Aurora Galli on her ACL journey, hopes for 2026, and her dream to open a restaurant!

0:28Welcome to Upfront, I'm Chloe Morgan. But on the opening day of last season, Gali ruptured her ACL and it kept her sidelined for over six months and meant she missed out on a generational Euros for Italy. She then suffered another setback, which kept her out of the squad until Everton's huge win over Chelsea. So today we're getting to know Aurora Gali, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to a new chapter in 2026. Welcome to the pod, Yaya. Thank you so much for joining us. we've been wanting to get you on for such a long period of time is absolutely crazy so it feels like a real kind of like christmas treat for us that finally we've managed to make that happen and also a massive massive shout out to joe for sorting this out for us as well how are you planning to unwind during the break what are you doing with your time off um well first thank you to invite me i'm sorry that i i just wait so much time to join you um yeah for christmas i think that i will just go home to my parents, spend time with them.

1:32And for New Year's Eve, I have plans, some plans with some friends. So just spend time with my family and my friends. And what kind of things will you be getting up to? I mean, obviously, like the New Year's plans sound quite exciting. Are they going to be big things? Are you quite a low-key kind of Jules Holland watching the fireworks type of person? How crazy are we going here? In New Year's? Yes. Well we just booked a villa in Lake Como and we are around around 10 people all over the world like players all over the world like from US and Sweden of course and other place and we will probably just organize some some games and fireworks yeah also but I will stay inside I'm a little bit scared of that.

2:31I love that it's like the United Nations of players kind of meeting before 2026. Exactly. Yeah you're very calm and kind of reserved I can totally see you you know chilling inside the villa and not being outside going crazy at all. Inside the villa you can do a lot of staff action. I wanted to ask you, what would your perfect Christmas day look like? Probably wake up in the morning, not so early because I'm not a morning person. And then open the present before any breakfast. Because just open, just go straight for the present. After that, of course, start to drink some champagne maybe. do an aperitivo and then in Italy and in my family is like stay on the table like for hours speaking and tell stories about other Christmas so we'd be like just chatting chatting are you like a last minute kind of Christmas present buyer or are you very organized very prepared starting this year i was in charge to buy for everyone so for my family for wife husband this kind of stuff and i did everything like at the at the start of this month so i finish all the present in december like end of november yeah i finish everything and i was like i'm so proud of myself never happened like usually I'm the last one to buy present I absolutely love that can't believe that especially given you were back in training right at the start of December I feel like you're pretty busy I have so many stuff to do right now really focused yeah um how does it feel to be back in training that must be pretty amazing it was amazing I was just waiting and waiting because I felt like already ready to go back to session of course the physio was like take it easy it's very long injured so you had to be patient and this kind of stuff but when I came back first the reaction of my teammates like they were more happy than me I think we did the tunnel and everything so So it was a new feeling, but an old feeling.

5:01I don't know if it makes sense. Because new feelings like, oh, I'm back on the session. I'm back with my team. I can do stuff. Old feeling is the same, but it's different. I don't know. And how does it feel kind of coming back after? How do you manage the absence from the squad? Because I mean, I know what I've been through periods of injuries. You know, you're going to the physio straight away. You're not seeing the girls as much. that you don't feel like you're as included as much in what's going on day to day like how do you keep your head in the game and kind of keep your spirits up when when you face things like that well the it's hard uh sometimes you feel very down very low and nothing and no one can help you actually um i will be like so honest with you i fed so low and so alone during this rehab and everything not so much in the ACL actually but after like my cartilage so the other injury I was like I'm I'm not going back to play football anymore and that was scary let me think a lot but let me grow also like a person no more like a player like a person I think the important thing that I just learned is like be around people that trust you and love you that help me so much that usually is like you just stay in your bubble and you don't put any effort to let in anyone because you just want to stay alone but thanks to my sister actually I get help from outside.

6:47An amazing person just came in my world and just changed everything. And I realised that alone I can't do it. I couldn't do it. So I just, yeah, ask for help and people that love me just help me. I was going to say, because, you know, ACL injuries are obviously difficult injuries to get through, long injuries to get through. And we've seen it with a number of players when you think they're through the rehab and they're coming back and something else happens and that as you say must be so much more difficult because you think okay I've done it I've got back I've had surgery I'm back fit and then you're like another thing like another setback so I can only imagine how much more difficult that is because while it might not be as big as an ACL injury it's just like knocked you further so it's yeah really good you speak about how you mentally deal with that because people maybe forget that side of it yeah it's up yeah it's like mentally you are so full to think about the future that you lose actually the present um in italy there is a saying like you don't remember the past you just think about the future um but i think that is so wrong like you need to remember the past leave the present and work for the future this is so well I don't know how I give it to you but it's spot on anyways yeah it's it's really really hard to to stay like present in the present because your body of course is injured your your head is all over the place so yeah and you mentioned there sort of um whilst you were sort of talking about the the past you were also looking at the sort of the present and the future in terms of what your career might look like without football.

