Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra is grateful for his football education in Italy.
Evra spent time at Monza as a teenage player before making it big with AS Monaco.
He said: "I thank you very much Italy, at the age of 17 I was playing in Marsala and it was a big family. Then, I returned to my fate with Nice, but every day I thank Italy for what they gave me.
"If we were to face Schalke (in the Champions League), although the tie against Inter Milan is not over yet because in football you never know, we will have to be careful.
"I remember that with Monaco beating Chelsea and Real, no one expected it."
