TORONTO – It’s been a whirlwind few days for Toronto FC as the club welcomed their newest star signing, Italian international Sebastian Giovinco, culminating when supporters enthusiastically greeted him Thursday upon his arrival at the airport.
And Giovinco didn’t disappoint again Friday during his introductory news conference, proving to be a bit of a charmer, joking with the gathered media and flashing a wide smile. He garnered applause from gathered TFC supporters after each question.
“I came here to win and to leave an important mark in this particular team and in this particular league,” Giovinco said through a translator. “The only thing I think about is to do well on the field and to win with this jersey.”
Despite the fervent outpouring of support from the Italian community and Toronto FC’s ever-faithful fans, Giovinco also showed a humble side, offering his thanks for the approximately 400 supporters who packed Pearson International Airport for his arrival.
"I thank them because they came yesterday to meet me at the airport,” Giovinco said. “I will try, for them, to keep the Italian honor in the soccer world.”
He will spend the next couple of days in Toronto and join his teammates for training in Florida next week, marking the start of his MLS journey. He’s even been the subject of some envy from his Juventus teammates back home.
“The truth is that they all wanted to come [to MLS, too],” Giovinco said, grinning ear to ear.
Giovinco has a half-season of Serie A under his belt already this season, and the Italian international says he feels fit and ready to go, having only missed one week of training in the transition. At 5-foot-5, he is not the tallest player, and in a physical league like MLS, there is some worry of how well he can adapt.
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Giovinco isn’t concerned.
“I think that when you can't get there with [physical] force, you can get there in other ways like soccer intelligence, knowing what position you can do damage to the opponent,” Giovinco said. “And I think that this is one of my characteristics.”
Giovinco departs a Juventus side having scored 20 goals and recorded 23 assists in all competitions since joining the first team in 2006. He stood firm when pressed for the reasons and motivation behind his decision to join Toronto FC.
“In Italy, I had many problems in the sense that I was always spoken of as a player who couldn't play at the highest levels,” Giovinco said. “But I always showed with the facts that it wasn't so. I wanted to find a city, a team that from the first day wanted me like this organization has done. And so my choice was spot on.”
His agent, Andrea D’Amico, became quite animated when presented with the viewpoint that perhaps it was a matter of money that swayed the player.
“Being part of this project excited him a lot,” D’Amico said. “I have to say that we had a lot of other possibilities in Italy or in Europe. In this world you speak of interests and money, and what touched Sebastian's heart is knowing that here there's an Italian community and others that were waiting for an important player to be able to win and be happy. And he was proud and happy with this prospect.”