8:42You mentioned there there was a brief moment that you felt that you could leave football altogether during those sort of lower moments. What did that look like for you? What kind of thought processes were going on in that moment? Yeah, I just thought that this injury, like the ACL was like the end of my career because, of course, in that summer, last summer was like the Euros. and I was like I can't see myself in the Euros because the ACL I know that takes like time like nine ten months so the first period I was like I'm not gonna make it like absolutely not it's so hard so why I need to continue to like put effort in something that I play for 20 years and I'm 29 so Still so young.

9:36I'm young, I'm young. I'm not saying that I'm old, but you know, in the football life I'm getting old. But then I don't know what change I felt like I want to prove to myself and to the others also that in six, seven months I can come back. so it's a work in your mind, in your body that is pushing you to go over the limits of your mind and of your body so it was not a nice feeling, the feeling that I just stopped to play football because it's like it's my life but like I said in this process I just understand that my life is not just football and it's the biggest goal in my life, I think. Because before I was like, I'm a player, I'm a football player, and that's it.

10:37But now I'm a person and I'm a football player. So that I understand with time. Obviously, you've been at Everton now for five years and the first Italian to sign in an English top flight club. The best, in my opinion. Thank you. Does it feel like home now? Absolutely. It's like a big, warm family that is very similar to what we have in Italy. Like everyone is so passionate about it. But everything just grows slowly, I would say, in me. Because at the beginning, of course, I didn't understand anything. I couldn't speak even English. So it was really hard to know people and let them know me. because I'm a very chatty person but if you can speak it's really hard to express yourself but yeah slowly I think that all everyone that is here in in Finch Farm at Goddison like everyone is like we are one big family and it's what is the most relief thing because I just enjoy to come here and see these spaces.

11:56Even with Jo, that she just sent me so many messages all the time. Can you do this interview, that interview? And she knows that I'm not that kind of person.

12:09Even Jo. Even Jo, even Jo. I mean, we're talking about your career at Everton, but also there's been such a monumental thing that's just happened for Everton in the sort of the win over Chelsea was such a huge thing that we've been talking about and we still think about now really what was it like kind of getting that win because that's that sort of shook up the whole of the WSL for a couple of weeks it was my first game back actually with the team so you can imagine I was like oh my god against Chelsea I need to go back in the bench like why But then we, I think that we prepared the game well.

12:49I'm not hiding behind the finger with in Italy. So I need to say that we get lucky. So much luck. Because I think that they have, I don't know, so many chances to score, like take the crossbar, Corny be amazing, in goal so she just saved our us if i can say that so many times um so we get lucky but i think also that we should one time maybe in goal and we score so if you see the number is like one to one perfect um but i think that stop them after all the win that they they get in these years and in this in this game is amazing. Still feel weird, but it's a good weird feeling. Do you feel that game encapsulates the heart of Everton at the moment, like the cohesion that you guys have of players?

13:50I mean, that was one of the games I saw where, I mean, every single player had each other's backs. I mean, if it went through one person, another person was there. If it got through another person, there was a sliding tackle, there was a block, there was a goal line clearance, Courtney Brosnan was everywhere. It kind of just felt like you guys in that moment all came together or like this is we are going to win this game no matter what is that the kind of heart that you guys have that it was the feeling on the bench and i think speaking with my my teammates like on the pitch because it was like okay ruby's uh is just staying in the blocking one one one shot and then everyone was there like pushing her i said yes girl you get that like it's it's a thing that we struggled I think at the beginning of the season to give confidence to each other but in that game everyone was like pushing the other teammates like to do the best and if someone were dead of course there is other people on the bench ready to go in and do the same So that was like a really nice feeling to see everyone happy and be also like proud of ourselves.

15:04Because, I mean, you know about having to play different positions at Everton, but I feel like, Brian said it, this was the second game he played the same starting XI. And I think people have maybe not realised how much movement has had to be done this season. I know you've got more depth, but you've still got injuries to deal with. Ruby Mace playing in defence, you know. Exactly. Yeah, I've asked you about this before. You guys seem to really relish that kind of challenge and that stepping up into maybe something that's a little bit different for the team. It really feels like that's the dynamic.

15:39Yeah, the thing is, I think, like a player, of course, I know that I am a midfielder, so I want to play in my position. and trust me this conversation with the coach and with the staff we we had and we have all the time but the thing and the string of this team is like even if you ask corny to play like a striker i think that she will do it because it's what means to play in this club it's like you just adapt in what the coach and the staff ask you to do it because at the end of the day you want to just perform doesn't matter if you're a midfielder that you're playing central back like ruby she will give her 100 to prove that she can stay like in the starting 11 of course and who start from the bench when going in any position is like i i will show you that i can stay here and i can give everything for this this club i think that is something that not every every players and every club has in like culture culture like a culture yeah sorry so that is um really impressive and i don't think that so many players can do that and what do you think it is about the the training environment that you kind of what do you do to kind of build that day-to-day harmony within squads So you have each other's backs like that.

