Flooring referees, embracing the British weather and a diet of baked beans and lager - Di Canio has his say...
Friday 17 October 2014 16:25, UK
Never one for a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Paolo Di Canio always seems prepared to give his opinion... and some more.
The Italian has therefore been one of the most compelling characters in British football since he first arrived as a player at Celtic in the mid-1990s to his notoriously short time as a manager at Sunderland in 2013.
So, ahead of his appearance as a guest on Goals on Sunday this weekend, here is a look back at some of his best soundbites.
DI CANIO ON… BEING DI CANIO
After a 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on 21st September 2013, Di Canio was adamant he would not change his ways to succeed at Sunderland. Di Canio was sacked on 23rd September.
“Me walk away? What? Never. I always believe that I am the best manager in the world. Why should I have to walk out? I have been working 24 hours a day. The players have to adapt to me, to one person. I cannot be a fake Di Canio.”
DI CANIO ON… MOBILE PHONES
“I have said that from now if someone comes inside [Sunderland’s facilities] with a mobile phone, even in their bag, I will throw it in the North Sea. They are banned.”
DI CANIO ON… THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
"Football has never been a business. Football is a passion."
DI CANIO ON… ENGLISH FOOTBALL’S DIET
“Doping in English football is restricted to lager and baked beans with sausages. After which the players take to the field belching and f**ting.”
DI CANIO ON… BECOMING A MANAGER
“A lion cannot stay in a cage. A lion has to be on the pitch.”
DI CANIO ON… VISITING ASTON VILLA
“I am not worried about Villa Park. For me, it is like going to the theatre or seeing Pavarotti when he was still alive. It is an easy place to go.”
DI CANIO ON… BRITISH WEATHER
“I love it, because it is so unpredictable. I enjoy clouds and that it can change at any moment. It is beautiful. For the players it can be a bit like Formula 1, when they choose the tyres it starts to rain and they have the wrong ones on. The players have to think about the boots and the studs they use.”
DI CANIO ON… THAT PUSH ON REFEREE PAUL ALCOCK
"Even now, when I watch it, I cannot believe the way he went down, like a drunken clown."
DI CANIO ON… A LEGACY
“I know other Romans came 2,000 years ago and they were here for 100 years. Maybe after two months it will be ‘Di Canio, f*** off, bye-bye, Paolo’. It can happen but I am sure it will not.”
DI CANIO ON… PERSONALITY
“With some players, if he has a Chihuahua character I cannot make a Chihuahua into a Rottweiler. He could be a proud Chihuahua but he remains a Chihuahua.”
Watch Paolo Di Canio on Goals On Sunday this weekend on Sky Sports 1 HD from 10.30am
