Collecchio, September 4th 2025 – Defender Mariano Troilo spoke at his presentation press conference at the Mutti Training Centre in Collecchio, joined by Director of Football Alessandro Pettinà.

TO PARMA TO CONTINUE MY JOURNEY

“Good morning everyone, thank you for coming. It’s a real pleasure to be part of such a great club. I’m very happy to be here. From the team to the management and staff, everyone has welcomed me warmly. Now we’re focused on our objectives, which are simply to have a good season. I chose Parma for its history, its players, the stature of the club, and also because of the many Argentinians who have been here in the past and are still here now. That really influenced me, and I feel connected to it. I know I’m stepping in for a top-class player (Leoni, ed.), but I don’t want to make comparisons. My goal is to follow my own path and improve day by day.”

I LIKE CUESTA, HE HAS GREAT IDEAS

“Cuesta is a young coach, and that’s positive for us because he does everything to help us grow. He looks after the group and, above all, he’s very good at bringing players and staff together. For me, he’s both a good person and a top coach, with really good ideas. Today, in the friendly, he encouraged me a lot. Maybe I was a little nervous – it was my first game after all – but overall I felt calm. He kept asking me to step forward and play the ball, and I understood that possession will be one of our key traits this season. I linked up well with my teammates against Entella. I haven’t been here long and I’m still settling in, but the match showed a lot of positives, and we’re in very good shape.”

I LIKE LEADING THE DEFENCE

“At Belgrano last year, we also played with a three-man defence in a 3-5-2, which is often used here as well. I feel comfortable in that system, especially in the central role, because it lets me show my qualities in possession. I enjoy being at the heart of the defence. From there, I can see the whole pitch and direct the team. For me, it’s very important to make myself heard. So yes, even on an emotional level, I would like to help lead the defence.”

MY IDOL IS MY DAD, SEBASTIÁN

“The player I look up to is Guti Romero, who also played where I did (Belgrano, ed.). He’s someone I take a lot of inspiration from. But my biggest role model has always been my dad, Sebastián. He also played a lot in my position, and he’s always been there to guide me, correct me, and give me advice to improve. So above all, my idol is my father.”

I ADMIRE ALL MY TEAMMATES

“It’s true there are many Argentines in the squad, and yes, we tend to be very physical players. But honestly, it would be impossible to list all the qualities I’d like to learn from my teammates, because they’re all top-level players. There are so many things I admire about them that I wouldn’t know where to start. El Nano, my nickname? I learned here that ‘nano’ means short, but in my case it simply comes from Mariano: Nano is a shortened version of my name. It has nothing to do with tackling!”

PARMA AND THE NATIONAL TEAM: A PARALLEL PATH

“Sharing a dressing room with Leo Messi and the other national team players was indescribable. To go from watching them on television to standing next to them on the pitch is a feeling I still can’t put into words. I hope Parma proves to be the right choice to continue this journey, because my dream is to stay in the national team as well.”

ARGENTINA AND ITALY: DIFFERENT YET SIMILAR

“There are definitely differences between Argentine and Italian football. Playing here in Italy is special, because it is one of the top five leagues in the world. The main difference I’ve noticed is in the pace: in Argentina, the game is very physical, very intense, and very fast. But I’ve also seen similarities. In Italy, that speed translates more into decision-making – everything is done very quickly.'