Luca Gasparotto has been part of the Canadian National Program since he was 15 years old. His talent, hard work, and dedication to the game he loves has not gone unnoticed and he was selected to be part of the Senior Team for the 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign. He’s also part of the U-23 team that will qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. The team plays their first game on the “Road to Rio” this Thursday, October 1 in Kansas City. I had the chance to speak with him about how his love for the game started and where it’s taken him so far.
A love of the game came pretty early on in Luca Gasparotto’s life in the small town of Ajax, Ontario.
"I started playing soccer when I was about 5 years old. I played house league. I played in Ajax from when I was 5 until I was about 14 / 15. And then I was at the regional and provincial teams and then made my way to the national team."
Soccer was always a family affair for Luca and he credits his father with giving him the motivation and inspiration he needed to reach his goals.
“My dad played soccer as well and he was a coach when I was young. He coached me pretty well from five until 15 I’d say. He was always my coach and always teaching me so he got me into it.”
This is where the dream started for Luca and he always knew that he wanted a career in the sport.
“It’s just what I always wanted to do. I loved it. I loved playing when I was younger. I wanted to “make it” in the game and I always worked hard with my dad and with my teams that I was with. It was my dream growing up and that’s what I wanted to do from a young age.”
It wasn’t long until the national program started to take notice of Luca’s ability and he got the call for the U-17 team when he was just 15 years old.
“That was my first taste of international football. I played with them for a couple of years and then moved up to the under 20s and now I’m at the senior team. So it’s been a real privilege and an honour to represent your country. That’s what you want to do when you’re growing up and that’s what you want to do when you’re playing football. You want to play at the highest level for both club and country. It’s exciting. It’s a great learning experience for me being so young coming into these camps and being with an experienced older group and they teach me a lot on and off the pitch. I’m very privileged and it’s always exciting being part of the national team.”
Things started moving pretty fast for the young player and clubs in Europe were already showing an interest in his talent at 16 years old.
“My agent got me a trial over in Scotland when I was 16. I was over for a week. I played in a couple of games and then after a week they wanted to sign me. So I moved over maybe three weeks later and I’ve been there for four years now. It’s my fifth season over there.”
Admittedly moving away from home is a pretty big step for anyone and at such a young age, it had a big impact on Luca.
“It’s a different style of play than over in Canada. So obviously it’s bigger over there in the sense that it’s their main sport and that’s the life over there. Moving over at a young age was a big step up for me but it helped me mature quicker as a player and as a person. I’m just enjoying every minute of it and hoping to have a successful career wherever I end up.”
Moving from Canada to Europe to play professional football comes with a big learning curve and a chance to grow your game.
“Well obviously working in a professional environment everyday, training with professional players, you get better every day. It’s a good experience for a young player from Canada being involved in a European team and trying to make it over in Europe. Since moving over there I feel that I’m a better player and a more mature person.”
Even at a young age Luca has already seen some changes in Canada around the game and he hopes to see even greater strides in the future.
“Well obviously you want to see it progress year in and year out and I think were headed on the right track. I know that past couple of years it’s been getting bigger and more recognized around the world and in Canada more importantly so I hope we continue that. And with these qualifying games, hopefully we can go far and make it to the World Cup. That’s the goal. That’s what everyone wants to do and we hope the nation will be behind us. “