Source: Daily_Mail
Nice one son! Macheda Snr hails Man United super starlet Federico
The father of Manchester United's newest hero is still in dreamland after his son's magical moment at the weekend.
Pasquale Macheda realised in a few seconds that years of sacrifice and hard work had been worth it after watching Federico score a last-gasp winner against Aston Villa.
It is not too long agao that Macheda Snr worked nights in a supermarket so that he could drive his son to Lazio's training centre, a world away from their home in the rundown Ponte Dinona area of Rome.
And after the 17-year-old announced his arrival in the Premier League in front of his dad at Old Trafford on Sunday, proud Pasquale said: 'The one thing I keep seeing in my mind is my son's eyes after he scored. When he ran towards me with tiger eyes.
'He had this incredible fiery look. Above all the noise I could hear him shouting "come down, come down".
'I raced down the steps and we hugged. His look was enough to say "see where we have got to, see where we have come, dad".
'I burst into tears. It was beyond belief, I could not believe I was going through such a moment. It left me numb. I have watched the goal again and again on DVD. It is unbelievable.'
He added in The Sun: 'In the past 18 months he's developed enormously, physically and technically at United. They have done a fantastic job.
'When United were 2-1 down to Villa I thought there would be no room for my son to come on. But then someone said "there he is!"
'I rubbed my eyes because he looked like he had been playing for years - even alongside Cristiano Ronaldo he did not look like a rookie.
'When he scored I blanked out, I didn't see what happened. All these years I asked him "when are you going to dedicate a goal to me?"
'He said nothing on Sunday, he didn't have to. His look said it all.'
Macheda's achievement was of little consolation to Lazio, who were left angry after United snatched away the star prospect from their youth academy in September 2007.
'It's thanks to Lazio that today Federico is doing well in his English experience,' said Pasquale.
'He was a part of Lazio's youth team and he was fortunate there to learn a lot and become a serious lad from a sporting point of view.
'Federico was born in Rome and grew up at Lazio. But it's not easy to resist an offer from a prestigious club like Manchester.
'Now we are enjoying the moment and we are proud of what Federico has done. He is a serious kid with his feet firmly on the ground.'
One person at Lazio who did celebrate the player's instant success was Federico's former coach with the club's youth team, Stefano Avincola.
'I am delighted for him,' he said. 'Of course there's some regret at the Lazio camp for seeing a quality player leave. But I want to reiterate that Lazio did everything they could to keep Federico at the club, seeing in him a player with potential and good prospects.
'Unfortunately, it was not possible and the lad and his family made an understandable choice of leaving Lazio and thanking the club for everything they did for the young Federico.'
