Alessandro Bastoni looks back on Italy’s Bosnia disaster: “Don’t want to be seen as the victim”

Alessandro Bastoni looks back on Italy’s Bosnia disaster: “Don’t want to be seen as the victim” Alessandro Bastoni had a very difficult few months in the Serie A and for the national team in the 2025/26 campaign. He was the centre of attention during a league game against Juventus and also during the Azzurri’s disastrous loss to Bosnia in the FIFA World Cup playoff final. As the country still tries to move past that fateful night, Bastoni spoke to the press ahead of Italy’s game against France in the Nations League. As it would be, Bastoni was asked about the tie against Bosnia. He spoke at length regarding that, but made it clear he wasn’t the victim. “I don’t want to be seen as a victim, that’s the last thing on my mind and my desires. It’s part of our job. When you do well, you become an idol, and when certain incidents happen, they attack you.  He also insisted that he wants to move on and make sure everyone moves on, by impressing. “In football, you forget quickly, for better or for worse. I can move on, follow my own path, and not be judged by one incident in almost a decade of my career. And I’ve never considered saying goodbye.” He also clarified that letting go of errors is a big part of being a top player in the modern-day. “I’ve always played calmly; my approach to the pitch has never changed. Zenica left me with great sadness and bitterness, but letting go of mistakes and learning from them is part of the journey of every top-level player. And I tried to do that immediately after Bosnia: you can’t control the past, but you can control the present to decide the future.”  The defender indeed has put the worst behind him and this was clear towards the end of the previous campaign. He would hope to put things back on track for his country too, as they take on France tomorrow. Kaustubh Pandey – GIFN