When the morning training session had concluded, Cristiano Piccini made his way to the pressroom at the Benito Villamarín Stadium to be presented as the latest signing for Real Betis. The wing-back has come on loan for the season and he revealed that he spoke to Joaquín before making the decision to come to Betis. “I had spoken to Joaquín before I came and he told me that it was going to be quite a show, he mentioned how nice the city is and in the end I made my decision based on the objectives this Club has. I had some offers from the Italian First Division but I thought it would be better for me to be here”.

Your style of play: “When I was a young apprentice at Fiorentina I was an offensive player, but when I turned 18 the manager at Fiorentina pulled me down the pitch, but I like to move up the pitch”.

Your first impressions: “I was really impressed by the fans when I played here against Betis. I was surprised also to see that the possibility of me coming to the club was reported on in the press here, that made me feel important”.

The language: “I learned a little Spanish at school and on my holidays because I always choose Spain as my destination, Formentera and Málaga. I like all things Spanish. I have a picture with Ronaldo taken after the match we played against them. This year I won't be able to play against him, I hope next season it will be possible”.

The match against Sabadell: “I saw a good team in the second half of the friendly match. They moved the ball around well. I watched the match against Sabadell, we were in total control; the last five minutes were not so good, but I saw a good team”.

The talk with Velázquez: “I spoke to the manager and he said that the plan is to have me on the wing moving up and down with the run of play. That is what he told me more or less. Alexis said that I was versatile and I agree because I like to take possession up the pitch”. "I hope to be ready so that the coach can choose me on Sunday”.