This is a story that is unbelievable. It concerns a good defender, rocky and serious professional who was heading towards a good career in Serie A in medium-low range teams, a career probably without high pitches but certainly as an honest ballisticer.
At least until a direct train has passed to the Principality of Monaco. And you have to know how to take trains . Andrea Raggi on that train built his fortune for us, becoming yet another misunderstood talent in our football.
THE DAWN OF THE CAREER
Andrea Raggi was born in Arsina, a village perched on the slopes of the Val di Vara, in the province of La Spezia and grew up in Empoli where he made his debut in Serie B in 2004/2005, after the first convincing year as a professional at Carrarese in the then Serie C2 , with the label of a young solid defender and sure to come.
And the field test confirms what is good about him in print . In fact, Raggi immediately obtained promotion to the top flight, soon becoming the backbone of the Empoli defense.
Al Castellani remained for another three seasons in Serie A, always as a starter, contributing to three consecutive saves with two peaks of absolute value such as 8th place in 2005/2006 and 7th in 2006/2007 seasoned by the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup.
At the end of the 2007/2008 season he moved to Zamparini ‘s Palermo for 7 million euros as the undisputed fulcrum of the defense studied by Colantuono but, after the first as a starter, he suffered the effects of the well-known anger of the president and, with the exemption of the mister romano and the arrival of Ballardini, is downgraded to reserve.
From there he began a continuous wanderings that took him first to Genoa, on the Samp side, then to Bologna and, with a return ticket, to Bari, before playing as a starter for the 2011/2012 season in the Emilian team. At the end of the season, however, he remains free, because Bologna does not exercise the option to buy him.
THE TURNING POINT
The end of his dreams of glory
Quite the opposite. It is the beginning of Raggi’s second career, a second youth that will lead him to reach heights that, we bet, not even in his most unspeakable dreams he would have imagined reaching.
Yes, because in the most difficult moment of his career as a footballer, that of the loss of certainties, the insinuation of doubts about his own qualities, I get a phone call.A blessed phone call.
On the other side of the line Claudio Ranieri who strongly wanted the defender from La Spezia in his new foreign experience with the aim of bringing Monaco back to its former glory.
Monaco is a prestigious club with a great history. I think it is a great team, even if it plays in Ligue 2. It has very important ambitions with a great project: I could not refuse
So Ray introduces himself to the microphones of the official Monaco TV, immediately after his arrival in Monte Carlo.
And it was glory immediately . Monaco wins Ligue 2 and returns to the series that belongs to him and Raggi with 35 appearances and 4 goals immediately becomes the idol of the fans.
From then on, the growth of Rays never stops. The newly promoted Monaco immediately returns to the top positions and in the following three championships collects a second (2013/2014) and two third places (2014/2015 and 2015/2016). The company invests important figures, the goals are increasingly ambitious, the players come and go but there is one that does not move an inch: Andrea Raggi remains firmly in his place in defense of the Monegasque goal, proving that he can hold up. thrilling stages like that of the Champions League and keeping the fame of Made in Italy high .
And so we come to the present day, to a season that has consecrated Monaco as the absolute protagonist of the Champions League thanks to the feat against City where Jardim’s 11 annihilated Aguero and his teammates in the double confrontation, in a much clearer way. than the final result has shown, perhaps marking the end of guardianship .
And Raggi
Raggi was the absolute protagonist, taking away space for action to a phenomenon like Aguero in the decisive match of the Parco dei Principi, with a marking of the past, asphyxiating, worthy of the old Italian school of sacred monsters like Gentile and Burgnich.
And now under the challenge against Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals, where the Monegasques, despite being underdogs, start far from beaten.
Distant but not remote memories come to mind, snapshots of that Monaco which in 2003/2004 touched upon a historic victory in the top European club competition, being defeated one breath away from the finish line by another absolute surprise: that Port that would have started the competition. ‘was gilded by Special One, Jose Mourinho .
To think that this Monaco could be able to repeat that feat is not so absurd. Maybe in the magnificent setting of the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff they could be facing Juventus.And it would be the icing on the cake for Andrea Raggi, a footballer who had no future in Italy but who hit the jackpot in the Principality .
Michele De Martin
