Rome (AFP)

President of Atalanta, Antonio Percassi is an extremely wealthy businessman, a profile common among club leaders. Less common, he also played more than 100 professional matches in the Bergamo shirt, which he led until the "Final 8" of the Champions League.

Antonio Percassi's sporting career was short because he imagined, with good reason, a brighter future in the business world.

Born in 1953, Percassi grew up in Clusone, 20 kilometers from Bergamo, on the first heights of the Italian Alps. A good player, he joined the youth teams of Atalanta and made his Serie B debut before turning 18.

The accounts of the time tell of a rough central defender, who will play seven seasons with Atalanta, including one in Serie A, for six matches played in the elite and 110 in all.

Transferred in 1977 to Cesena, far from Lombardy, he remained only a few weeks near the Adriatic Sea and after two matches with his new team ended his career.

Percassi was not yet 25 years old, but the year before he had already opened a Benetton store in Bergamo, the first part of what would become an empire.

Now 67 years old, the president of Atalanta is at the head of the Odissea holding company, active in cosmetics (Kiko), clothing franchises, agro-food, shopping centers or restaurants, with a chain of restaurants specializing in polenta.

He also participated in the installation in Italy of brands such as Zara, Victoria's Secret or Starbucks.

- Never far -

In total, according to 2017 figures, the group manages more than 1,000 stores, has more than 9,000 employees all over the world and has an annual turnover of over 800 million euros.

The personal fortune of the former center-back exceeds one billion euros, making him the 35th richest man in Italy according to the Forbes 2020 ranking.

If his group has developed well beyond the Lombard borders, the headquarters remained in Bergamo and Percassi has never strayed far from Atalanta, of which he had already assumed the presidency between 1990 and 1994.

He returned in 2010, when the club were in Serie B, and he carried the "Dea" to the top, with two third places in the league and this incredible quarter-final of the Champions League Wednesday against Paris SG.

"The situation was dramatic, but we had promised ourselves to give Bergamo and Bergamasques the Atalanta they deserve," he told the local daily Eco di Bergamo at the end of June.

"It was not easy, but the last three years have gone beyond the most optimistic forecasts," he added, emphasizing the role played by his son Luca, general manager of the club.

- Guy Roux Bergamasque -

Another of his sons, Stefano, is also a member of Atalanta's board of directors and five of his six children (the last is seven) are associated with his business.

"Having my children by my side, who are all in love with Atalanta, is what made the difference between my first and my second presidency. It is our story, that of a completely + atalantina + family", a- he explained.

Publicly discreet, Percassi willingly plays the role of Guy Roux bergamasque when he is questioned about the ambitions of this club.

The day of the draw for the quarter-finals of the C1, he had spoken of "the maintenance objective", before smiling when a journalist reminded him that Atalanta was then not only saved but already mathematically qualified for the 'Europe.

But the ambition is there, also materialized by the buyout of the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium from the municipality and modernization work already well advanced.

"At the stadium, we still have to intervene on two stands and then we want to make the Zingonia training center even more beautiful and functional," said the ex-footballer. “There is still a lot to do,” added the entrepreneur.

© 2020 AFP