This morning, Cagliari Calcio announced the contract renewal for Gabriele Zappa until June 30, 2030. An agreement that protects the defender for another five and a half years , that erases any market rumors (it would have expired in June) and that ties him ever closer to the rossoblù colors. "I'm also a little emotional, because it's nice to know that after five years spent here, being able to continue living this story is exciting," Zappa's feelings. "I'm really happy, also because so many people in the last two months stopped me in the street and asked me about the renewal. I couldn't go too far, now I'm happy to be able to say it."
Cagliari took Zappa in the summer of 2020, from Pescara, after he left Inter's youth team . "When I arrived I didn't have many expectations," he recalls. "I came from Serie B and I had to earn my place: I've always said that football is fast and quick, there are moments that make you feel like the strongest in the world and the next day the worst. I experienced the first moments where I felt invincible, then I was sidelined and there was also the relegation. Dark moments, but I managed to get back on my feet and I experienced great emotions especially with the victory in the playoffs . You have to keep working and not give up, that's my principle."
There are many great moments that Zappa remembers with Cagliari, starting from May 16, 2021 when - thanks to the draw between Benevento and Crotone - Leonardo Semplici's rossoblù achieved salvation on the penultimate day after a great comeback in the last three months. " That afternoon in the hotel, before playing against Milan, was unforgettable: we all went out into the corridor to hug each other ." Then on March 10, 2023, the first goal with the Cagliari shirt in Serie B against Ascoli: "Also of revenge," Zappa emphasizes. "I was coming from a bad period both on a personal and team level, because the first months in Serie B were not going well. Then the assist in Bari for Pavoletti, who many people still thank me for on the street. I'm happy to have given so much joy to the whole world. Finally, the brace against Milan, but I'm convinced that there will be another memorable moment ."
Zappa tries to define himself as a player: « I like to be described as someone who never gives up and who believes in work . I know I have improved a lot since I arrived five years ago, but every day is good to learn something. In the moments when things are going well everyone is behind you, then in the difficult ones those who truly love you give you a hand and the strength to start again. I have to thank my family and my partner Sara for this».
For Zappa, the agreement is long-term and will lead to a decade of permanence at Cagliari: « When you arrive it is difficult to think of being able to stay five years in the same place. I had not thought about it, but I am happy about this : I have created really strong bonds here in Sardinia, I have met people who I consider important in my life. Then I have been lucky enough to travel around this land and see wonderful places that have nothing to envy the rest of the world. I have created a good relationship with the fans, I like to sign some autographs after the match: even after the Lecce match I stopped with the fans who had traveled 200 kilometers by bus».
This season, Zappa has already worn the captain's armband at the start of a match four times. A role that also certifies him as one of the leaders of the locker room: « I like having a little more responsibility, the time has come . I'm not a young man anymore, it often happens that guys like Obert and Prati ask me for something so as not to get too carried away with Pavoletti: I act as a bit of an intermediary, I like to be an intermediary between the younger ones and the older ones». And for Cagliari, after seven points in the last three matchdays , the hope is that the season continues at this pace: «The group is making the difference and the coach is good at keeping it solid, there are guys who are playing less like Pavoletti and Lapadula but they make the difference within the group. We are doing a great job, we like being together and we have to continue like this without giving up».
