Marco Ragini is very talanted coach. His CV just amazed! He is coach in Super League of Switzerland (A.C. Bellinzona); coach Assistant for World and European Championships Qualification of National Team Senior San Marino; technical Director of football school and youth football в Football academy and youth education; coach of Challenge League (CH) in F.C.CHIASSO ; coach Assistant in Europa League; coach of League Pro in Italy in SAN MARINO CALCIO; technical assistant football and Scout in Serie B (Italy); goalkepper Coach in League Pro (Italy) in SAN MARINO CALCIO; coach of Serie D in Italy in RICCIONE CALCIO; coach Assistant в National Team U. 21 San Marino; coach Assistant in National Team U.19 and U.17 San Marino
We had a honor to speak with Marco about soccer and life.
r.: What mean for you soccer and when it become your main passion?
Marco Ragini: I was fall in love with football since I was kid. Of cause as all young boys i dreamed to become a great player! When I arrived in age 23 my idea transformed in desire to be professional coach. I have always been fascinated with the charisma and leadership of the figure of the coach. This role full of responsibility, able to communicate, manage and transmit to a group of players and a club all his knowledge, aiming for the same reason and the same goal! I am lucky one. I play for many teams. I had the good fortune of playing and coaching in different clubs and different countries. Unfortunately my career as a player was interrupted by a serious accident at the age of 23 years. I played in Italy in the professional league as goalkeeper. To stop playing has been big frustration for me, taking me a bit of sadness and depression. Then the possibility to become a professional coach gave me chance to have to work with my main life passion!
r.: Who are the other coaches you like to work?
Marco Ragini: Now I am very proud that for almost 30 years I have been a part of professional football life and this has helped me to grow both as a profession and as a man. As a player I have had many coaches, but to be honest none of them I was particularly struck by the way they train. But with coaches that I worked as an assistant, the most interesting and most good was Vladimir Pektovic (current coach of Lazio). From him I learned so much. Pektovic has among many qualities greater tactical vision of the game and the ability to manage a group.
r.: Do you have faivorite team?
Marco Ragini: I love football, especially the teams that are playing proactive and innovative. I have always been a fan of Juventus and sympathizer for the warmth of its fans and its history of Celtic Glasgow. I had the good fortune to coach several good players, whom I can mention now are Sedan Lulic (Lazio), Pajtim Kasami (Fulham), and Aimo Diana (formerly Turin, former Italian national). But of cause were the others!
r.: What are your principle you duild your job on?
Marco Ragini: A principle which I use in my work are empathy, fairness and confidence that must be established between my figure and every single player and every single manager of the Club where I work. In every situation of life and work, the first thing to consider is the quality of the person, then the professionalism of it! I always take care about communication? because only with a proper communication … you get the target before the others!
Unfortunately I am now without a club to train and the moment and now I waiting for a possible call from a director or a president of a club wears me out!
r.: What you think exist difference between soccer in different country? How you feel it?
Marco Ragini: I have worked in several countries, always had respected ideologies and projects immediately of football in the country I worked. But always I added my knowledge and my experiences. We Italian coaches are a little «maniacs» of perfectionism and tactical strategies, but perhaps it is one of the reasons that several European clubs appreciate the «Made in Italy» as regards school coaches.
It is in my nature to have new experiences and new challenges!
I like to work in Eastern Europe, where I find that at this moment the football is in great organizational recovery and full of players like to talent. It will be an honor for me to be able to work at some Club of Ukraine. Who knows maybe in the future …
r.: What you think about Ukrainian soccer?
Marco Ragini: The football movement in Ukraine is booming. The recent European championships was well organized and had brought great benefit to the whole movement of your nation. You expressed a good quality game.
r.: Did you play against Ukrainian teams?
Marco Ragini: In the past I had the great honor when my team played against the national team of Ukraine and against a club Dnipro in the Europa League. On this case we removed it from the competition (2008-2009) and passed to the next round with my team which was the Bellinzona (Switzerland).
r.: What you think about African soccer. Has it future?
Marco Ragini: Until a decade ago, I was convinced that the future of African football will arrive! African players real have showed huge potential. Unfortunately I have to change my opinion. Africa generates many football talent, which immediately are taken to various European clubs. This politic give possibility to some individual player but don’t change situation on continent in general. More and more impoverished African movement and when these players return to their country with their national, they do not identify themselves more in the values of their country by putting it in second position with respect to their Club
r.: Does exist some magic formula of success?
Marco Ragini: It is not easy to find a «magic formula» to create a strong club, ready to win many games. I believe that in a country where there is absolutely a true football culture does not exist at this time. It would be a perfect «mix» between the spectacle of English football, the strength and determination of German football, the technique of Brazilian football and tactics of Italian football!