On the day he turned 16 and put pen to paper on his first professional contract, Simone Pafundi shared his feelings with Udinese TV.
“I'm thrilled to have achieved my first big target with this club that has brought me through since I was a kid,” the midfielder said.
“I'm having a great time of things at the moment. I've come back well after a spell on the sidelines and I'm in good shape now thanks to all the staff who have looked after me. I'll always be grateful to them.
“My idol is [Lionel] Messi. At Udinese I look up to Tucu [Pereyra] and [Gerard] Deulofeu – I think they're our best two players. Sometimes I speak to them in training, not a lot because I'm still getting to know them but everyone is very nice to me.”