On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
It was unbelievable and I still get goosebumps thinking about it because I’ve never been through anything as powerful or emotional in my career. We were overcome by this wonderful wave of feeling and emotion that the people gave us.
It’s amazing. I think that any kid who gets into football dreams of playing in these kinds of games one day. I’m fortunate that I’ll get to pit myself against these big boys, and I’m delighted that I’ve finally reached this level. I hope that I do myself justice. However, no matter what happens it’ll be a triumph for us. As I said before, we’d like to do ourselves justice in the competition and even try and cause the big boys some grief. We’ve got our first game at home against Shakhtar [Donetsk] and we hope that the atmosphere serves us well – we’ll be needing it.
I think that it’s going to be absolutely crazy. It’ll be magical, both for us players going onto the pitch and for our fans, who’ve been waiting for this moment for almost a lifetime. The majority of them don’t remember the last time Bologna made it this far in a European competition. So, it’s going to be something new for everybody, essentially, and we hope that we settle in as quickly as possible and do well.
I came to Bologna when I was very young, with high hopes. At first, I saw this opportunity as a chance to grow and prove myself in Serie A. Then, over the years, Bologna became a second home, a steadying influence and a safe haven for me. I’m really happy to have spent most of my career here.
It’s beautiful and rich in history and culture. There are lovely people here. Life in the city is good, and the quality of life is very high. In terms of liveability, it’s got everything that you need and it’s well-connected to the rest of Italy. So, I’m very happy here, and I’m glad to live here.
On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
It was unbelievable and I still get goosebumps thinking about it because I’ve never been through anything as powerful or emotional in my career. We were overcome by this wonderful wave of feeling and emotion that the people gave us.
It’s amazing. I think that any kid who gets into football dreams of playing in these kinds of games one day. I’m fortunate that I’ll get to pit myself against these big boys, and I’m delighted that I’ve finally reached this level. I hope that I do myself justice. However, no matter what happens it’ll be a triumph for us. As I said before, we’d like to do ourselves justice in the competition and even try and cause the big boys some grief. We’ve got our first game at home against Shakhtar [Donetsk] and we hope that the atmosphere serves us well – we’ll be needing it.
I think that it’s going to be absolutely crazy. It’ll be magical, both for us players going onto the pitch and for our fans, who’ve been waiting for this moment for almost a lifetime. The majority of them don’t remember the last time Bologna made it this far in a European competition. So, it’s going to be something new for everybody, essentially, and we hope that we settle in as quickly as possible and do well.
I came to Bologna when I was very young, with high hopes. At first, I saw this opportunity as a chance to grow and prove myself in Serie A. Then, over the years, Bologna became a second home, a steadying influence and a safe haven for me. I’m really happy to have spent most of my career here.
It’s beautiful and rich in history and culture. There are lovely people here. Life in the city is good, and the quality of life is very high. In terms of liveability, it’s got everything that you need and it’s well-connected to the rest of Italy. So, I’m very happy here, and I’m glad to live here.
On Wednesday, Bologna will walk out onto their home turf to play Shaktar Donetsk, marking the first time in its history that the team will play in a Champions League match. With new coach Vincenzo Italiano at the helm, Rossoblù fans are holding their breath to see where this magical carpet ride could take them. We caught up with Riccardo Orsolini, who has been at the club since 2018, to find out how he’s feeling ahead of the big moment.
Nobody expected us to achieve that. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the season we’d lost most of our starting eleven. There was a huge turnover of players. But then, we started to string some important wins together and then we were on the up. Everyone expected we would drop down sooner or later, but instead we managed to get to the end of the season having achieved a historic finish which was extraordinary.
For us, it was almost like winning a league title. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the party we had in the city square. It was amazing. It was a very memorable season that will probably go down in the history books of this club and of Italian football.
It’s truly exceptional for a club like ours to find ourselves suddenly in the Champions League. We set out with the goal of competing in Europe within a few years, and we skipped all the other tournaments and ended up in the jewel in the crown of European football competitions. We are extremely happy and proud and this year we’ll try to honour that in the best possible way.
It was amazing. First of all, we all got ready and dyed our hair red and blue. We made special shirts to mark the occasion. Then we went into town on the open-topped bus. I don’t know exactly, but there were around 50,000 or 60,000 people in the square. I’ve never seen a crowd like it. All the streets in town were totally rammed. People were crying in the streets, kids were there with their grandparents, young people, middle aged people, women, men. I’ve never seen anything like it.
