Next stop, Serie A /Hickey desperate to lock horns with Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic
The chance to mix it with boyhood heroes Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic convinced Aaron Hickey that Bologna is the best option to further his career.
The Hearts teenager flew out to Italy yesterday where he is expected to undergo a medical before signing for the Serie A side.
The Edinburgh club have agreed a fee of £1.78 million for the 18-year-old defender, although Celtic are due 30 per cent due to their role in the player’s development.
Speaking at Glasgow airport before boarding his flight, Hickey said he was thrilled at the prospect of coming up against the likes of AC Milan’s Ibrahimovic and Juventus forward Ronaldo. “It’s crazy. The best players in the world are in the league t h a t I ’m i n ,” h e s a i d . “I f I
play against Ronaldo I will be very happy. I love Ronaldo, he’s probably my idol.
“I have looked up to him since I was young and watched him on the telly all the time, but to play against him would be incredible to me. My feelings are all over the place, mostly I’m really excited to get over there and see what it’s all about, get to the training ground and get a wee feel of things.
“No thing isguar anteed yet, I still have to get my medical and get my results.”
Bologna kick off the new season against AC Milan at the San Siro on 21 September and Hickey said it would be “mental” if he was picked and played against Ibrahimovic. “To go from primary school football to the San Siro is a dream come true,” he said.
Hickey confirmed interest from Bayern Munich but said the lure of Italy was to o strong. He said: “I went over to B aye rn Munich, an unbelievable experience for me togo over and see the best team in the world’s facilities and stuff. It was hard to turn them down, but I think Bologna is the right move for me.
“Bologna’ s got a really nice family feel to it. It’s all been crazy, all these teams coming in, but I think Bologna is the right move for me. Their supporters have been really good to me on Instagram. I’m still a youngster. I have a lot to learn, but I will go over, try my hardest and see how I do. If I manage to get in the team, play one or two games I will be really happy but hopefully I will get in the team and proceed.”
Hickey said he was grateful to Hearts for all they had done for him.
“Hearts have been absolutely brilliant with me – supporters, staff, players. And I’ ve got all my best friends at Hearts but they can come and visit.”