The 2019 World Cup shouldn’t be a happily-ever-after moment, but a starting point.

I believe that women’s calcio in Italy is still in its beginning stages and that our actions were only the first steps in a long and difficult journey that’s full of potential. We have no intention of comparing ourselves with the world of men’s calcio. Today, maybe we’re where they were many, many years ago. What we do want, though, is to have the same protection and the same rights as athletes. We want to feel respected and treated as what we are—professionals of the sport.

As young girls, my teammates and I had one great passion: playing calcio. For many of us it wasn’t easy carrying it forward. There were disappointments, sacrifices and lots of difficulties. If we were able to reach these heights, it was because we had courage and tenacity, and because we were convinced that meritocracy was an ideal to pursue and uphold. Our dream was to change the face of calcio in Italy. We wanted to pave the way and provide positive role models specifically to the little girls who, like us, love playing the game.

When I was a little girl, I didn’t even know that professional female players existed, and so playing with boys felt like the most natural thing in the world. But the girls of today can see us. They know we’re there and so, they too can dream of becoming like us in the future. There’s even a doll that looks like me—who would’ve guessed? I certainly wouldn’t have, especially since I never played with them growing up!

That’s an important sign for everyone involved, though. It means that the stereotypes of days gone by are coming apart at the seams and that the world is ready to welcome new models of femininity, which include endless representations of what being a woman can mean.

Playing football may not come naturally for young girls. Unfortunately, certain stereotypes aren’t easily overcome. But today, there are many opportunities that didn’t exist when I was young, opportunities that we had to create on our own two feet, while we figured out how to carry on as best we could.

Our world is a welcoming place. There are almost never any violent or racist episodes in women’s football—unlike those all too common events in the more famous football. And that’s because we brought our values forward, taught each other and bettered ourselves from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, women’s calcio isn’t very prominent in our society. If our movement continues to grow, as I hope it does, it’s hard to predict how it will change. But I think that our time in the trenches has provided us with an immunity to the most harmful attitudes and behaviours. Those who follow us aren’t just doing so for the game, but also because we’re able to bring about a concrete alternative to the way sport is lived. The tifosi want good and healthy things, which we’ve been able to provide them, and we must continue doing so.

Many issues still needed to be resolved when I was writing this book. Luckily things have changed since then and more investment has been made in women’s calcio. When professional women’s football became a reality in Italy on July 1, 2022, we were finally given the economic guarantees and benefits (insurance, pension, maternity leave) that we had wanted. Now we are able to concentrate solely on the game, without having to continuously worry about everything else. This new law didn’t just benefit us: today young girls have a platform to follow our path, as well as our values. We have to continue teaching them—young girls who are lucky to live in a very different world than the one we grew up in—about the importance of effort, hard work and respect for the rules. That’s the only way that their dreams, like ours, will come true.