Iconic Concierge Winter 2022/23

IC: How important is legacy to you and
what indelible mark would you like to
leave on the soccer world by the time
you retire?
VS: It is very important. Being in professional
sport one would expect that the legacy
that I aspire to leave is related to wins and
trophies, but I work and live every day to
create evidence of the culture that I’ve tried
to establish. A culture of respect, quality,
and empathy. Respect for everything around
me, doing the highest quality of work possible,
and connecting with the people around
me: players, colleagues, and fans.
IC: What 3 words would your closest
friends use to describe you?
VS: Generous. Funny. Clumsy.
IC: Thank you Vanni, it’s been a real
pleasure chatting with you and learning
a bit about your interests, passions and
influences.
VS: It was a great pleasure for me too. I
hope it was interesting.
IC: Before you go, here are our ‘Completely
Unrelated, but Nevertheless Entertaining
Standard 10 Questions’…you
ready?
VS: Sure. Shoot.
IC: You lose everything you own. How
do you rise like a phoenix from the ashes?
VS: I write a book or film a documentary on
how I lost everything. Nothing sells quicker
than stories about people who became successful
and then lost everything.
IC: As you step outside, you find a lottery
ticket that ends up winning you $20
million. What do you do?
VS: I immediately register the win, allowing
the Government to collect my taxes and
appease my winner’s guilt thanks to my contribution
to the common good. Then, I spend
50% on enjoying life with the people I love
and use 50% to set up a fund helping young
entrepreneurs fund their startup costs.
IC: You can invite 5 people for a dinner
party…and the guest list isn’t restricted
by the confines of time and mortality.
Who joins you for dinner and why?
VS: Leonardo Da Vinci, Antonio Gramsci
(an important Italian politician, who died
in jail opposing the Fascist dictatorships in
1937), George Orwell, Frida Kahlo and my
wife.
I would love to talk with a genius like
Leonardo. I’d talk about politics, philosophy,
writing and art with Gramsci, Orwell
and Frida Kahlo. My wife would never forgive
me if I didn’t invite her to dinner with
Frida Kahlo.
IC: What was your first car, what do
you drive now and what is your dream
car?
VS: My first car was a very used Renault
Clio. I don’t like to drive, so if in future they
perfect the self-driving car, that would be
my dream one.
IC: What one piece of advice would you
give to your 16-year old self?
VS: Be ready and patient. Your chances
(plural!) will arrive, maybe not today, maybe
not in a few years but keep working on
yourself because you need to be ready when
they do. And don’t wait until you’re 39 to
become a vegetarian.
IC: Who would play you in a movie
about your life?
VS: Will Arnett. He’s a really funny actor
and a sport lover. Apparently, during the
broadcast of our game vs LAFC, Will said
that I look like Mr. Bean - so Rowan Atkinson
can be a stand in.
IC: Where is your favourite travel destination
and why?
VS: I like to go home to Italy to see friends
and family. If I travel elsewhere, the destination
must make me grow. At the moment, I
am learning Japanese and so I want to test
my language skills and improve them in Japan.
IC: Tell me your favourite joke…
VS: A magician, performing on stage, has a
baseball bat and is asking volunteers in the
crowd to come up and take their best shot to
hit him in the head, proving his magic will
protect him.
A young guy from the audience volunteers
but is very reluctant to hit him. The
magician persists, performs a sort of ritual,
and finally the volunteer takes a swing and
hits him square in the forehead. The magician
collapses and is transported to the hospital,
where he remains in a coma.
After 3 months he eventually wakes up
in his hospital bed. Flamboyantly, he rises,
arms aloft and says “Et Voila! This is magic
ladies and gentlemen!”
IC: Where is your favourite Vancouver
restaurant?
VS: For an intimate dinner with my wife,
I like Mangia in Olympic Village. To kick
off a night with friends, I like Per Se Social
Corner in Yaletown. For a quick, quality
lunch break, Casereccio on Broadway
and Vine. Given they are all Italian/
Mediterranean places I recognize that I am
a little biased!
IC: Complete the sentence: “Vancouver
is a great place to live because…”
VS: …every neighbourhood has a different
soul, so you can experience many different
small towns inside one city”.
IC: Grazie mille, Vanni. I’d like to wish
you and the Whitecaps the best of luck for
the new season, and look forward to following
your journey, wherever that may
take you.
For more information about the Vancouver
Whitecaps, the 2023 season and ticket
sales, please visit the official website at:
www.whitecapsfc.com
ICONIC CONCIERGE
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