Shareholder Thierry Henry is delighted with Como’s Serie A promotion but insists ‘merit goes to the players, I didn’t play.’
The Arsenal legend was at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Friday night to watch the final match of the regular season which saw Como being promoted to Serie A after a 1-1 draw against Cosenza.
The Azzurri had a two-point lead over third-placed Venezia prior to the game and the Lagunari’s loss to Spezia contributed to Como’s promotion.
“It’s a great feeling, but I didn’t play so all the merit to the players, so you need to go and ask them the question,” Henry told Sky Sport Italia during Como’s celebrations on the pitch.
“I’ve been supporting the team from afar and you need to speak to those guys because what they’ve been doing is outstanding.
“Like everyone else in the stadium, I spent my time trying to see the result of Venezia more than watching the game,” continued the former striker.
“But like I said, I’ve been here for a second; go and speak to them [players] first. I’m here to support the club because it’s very important, but there are a lot of people who have been working really hard to get where the club is right now and where it’s going.
“It’s about the players and the people who have been here for a very long time.”
Henry released the interview in English, but being an ex-Juventus striker, he was asked if he would talk in Italian in the future: “I understand it; my Italian will come back, don’t worry,” he replied.
Henry was in the stands alongside his Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy who has also earned promotion to the top division in England this season, winning the English Championship with Enzo Maresca in charge.
Como captain Alessandro Bellemo also spoke to Sky Sport Italia after the match: “It’s an emotion that I can’t even describe; I think I’ll realise it in two or three days, but in the meantime, I’ll lift the cup,” said the 28-year-old midfielder.
“I’ve been going to sleep every night thinking about this moment, and finally, it’s happened. Everyone deserves this. Ambition has always been there and this time, we’ve kept the promise,” concluded the Como captain.”
Como have joined Parma in Serie A, while the third team promoted to Italy’s top flight will be determined via playoffs.
Como went bankrupt in 2016 and were reborn as a new club in Serie D during the 2017-18 season. Ex-Chelsea star Dennis Wise is the club President, while Cesc Fabregas shares the coaching role with Osian Roberts as the Spaniard still doesn’t have the necessary coaching badges to coach in Serie B.
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