By Henry Vinter | 22 November 2055
Luca D’Urso orders a double espresso. He doesn’t drink it immediately; he just watches the steam rise. We are sitting in a quiet corner of a café in Cobham, less than 24 hours after he dismantled Bournemouth with a performance that pundits are calling the finest individual display of the season so far.
One goal. Three assists. A 9.3 rating.
Most players would be scrolling through social media, soaking up the praise. D’Urso, Chelsea’s £86 million summer signing, is already thinking about Wednesday. He is thinking about Lyon.
“Yesterday was… efficient,” D’Urso says, finally taking a sip. His English is flawless, accented with the lilt of his native Italy and a hint of the French he picked up during five years in Ligue 1. “But in football, memory is short. If I play bad against Lyon, nobody remembers the assists against Bournemouth.”
This is the mentality of a World Cup winner. At 25, D’Urso has already lived three careers: The prodigy at Juventus, the conqueror at Lyon, and now, the Galactico at Chelsea. But his latest challenge is arguably his toughest: dislodging a living legend.
WSUK: Let’s talk about that performance yesterday. You seemed to be playing a different game to everyone else. Is that the tactical freedom Dimario gives you?
D’Urso: “Mr. Dimario demands structure, but within that structure, there is jazz. You look at the pitch like a chessboard. Against Bournemouth, I saw they were overloading the center to stop Pelé and Júnior. That leaves the corridor open.
“My job is not just to run. Any athlete can run. My job is geometry. The cross for Nacho [Valera]—I didn’t look. I knew the angle. I knew the speed he arrives at. It is about trust. When you play with players of this intelligence, you don’t need to shout. You just deliver the ball to the space, and they are there.”
WSUK: You arrived for £86 million. That is a heavy number to carry on your back. Does it weigh on you?
D’Urso: (Shrugs) “The market is the market. I don’t sign the checks. I only sign the contract. If I cost £1 million or £100 million, the grass is the same size.
“When I left Lyon, I knew the expectation. You don’t come to Chelsea to hide. You come here to be the best in the world. If you are afraid of a price tag, you should go play in a park with your friends. I am here to win. The money is just… noise.”
WSUK: Speaking of being the best, you walked into a dressing room that contains Luther Banton. He’s won eight Champions Leagues. He scored in a World Cup final before you had made your pro debut. How does that dynamic work?
D’Urso: (He leans forward, his expression serious) “Respect. immense respect. Luther is an institution. When I was in the academy at Juventus, we watched videos of him. ‘Look at his recovery pace, look at his positioning.’
“But I did not come here to be a fan. I did not come here to sit on the bench and applaud him. Iron sharpens iron. If I am at 100%, Luther must be at 101% to keep his place. If he drops to 99%, I am there.
“It is a cold war, yes. But a respectful one. We push each other. Dimario has a headache every week picking the team. That is good. If the manager sleeps easy, the team is in trouble.”
WSUK: You have a different style to him, though.
D’Urso: “Luther is a force of nature. He is power, verticality. I am… different. I like the ball at my feet. I like to come inside, to combine. I played midfield as a boy. I see the game like a number 10 who happens to start at left-back.
“Maybe that is why we can coexist in the squad. If the manager wants to lock a game down, he has the best defensive fullback in history. If he wants to unlock a low block? (He smiles) Then maybe he calls the Italian.”
WSUK: Wednesday night. Olympique Lyonnais. You won two league titles there. You were their captain in spirit if not always the armband. How are you feeling about facing them so soon?
D’Urso: “It is strange. Three months ago, those guys were my brothers. We bled together to win Ligue 1 last year. I know how they think. I know their movements.
“But for 90 minutes on Wednesday, I have no friends. I have told the manager everything I know about them. It is ruthless, but this is the Champions League. I want to hug them after the game, but during the game? I want to destroy them. I have to. If I go easy because of sentiment, I disrespect the shirt I am wearing now.”
WSUK: You’ve won the World Cup with Italy in 2054. You’ve won Serie A, Ligue 1. What is left for Luca D’Urso?
D’Urso: “The Champions League. It is the hole in my resume. Luther has eight. I have zero. That annoys me. It keeps me awake.
“I came to Chelsea because this is the factory where they make European Cups. I want to lift that trophy at the Drogba Arena. Until I do that, I am not finished.”
WSUK: One last thing. That goal yesterday—the finish inside the six-yard box. A striker’s finish.
D’Urso: (Laughs) “I told Nacho Valera afterwards, ‘Be careful, my friend. If you stop scoring, I will take the number 9 shirt too.’ He didn’t think it was funny. But seriously… when you see the goal, you have to take the photo. Click. Goal. Simple.”