PIANO Matteo

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
He considered retiring from the sport in 2018 due an Achilles tendon injury and the cumulative effect of multiple injuries and surgeries throughout his career. He was encouraged to continue playing by Andrea Giani, his club coach at the time. "When I arrived at the hospital [in 2018] to schedule the operation and its course, the first thing I asked was, 'What would my life be like if I decided not to operate?' My life, not my career. Many in that room raised their eyebrows, perhaps all of them. All but one, the national team doctor, who has known me for years, who knows my story and understands the suffering of the many past rehabilitations. It was Andrea Giani who first opened a breach in that dark moment. He said, 'I understand you. But this is not the time, you come back because you still have to do important things for this sport'. I still have a lot to give volleyball, although it has already taken a lot from me, but what is certain is that when I stop playing it will not be difficult to find something nice to do." (it.eurosport.com, 16 Sep 2019; corriere.it, 12 Aug 2019; volleyball.it, 19 Dec 2018)

BOOK
In October 2019 he released his autobiography titled 'Io, Il centrale e I Pensieri Laterali' [Me, the Central and Lateral Thoughts]. He co-wrote the book alongside his sports psychologist Cecilia Morini. "I first thought about writing the book in 2015 when I was in Japan [playing at the World Cup]. It was right before our last match against Poland, where we confirmed our slot for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. I called my sport psychologist, and I said, 'We have to write about our job'. I had a lot of challenges, and encountered a lot of difficulties. I thought it would be good to share those with the people, to tell them how it is. It's not a life that's always bright and shiny. Maybe it could be, if you're lucky. But this is real life and there are many things that are equally important." (sportfair.it, 12 Nov 2019; fivb.com, 11 Oct 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITES
He and fellow Italian volleyball player Luca Vettori run a podcast titled 'Brodo di Becchi'. They also sell clothing and handmade crafting products under the same brand name. He runs Revolution Volley Camp, a volleyball training camp for children in Italy. (Brodo di becchi Facebook page, 14 Mar 2020; video.gazzetta.it, 28 Mar 2016; Instagram profile, 05 May 2021; manintown.com, 03 Dec 2020)

OTHER STUDIES
He has also studied for a business degree from the University of Pavia in Italy. (Facebook profile, 01 Mar 2020)