Walter Baseggio hosted an interview in Etterbeek, DHnet reported, discussing his enduring ties to Italian football culture and his current ventures outside the professional pitch.
The former Anderlecht midfielder divides his time between construction work, local politics as a Socialist Party communal councillor in Tubize, and his provincial duties in Walloon Brabant. Behind his daily routine lies a lifelong passion for Neapolitan music and calcio, anchored by a career that once took him to Serie A side Treviso between January 2006 and January 2007.
Reflecting on his childhood loyalties, Baseggio explained that his mother originated from Naples while his father supported Inter and his brother backed Juventus. Rather than following family convention, he chose the Partenopei long before Diego Maradona arrived, identifying Gianfranco Zola as his ultimate idol.
“My idol was Gianfranco Zola, not Maradona,” Baseggio told DHnet.
Baseggio now works as a championship consultant for DAZN, tracking Italian matches closely and visiting Naples at least three times a year. He said that he occasionally crosses paths with Kevin De Bruyne in the city when the Belgian playmaker visits his son’s futsal club in Casarea.
Baseggio serves as a local politician in Tubize, eight years after launching his first municipal campaign. He said that his involvement is driven by community engagement rather than financial gain.
“I don’t do politics for the money,” Baseggio told DHnet. “You don’t get rich in the opposition.”
On the sporting side, Baseggio expressed lingering frustration over his inability to secure a recruitment role at Anderlecht.
“I was pleased that people thought of me,” Baseggio told DHnet regarding past discussions with the club.
Baseggio also shared his views on managerial changes, stating that he was content to see Mancini appointed rather than Pirlo, whom he felt had been sidelined due to advertising contracts tied to Russia.
Baseggio also reflected on his health struggles, including a thyroid tumor first detected in 2009 followed by multiple relapses before achieving full remission. He said that the recent death of former teammate Toni Brogno from cancer at a young age brought back difficult memories.
“Toni’s cancer plunged me back into my own past,” Baseggio told DHnet. “I got lucky.”
Despite physical limitations and a persistent sciatica issue that has kept him off the pitch since April, Baseggio maintains regular contact with former teammates such as Bertrand Crasson, Olivier Doll, and Zvonko Milojevic. He continues to follow Belgian football from the stands, attending matches at Anderlecht, La Louvière, and Standard Liège.
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