He carries a surname that makes Sardinian hearts skip a beat, and he immediately made his mark on his debut. Favio O'Neill, son of the great Fabián, made his debut on Sunday for Nuorese in Villasimius, his first competitive match in Italy. Coming on at the start of the second half, he played the entire half with character and quality, putting in an excellent performance. A Uruguayan midfielder, he grew up at Nacional like Fabián, but after his father's passing, he had considered retiring. Today, he enjoys the pitch, just as his father taught him, and dreams of writing his own story on the island he loved.
Favio, what was your journey?
I trained at Nacional, the team I support in Uruguay and where my father made his debut before playing for Cagliari. Then I moved to Fénix and Wanderers, two Uruguayan teams. After these experiences, I played a year in Romania and returned to Uruguay to recover from an injury. Then I arrived in Italy, at COS, and subsequently Nuorese contacted me and wanted me here. I had my first training session on Tuesday and played the entire second half on Sunday.
What kind of player is he?
"A complete midfielder. I'm a technical player, and my strengths are finding vertical passes and playing to the wingers behind the full-backs. I think I have good vision."
What did your father mean to you?
My father meant a lot to Sardinia, and especially to Cagliari. It honestly fills me with pride when people here speak so highly of him. He was an extraordinary person and a wonderful player. Besides being my father, he was my best friend. His passing affected me so much, I even considered quitting football.
Is there a lesson you bring to the table?
"When I step onto the pitch, I have so much fun: that's the most important lesson he left me. He always told me that the day I stopped having fun, I should stop."
What is your relationship with Sardinia?
"Right now, it feels like my second home. The people and the life here are fantastic and have helped me a lot. It's something I truly appreciate 100 percent."
Why did you choose Nuorese?
"It's a team with a great history. What really convinced me was the club's strong desire to bring me here. When a club shows interest and does everything to get you, it makes all the difference in a player's selection."
How did the debut go?
"I really enjoyed my debut. I think I put in a good performance, and I'm happy the club was satisfied. I felt so many emotions and immediately felt at ease. And our fans sang throughout the game, on such a long away trip: I really enjoyed it."
What are your goals?
"I want to play as many games as possible, hopefully starting the next one, and take Nuorese as high up the table as possible: I want to fight for promotion. We haven't started off the best, but the season has just begun and there's still a lot to play for."
A message for the fans?
"Thank you for joining us on such a long journey. We'll give it our all, sweat for the jersey, and do everything we can to take Nuorese to the top."
