a lot of injuries. In my career, I’ve had my fair share of injuries too.

This is the fourth time in 7 years that AIA and Tottenham have partnered on a charity shirt initiative. How important is it for the club to give back to others?

Honestly, of all the clubs that I’ve worked with in the past, Tottenham are one of the most involved in charity and giving back. Everyone at this club understands that football has the power to help people that need it. Personally, we are lucky because we have the opportunity to do what we want and what we enjoy. So it’s for this reason, it’s important that we never forget others, and when there is an opportunity to help the disadvantaged, we must do what we can.

We have our youth academy, and it’s important that the parents and their families impart the right values to their children. As for me, I have a teenage daughter and I make sure she understands that she is a very lucky girl, and that there are so many others out there who are not as fortunate as her.