Paladino: Never bound by money and contract in his career. Keane Jr. won a bet with me.

Former Fiorentine coach Paladino recently accepted an exclusive interview with "Milan Sports" and talked about the reasons for his departure, his future plans, and his bet on goals with Keane Jr.

On May 30, Rafael Paladino left Fiorentina and gave up a guaranteed two-year contract - the contract extension was officially submitted less than a month ago, and the team had just re-qualified for the European Cup on the court. This was an unusual choice, and he did not explain it publicly for the first time until today.

What is the football in Paladino?

"I think of football as a puzzle, and all the pieces have to be tightly tidy to run. I am proud of the work I did in Fiorentina, but there is no longer a condition to continue to move forward together. The ideas and vision are too different. "

However, on May 7, just before the second leg of the European semi-final against Betis, the club activated the contract renewal clause.

"I remember that day clearly. I was very happy at the time, but after calming down and thinking, I felt that it was no longer possible to stay. This feeling has been in my heart for a while. "

To be honest, many people suspect that there is another club behind you contacting you.

"In my career, I have never been bound by money and contracts. When I decided to leave Fiorentina, I didn't have any contracts (of other clubs) on hand, and time proved that. In fact, I didn't even respond to any messages for a week. "

Have your players sent you messages too?

"Everyone sent it. They didn't expect (I'll leave), I only talked to my coaching team and then communicated directly with the club. I must say: The guys' video calls and messages made me cry. I had a great time with them and had very difficult moments, so something special was created between us. In fact, we're still in touch to this day. "

The best day in Florence?

"I said three days: home wins against AC Milan, Inter and Juventus. It was an unforgettable night for the city. And we played with almost half of the stadium being closed due to construction... "

In difficult times, including fear of what happened to Eduardo Bovey.

"It was a blow. It was terrible to almost lose one of us forever, and there were people in the locker room that didn't even want to train anymore. Fortunately, the miracle saved him, and after that we needed meticulous psychological work to start over together. Bovey was simply amazing in this regard: he came to the Florence training center, cheered us up, and was with us all the time. To me, he was like a little brother. "

Can he return to the football field?

"I really hope so. Bovey was born for football and he must go all out to return. But even if it cannot be achieved in the end, he knows that there will be a stable position in my team in the future. "

Can you explain how Keane transformed from a forward who scored 0 goals in 2023-24 to a scorer who scored 25 goals in 2024-25?

"We made a bet and the goal was 15 goals: He won. A spark broke out between Keane and I, and I wanted to sign him when I was in Monza. When I came to Fiorentina, he was the first name I proposed by Sporting Director Goreti. "

Leading Fiorentina to score 65 points or leading Monza to score 52 points, which is more difficult?

"I still have feelings for my first year of Monza, but I think it's harder for Fiorentina's 65 points. I have never had experience coaching in Europe, and I experienced a 'revolution' in the middle, and 19 players were replaced in two transfer windows. "

Are you still in contact with Adriano Galliani now?

"I am very grateful to him and Berlusconi. They gave me the opportunity to coach Serie A. The coach's luck is that there is a great director behind it and vice versa. Galliani and I got together in everything: from day to day job to transfer market. But elsewhere... that's not the case. "

You leave Monza and the team is relegated. Then you leave Florence, and the situation is not very good now. What does this mean?

"This means I bring good luck (laughs). Just kidding, seeing Monza in Serie B breaks my heart, I really hope Florence can get back on track. "

What is Paladino doing now?

"Learn English, go to the stadium to watch football, and analyze all Serie A games with my team: we must be prepared. "

Who impressed you at the beginning of this season's Serie A?

"Giovani of Verona. I wanted to bring him to Florence in January, but the club made other choices. "