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Let yourself go by Arsenal, spotted by Giorgio Chiellini's brother – and now celebrating the Serie A title of Juventus with a selfie of Cristiano Ronaldo. Stephy Mavididi has changed a lot in a year.
When Aaron Ramsey joins the Italian giants this summer, he will not be the only former Gunner in their ranks.
The Welsh will join striker Mavididi, 20, who became last month the first Englishman since David Platt in 1992 to play for the old lady.
This is an incredible climb for the Derby born player, who has never made a senior appearance at Arsenal and who was playing on loan at League One Charlton last season.
Mavididi told BBC Sport his decision to play abroad, to train with the Juventus star team, and also explained how he managed his father's death a few days ago. just after Juventus signed an eighth consecutive league title.
"How could I refuse Juventus?
"It was a week full of mixed emotions," Mavididi said in a seven-day monumental day last August.
The England Under-20 international became professional with Arsenal in 2015, but failed to overtake the Gunners' youth and reserve teams and obtained two loans from Charlton and one from Preston North End.
"Last summer, I returned to Arsenal for the preseason and it was said that it would be difficult for me to play in the first team," he said.
"My stay at Arsenal was over, I had been working there for eight years, but Juventus called and I was back on Cloud 9. It was an incredible feeling.
"I was talking to the scout who told me that he'd been watching me for a while, telling me that I'd played games that I'd I had played three years ago, I did not even remember them, but he liked what he saw. "
While leaving abroad, Mavididi followed the path now borrowed by the young English talents, with his former teammates Arsenal, Reiss Nelson (loaned to Hoffenheim) and Chuba Akpom (PAOK), and Jadon Sancho, who left Manchester City for Dortmund. to make a name for itself on the continent.
Mavididi added: "When Juventus arrived, how could I refuse? I did not think twice about it. I liked the project. I thought I could only mr. improving, it's now up to me to start, train with these players and learn as much as I can.It was a huge opportunity and I'm glad to have grabbed it. "
It was the brother of the captain of Juventus, Chiellini, Claudio, coordinator of the U23 team, who bought Mavididi from the club, initially as a reserve player.
But he soon trained with the first team.
"I remember that first training session as if it was yesterday," Mavididi said. "The first time I saw Ronaldo."
"Be quick or Chiellini and Bonucci will smash you up"
Mavididi said he learned the biggest lessons by playing legendary defenders Juventus Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
"You have a split second to do what you want to do, if that's not the case, Chiellini and Bonucci will smash you," he says.
"You do not have the time, I've learned to think fast and get things done faster."
Beyond the formidable defense, there are the playmakers and Juventus forwards like Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic.
"With their quality, if you race, you have to take the ball," he adds.
And then there is Ronaldo, five-time winner of the Golden Ball, who joined the Real Madrid club a month before Mavididi for £ 99.2m.
"The way he approaches his business has been amazing to watch for me," said Mavididi. "How does it apply every day in the gym and in the field, how does he take care of his body, his diet – mostly off-the-job activities – everyone knows what he can do on the ground. field, but what's left to him. "
And Ronaldo is one of the players with whom Mavididi has a friendship.
"It's a very united group, everyone is cool and there are good vibrations, good jokes," he says.
"I hear with most of them, Uncle Blaise [Matuidi] and of course Ronaldo. He tries to give jokes in English but he's not so good, he's a good guy, very down-to-earth.
"Moise Kean is a good friend of mine and I continue with [Emre] Can and [former Arsenal team-mate] Wojciech Szczesny.
"The club makes you feel really involved – it's a credit for everyone in the locker room."
"From the highest of the highest to the lowest of the lowest"
Mavididi has scored six goals in 32 games for Juve's under-23 team in Serie C, the third-ranked of Italy.
The manager of the time, Mbadimiliano Allegri, called him twice on the bench of the first team before finally making his debut in a 2-1 defeat against SPAL on April 13, while he was in the second half.
"I remember before the game, I was the last out of the locker room and Allegri said," Are you ready? "and I said of course that I'm ready," he continues.
"I was eager to come in. Then in the 69th minute, I entered the field and started from the beginning, it was a day I will never forget.
"The fact that Allegri put me on top gave me great confidence and showed that he trusted me."
The defeat of Juventus that day meant that they had to wait to confirm another title, but that happened the following week when they beat Fiorentina. Mavididi was an unused substitute that day – but he fully participated in the locker room celebrations.
"It was a weekend I will never forget and something I will cherish," he says. "Everyone was happy, celebrating, I even joked Ronaldo.
"But this weekend was very emotional, and after I found out that my father was dead, I went from the highest of the highest to the lowest of the lowest.
"I think my dad looked at my debut – it's important – it was one of his last memorable memories.
"The club was great with me," he said, "it took all the time I needed.I went to London for two weeks with my family and missed two games, but we made a good start to dad and that's the most important thing. "
Mavididi did not receive a medal for the title because he had not played enough matches, but during his first season in Italy he was able to reach his first goal.
He added: "When I joined the team, I wanted to make my debut this year and I achieved that goal, so now I want more."
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