Mateo Retegui is delighted with his first year with Genoa.

The striker is currently with Italy on their US tour.

He said, "My decision to play for Genoa was for the coach and also to be close to the National Team as I want to play for them. I knew being here makes things easier for the National Team, I needed to play in Italy. I really want to play for the Azzurri, this is why I'm here.

“(Alberto) Gilardino and the staff help me a lot, he is a great coach and they are a great group to work with. The fact that he was a striker helped me to fix some details, but also the team is helping me to be a stronger player and a better person.

“The stadium where we play, Marassi, is incredible. It certainly reminds me of Argentinian football stadiums, one of the hottest for the fans that I've played."

On comparisons with Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez, Retegui added: “He's a great player, a world champion and I respect him a lot, but I don't really like the comparisons in general. Diego Milito was my example as a footballer, while today Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are the ones I like more. However, my childhood idols were my father and my mother, they were an example of life for me."