Many happy returns, Atalanta!

Invited by Marco Bellinazzo, CEO Luca Percassi appeared on to the GoAl Economy telecast held by Radio Serie A on the occasion of the Club's 117th anniversary.

Check the transcript of the most poignant and significant statements made by the Nerazzurri's Chief Executive Officer.

“Today marks a special day for us. As we celebrate Atalanta's 117th birthday, as any other anniversary related to the history of the Club commands, we live it as a time of great rejoicing but also a remarkable moment of reflection on both what has been achieved thus far and on what we want Atalanta to embody in the framework of the 2024 solar year, a magical year which coincided with the most outstanding sporting achievement in the history of the Club. Being seen as both a miracle and a model? I'm honoured and humbled to see that other like-minded institutions may see in Atalanta a point of reference. Yet, we know first-hand how grueling managing a Club might be and how each new season, each transfer market session and each day harbours new challenges and new endeavours to face, trying to always live up to our own standards. This dynamic further fosters iur sens of duty, knowing all to weel who we are, where we come from and which our baseline is”.

“The story that binds a Bergamasco family like ours to Atalanta dates back to our father, who traveled from Clusone to Bergamo, where he then met my mother, to join the Atalanta Academy, rising through its ranks all the way to the First Team, where he played 100 games also donning the captain's armband. And when my father hung up the cleats and moved to the enterpreneurial world, his bond with Atalanta didn't waver one bit: with the Club being like a daughter to him, becoming its President and its patron was a lifelong dream come true. And his love rubbed off onto us.

The implementation of the new stadium? It was a dream within a dream, not just for my father but also for all of us, in a way it's a token of our appreciation towards Bergamo and its people, who deserved a 'home' fitting of this city, its community and their love for the team. The same can be said about the care and consideration we have for our Youth Academy, true pulsating heart of our Club. One of our pride and joy is to welcome in our Academy girls and boys who cross the Zingonia gates as Atalanta fans born and bred, a sign that our story and the love for our colours, a vast heritage of which we are so proud of, is handed down from one generation to the other".