At Joe Jordan's house: "My Verona team? Big things were ahead, Mascetti will forever be in my heart just like the Club and the city" / VIDEO
Bristol (England) - There was a time in which only two foreign players were allowed in each Serie A team and naturally it was around those players that the fans dreamt about and were focused on. Outside of the box names used to light up the fans, especially when, in a market like Verona that has a special bond with how british people live and breath football since forever, lands in a 31 years old guy born in Carluke, Scotland.
We are talking about Joseph Jordan, better known as Joe. To be more specific, everyone knows him as "the shark" because he used to play without his front two teeth after an accident that occurred at the beginning of his career. His arrival was basically impossible to even think about at that time. When he landed in Verona, Jordan already was a legend of the Scottish National Team. As of today, he's still the only scottish player able to score in three different editions of a World Cup, 1974, 1978 and 1982.
Jordan's adventure with Verona was a dream, just a year-long experience that left a huge influence on the Club. The fans loved Jordan right away, and they went on to put a big scottish flag in the Curva Sud because of him. Some injuries slowed down his season with Verona, but when he was on the field he displayed that sense of pride wearing the shirt and that type of attachment always leaves a mark inside the fans' hearts. He was part of a strong Verona side led my manager Osvaldo Bagnoli, a team that exits the Uefa Cup as unbeaten, finished in 6th place in Serie A and goes on to play, but lose, the third and last Coppa Italia final of its history against Roma. A Verona side that just a year later would've lifted the Scudetto.
To the 1983/84 Verona, the first Verona with an international flair, the Verona team of Tricella, Volpati, Garella, Galderisi, Iorio and all the rest of the squad, we have decided to dedicate this year's third kit, that, 40 years apart, goes back to be all white with blue details. And in order to tells us about what that Verona was and meant, Joe Jordan hosted us in his house, in Bristol.
Hi Joe, first of all thanks a lot for hosting us in the beautiful Bristol. Why have you decided to live here?
During my career I've traveled a lot, and my family too alongside me. Bristol City not only was my last club as a player but it's also the team in which I started my path as a manager, here I've found the stability I was looking for, my family too. Bristol is a chill city, it's welcoming and really charming, I love living in this part of England. As you saw coming to my house, this area is extremely calm, near the city center but far from the chaos.
Do you still watch football?
Absolutely. I watched quite a lot of Serie A last season and I rooted during the Verona-Spezia playoff game, by far one of the most entertaining matches from last season.
Can you explain us how you left such a big influence in Verona, even forty years apart, even though you only played there for one season?
I'll be honest: I have no clue. Also because it hasn't been an easy campaign. On one side I went through some physical issues, on the other it was a Verona team with big competition in every position. It's not easy to fit in when your teammates in that position are Nanu Galderisi (13 goals) and Maurizio Iorio (21 goals): they deserved to be ahead of me in the rotations. It's never easy to have little play time, but that season was still a key to my career, especially for my development off the pitch. In my third year in Italy, after spending two of them with Milan, I started to understood the language well and to adapt to life in Italy. Bagnoli was a fantastic manager, he was able to create a fantastic atmosphere in the locker room with a strong bond. Verona then was, and still is, a magnificent city, my children went to kindergarten there and made a lot of friends.
What do you remember of that season, the first one playing UEFA competitions in club's history?
That side was strong, extremely strong. Sixth in the league, Coppa Italia finalist. That UEFA Cup experience was key in order to give an european mentality to that team, it helped learning how to face that type of matches. It definitely wasn't a surprise when the year after the team won the Scudetto: during my career, only at Leeds United I experienced a similar bond in the locker room. The atmosphere around it was fantastic. That group of players only needed some confidence, and they gained it during that season. It was easy to see that great things were ahead.
How about the fans?
I remember the scottish flag in the Curva Sud, among all others. I remained impressed with how loud they cheered, how they supported the team. But I knew it even before joining the team. When Emiliano 'Ciccio' Mascetti, the sporting director at that time, came to Milan to talk to me, I was already convinced. I made researches for myself (laughs, ndr)...
You mentioned Mascetti, that unfortunately passed away in 2022. What do you remember about him?
He was good, one of the best in the business at his role, for sure. Our bond was way more than a simple relationship at work. I'm lucky I had the chance to have him as a friend. Last year I came to Verona for his funeral, he was much more than just a sporting director, or a direct collaborator of Bagnoli.
Is your italian still good?
Yeah, I would say so, I'm always active with it because my daughter lives in Milan, my grandchildren in matter of fact are italian. And I'm also in contact every couple of months with Domenico Volpati, a fantastic person. I go to Verona quite frequently with all my family because I love the city. The city, the restaurants, Lake Garda, there's always a good reason to come to Verona and spend some time there.
How about coming to the stadium?
For sure, we'll see each other there, with my wife, pretty soon.