For Yannick Bright , 2021 was a difficult year to forget. The midfielder born in 2001, selected after the YesWeCollege International Showcase in 2019, completed his second season in New Hampshire by taking home the nomination in the All-American formation of the NCAA Division I, the Top 11 of the season that rewards the best players in the year of the highest American university championship .
An incredible milestone for Yannick, the culmination of a fantastic year for him and his Wildcats, winners of the regular season of the America East Conference and landed on the main draw of the national championship , where with the seed number 16 he beat North Carolina only to surrender against Oregon State, number one in the ranking.
Now, however, there is a new year to prepare. With a summer that will see him engaged in the fourth US series, to continue to cultivate the dream of a career as a professional footballer . Yannick told us about his feelings a few days before his departure for the return to the USA.
After a 2021 to remember, it is already time to think about the new year.
“I took advantage of these holidays to spend some time with family and friends here in Italy, to unplug and prepare for another year that will be intense and important. In fact, in the summer I will stay in America to play in Usl League 2, and fortunately I had quite a few days to recharge my batteries before returning to New Hampshire. Covid permitting, I will leave again on January 20, and on the 25th I will begin the lessons of the second semester “.
You come from a crazy year, seasoned by the inclusion in the All-American of the Ncaa Division I.
“I told you in unsuspecting times! When I learned about the nomination, our interview with Piancavallo immediately came to mind (at the YesWeCamp in July 2021, ed .), I went to look for it and sent Nicolò the frame of our premonition, which came true a few months later ” .
What were the secrets of this historic milestone?
“I’m honest, I have certainly played more consistently than in the first year and I have certainly grown from many points of view, but in reality I don’t think I played too differently from the rookie season. Clearly the team results helped, because it was truly a record year for the school ”.
Now the bar is raised: are you aiming for an encore for next year?
“We were a very experienced team, I was the youngest owner, so the staff will have to do a great job to replace the many guys who have finished their collegiate football career. It will be my third year, and I will have to give my contribution also to help the new ones to get involved as quickly as possible in the mechanisms of the team. I want to keep my performance on the 2021 standards, and the main focus is always and only on the good of the group: I prefer to win the national championship rather than receive other individual awards, which in any case are the natural consequence of the team’s performance “.
Have the many awards this year made you a celebrity in New Hampshire?
“In reality, we athletes of the football team were already quite in sight on campus, because ours is the top team of the university and even the professors are constantly interested in the results and the progress of the season. Obviously the individual recognition has helped me to become even more popular, and I do not deny that this pleases me because it is one of the stimulating aspects that revolve around the career of an athlete. I received compliments from the school directors and from some professors I didn’t even know, but I’m used to being humble and down to earth. My attitude will definitely not change now that I’m an All-American ”.
Will Smith, Travis Scott and Paul Pogba: your idols, who do you choose for a dinner?
“They are all three very outgoing and histrionic, but surely if I had to choose I would go for Will Smith. A well-rounded character, a very powerful source of inspiration for me ”.
The number 6, however, is a tribute to Pogba.
“Exactly, even if it was practically an almost obligatory choice: I play in the position of number 6, plus the shirt is a size L which therefore suited my body perfectly. So together with the coach we didn’t even have to think about it too much: the number 6 has been mine since my arrival in New Hampshire ”.
You All-American Ncaa, Probo MVP of the Njcaa: a nice stimulus among YWC student-athletes.
“Giorgio is a very strong player, he has had two amazing years and I think that someone like him could play in any Ncaa Division I team, because he is really a top prospect. I wish them the best, and we hope to continue to stimulate each other to improve also in the next season ”.
On the other hand, that of the Bright is a family tradition.
“True, we are all athletes because my sister Lisa played volleyball for many years, while my brother Kevin (born in 2003, ed.) Plays in Milan’s Primavera”.
Would you recommend the experience in America?
“I think Kevin is a smart, intelligent and clear-headed guy, as well as being good at football. I would definitely advise him to make his own way and decide for himself, which I think is the best thing to do. You can make a mistake, of course, but it is always better to do it following your own path and your own aspirations “.
