Ronaldo Vieira on joining Samp, choosing England and those namesakes…

Ronaldo Vieira is raring to get going at Sampdoria. After completing his move from Leeds United, the 20-year-old sat down with Samp TV to discuss the challenge ahead – as well as his origins, playing for England and those two guys whose name he shares…

“I’m very excited about this new challenge in a new country,” the midfielder began.

“The president and the manager have put a lot of trust in me and I can’t wait to get out there and help the team.

“When I heard Sampdoria were interested I thought, ‘That’s a big club.’ I spoke to [Gaetano] Berardi, who played here a few years ago and he said it’s a very good club, the fans are unbelievable and the players are welcoming. So I took the challenge.”

Vieira has African roots and qualifies for Portuguese nationality but opted to represent England internationally. He has already played for the Three Lions at U20 and U21 level.

“I was born in Guinea-Bissau and as a kid I moved to Portugal, then we decided to go to England. Choosing which country to represent wasn’t easy but I made the right decision. I feel totally English,” he explained.

His name, while not English, is of course very familiar, as is his twin brother’s: Romario.

“My mum used to play football back in Africa and when we were born in ’98 Brazil had Ronaldo and Romario – that’s why she decided and I must say I’m enjoying the name.”

There will be two Ronaldos playing in Serie A next season and our new boy says Cristiano is the benchmark to aim for – and Marco Giampaolo the man to help him get there.

“He’s a big, big player and I want to get to that stage but I’m still young so I’ve just got to learn as much as I can.

“I want to improve tactically and technically and I think Giampaolo is the man who can do that for me.

“Whether I’m playing, on the bench or in training I’ll still be helping the team. I want to improve individually and as a team.”