SOCCER - Superstar strikes chord in the Bay

ANENDRA SINGH
It's a crisp, breezy spring day in Napier, but Carolina Morace's voice resonates through Park Island.
Morace rattles off in her thick Italian accent as interpreter Roberto Vignolini, of Hastings, tries to keep up both verbally and aerobically. Her arms and legs speak volumes too, as she puts the Hawke's Bay United players through a coaching session.
The Venice-born 43-year-old, now living in Rome, is in New Zealand as the ambassador for the Fifa's (soccer's world governing body) under-17 women's world cup kicking off tomorrow.
Hawke's Bay winger-cum-defender Claudia Crasborn, who is now based in Auckland, is part of the Young Football Ferns beginning their campaign against Canada tomorrow.
With fellow Fifa ambassador and ex-New Zealand women's representative, Michele Cox, of Auckland, Morace has been travelling around the country to promote the beautiful game. She heads back to Rome on Wednesday.
SportToday caught up with Morace, through Vignolini, and Cox during their lunch break on October 18 at the Wild Roses Cafe, in the Mission Gardens, Taradale
She insists her English is "not bad" but for purity's sake she opts for her mother tongue.
Growing up in a patriarchal country the retired professional did not follow soccer in the media. In fact, her father didn't play the sport at all, but was a parochial fan.
From the age of 11 Morace and her elder brother, Davide, often booted the ball around in a park near her home.
"There were always prejudices towards females, but my family was behind me all the way," she explains, adding her talent became the common denominator in nullifying any partialities.
"It was too difficult for me to identify in a male model, but the first time I saw the Italian men's national team on TV I knew that's where I wanted to be."
She identified with former Azzurri striker Gianluca Vialli because of the similarities in age and their shirt number (9).
Remarkably she holds the record as top goal-scorer, male or female, at the original Wembley stadium in London (which was demolished in 2003 and rebuilt). She scored all the goals against England in a 4-1 victory.
Whether she scores or not, she reveals, victory is the most gratifying thing for her - the final solution. It's unacceptable to lose to an inferior side, but accepting defeat to better opponents is a way of acknowledging one's limitations.
As captain it was common, especially in away matches, to become the target of abuse.
Even her parents copped the flak, but she refrained from reacting.
Morace scored more than 500 goals in the Italian national women's league and represented her country in 153 international matches, finding the net a mind-boggling 105 times.
She went on to coach the female national team and also became the first female in the world to coach a men's professional team, Italian Serie C1 side Viterbese, in 1999. However, amid controversy she resigned after two years because of media pressure.
In coaching, she says, women are more inquisitive on instructions, whereas men accept it as part of the game.
"If you are charismatic and have leadership qualities, then regardless of whether you're a man or woman, people will follow you," says Morace, who is also a soccer commentator on Italian TV.
Her stardom has also extended to books.
She features in Cox's children's book series, Sammy, as the protagonist's favourite player.
Morace laughs, jokingly suggesting she bribed Cox to include her in the book.
"Michele did think about it for three seconds flat and then took the money," she says, digging her elbow into the ribs of Cox sitting next to her.
Having visited the United States, she finds New Zealand enticing aesthetically and as a people.
She has no regrets and, if the clock was wound back, she wouldn't change a thing.
"If you're good at football in Italy then you're a national hero and you do more than [Italian military and political leader Giuseppe] Garibaldi to unify the place," says the woman who was voted one of the top four female players of the century in 2000.
"I've never had any thoughts of making a comeback and making a fool of myself as many players do these days."
Diversifying to become a lawyer, coach and commentator has added to her sense of contentment.
The best advice she ever had was to use her left foot.
Consequently the right-footed striker scored more goals with her left. "At human level the best advice I've had is to respect my opponents."
Morace believes women's soccer has improved globally but, for countries such as New Zealand, improving their technical ability is vital to make it a spectacle.
Unlike Italian clubs, English counterparts such as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have integrated male and female clubs to enhance the game.
"Children and women should grow side by side," she says.