Pantaleo Corvino reveals origins of Antonio Conte’s ‘wife’ comment that went viral

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte’s press conference ahead of his side’s Premier League tie with Burnley on Wednesday took the internet by storm after the 52-year-old quoted former Fiorentina director Pantaleo Corvino in response to a question by a reporter.

Asked about his line-up for Wednesday, a smiling Conte told the press, “I remember very well about this question there is a sporting director in Italy that is my friend who’s name is Pantaleo Corvino that he says: ‘You can make a mistake about your wife but not about the striker’,” taking the internet by storm.

Also read | Champions League final may move out of Russia over Ukraine crisis

Following Conte’s interview on Tuesday, Corvino opened up about his relationship with the Spurs manager and the origins of the ‘wife’ quote.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, the 72-year-old, who currently serves as the sporting director for Italian side Lecce, said, “I have a strong bond with Conte. We’ve known each other for 40 years. I come from Salento, he is from Lecce. I was happy to hear him say that.”

“That’s something I said during [Massimo] Coda’s unveiling press conference at Lecce,” Corvino told Sky Sports Italia, shedding some light on the origins of the ‘wife’ quote.

Also read | Champions League: Vlahovic scores in record time but Juve held at Villarreal

“A journalist had listed the top strikers in the history of the club and that line was the first thing that crossed my mind. It was very spontaneous. One can pick the wrong wife, but in football, you can’t pick the wrong striker or goalkeeper; otherwise, the whole team’s performance could be affected,” the 72-year-old added.

Corvino is most famous for his influence at Fiorentina, where he spent several seasons. During his tenure with the Serie A side, Corvino brought in talents such as Nikola Milenkovic and Dusan Vlahovic, of whom the latter was bought by Juventus this January for a reported fee of around €75 million, the fourth highest transfer fee paid by the Turin club.