Alessandro Lucarelli admits ‘I could never imagine that Parma would return to Serie A in three years’.
Lucarelli stood by Parma throughout their rollercoaster rebirth, from their bankruptcy in 2015 to helping the Gialloblu regain their Serie A status after three consecutive promotions.
“During that season I wasn’t just a player,” the retired defender told BBC World Service.
“I had to represent the club off the pitch as well with the city institutions. The problem wasn’t the lack of money for the players, but the unpaid wages for the staff - they also had families.
“When we knew that Parma wasn’t going to be saved, the players received some money from the Italian League. But we asked that the money would be used to pay the wages of the club’s staff instead.
“We still had to play every Sunday. So before every game, I said: ‘OK, let’s get on the pitch and play for everybody.’ All we wanted was to end the season and be saved.
“When Parma had to face bankruptcy, it was the worst day not only for the club, but also for me.
“I decided to belong to this club 10 years ago and it’s a huge part of me and a huge part of my life.
“I was the captain and I decided to stay as the captain to help the new club restart from the fourth tier - and now here we are.”
Parma were refounded as a Serie D club three years ago, so what was the experience like for the 41-year-old?
“I discovered regional football, and I had fun,” he continued.
“All our opponents tried their best against us and I saw other fans in other towns for whom it was like a big occasion, a big party.
“Before [one] match there was a tractor show on the pitch. It was very peculiar.”
Finally, Lucarelli was asked about the Ducali’s chances against Juventus at the Tardini on Saturday.
“Are you crazy? I could never imagine that Parma would return to Serie A in three years,” he concluded.
“Of course it will be a hard match, but four years ago in our previous Serie A season, we beat Juventus 1-0 at Tardini - so everything is possible.”