17:10I mean, you look like you'd go through walls with each other. This year we didn't do so much building, team building. We went to Denmark and that was in the pre-season. It was funny. It was interesting. I feel like there's a couple of loaded stories there. Forget about. Is Jo still in the room? Yes, she is. well the last thing that i can say to you is like for christmas we went out and everyone was there and we really enjoy like challenge ourselves also we we start to sing uh we have this cabin and just sing all together like no one was left behind kind of so i think that this is what what is be a group is like enjoy to stay all together but i think that the most of the thing is like on the pitch is uh challenging ourself like if i had to say a bad word to someone else they just stay on the pitch but i they know that is for the best if someone says something to me i take it like not personal it's just because they want to drive me to in the in the right direction so it's um yeah it's everyone is pushing each other i love that and they you do seem like a fun team to be around um there's one question i meant to ask you when we were discussing the chelsea game and that's obviously how is the exchange with natalie beforehand obviously playing for chelsea I know she's injured at the moment, right?

18:52But what was that conversation like in the lead up? So she gets injured for that game that I was so sad because I want her there, of course, not to play because she's too good. So it was better for us that she was injured. Thanks, Nat. But a lot of times, like before that game, I was like, can you come towards the game? And she was like, yeah, I want to come, but my staff wanted to stay home, like chilling, because of course she was injured. But other times that we play against each other, every time it's like, okay, before the game, we see on the pitch, we speak a little bit. Not about football, like life, just see each other.

19:44but sometimes it's hit us I remember that one time in the national team they won like the last minute so it was Sweden Italy and I was like pissed of course but I'm a nice person like I respect that they won so of course they were happy but she just came and she was like haha you lose and I was like excuse me oh my god What did you say after beating Chelsea? You could do this against Chelsea, come on! She would be probably like, yeah, not speaking with me for weeks, but I was like, yeah, I lost and you won, but maybe next time. Very diplomatic. And she then realised that she said something very wrong.

20:31So for a week, she said, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll react. I was too exciting. So when we are on the pitch, it's like no girlfriend, kind of. It's just players that play against each other. I think that is really nice. I love that. I really, really love that. Chloe, you've got to ask her what happened after that game. Did you go, ha-ha, you lost? Or were you very nice about it? I mean, it would have felt fair. Well, I was like, we just win, But you have a very big chances all the time. So fair. And you still missed.

21:26I mean, throughout your career, you obviously played in so many different positions. you've got so much experience and now you're sort of, you know, one of the more senior players in the squad. What was it that you would say that you kind of, what have you learned most about yourself as a footballer with Everton and just in general with your football career? I think that I knew that was a team player, like very team player. I need my teammates and I feel that they need me. But in this year, I can see that this is growing. like I see the trust in my teammate to come and ask me anything maybe because I'm getting old so a lot of experience and but it's more like the confidence that I have in myself and the confidence that I can give to my teammate that sometimes it's hard for a player especially if they're young they're not playing so much they need to like feel in the team and and value like a plus for the team I think that I'm very good in that like just listen people and give them explanation or just my point of view what I I done in their shoes when I was in that position so So I just try to help.

22:49Yeah, and I think that with the age that is going up, I'm getting very... Don't say old. No, I will not say it. I will not say it. Experienced. Yeah, exactly. That is the word. I've asked you about this before. I know, as you say, you want to play in midfield. You want to play in your position. But coming back from injury, for a manager to know, arguably, you could help the team in a lot of different situations if needed you're a little bit like a swiss army knife i think now after playing at everton for a number of years you obviously provide a lot in midfield but for brian to know that and for you coming back from injury like i know you want to start in midfield but if needed you could get minutes on the pitch in a different position because you can offer so much that it must be like having a for brian like multiple players coming back as opposed to one.

23:42Yeah, it's true. Well, we wait a little bit to have the conversation when I come back because of course it was like Chelsea and then Arsenal. And I think that the first game in January would be like City. So really hard game to come back and put some minutes. But the good thing is like he's also in the session he put me like in different position like you said like i think that i am a defender midfielder like more six but he saw me more like a 10 8 so i'm trying different and i he's happy with that so the most important thing that the coach is happy so he can put me on the on the pitch to do some minutes um and like i said i just want to help my teammates if I can do it in different positions is the best for the team.

24:40I think we'll talk a little bit about your Italy career because I'd love to get stuck into obviously how this year has been and sort of some of the difficulties that you face obviously with the Euro 2025 and not making the squad. I mean, can you talk us through sort of like that moment and how you go about processing something like that when it's something you've been so looking forward to? It was hard I'm not I can't say other stuff because it was really hard because of course I work a lot to go back for the Euros my coach in the national team we have a different conversation during the month and it was like I will I will bring you like in the pre-camp because I want to see you, how is your body, how you feel and everything.

25:30And it was a shock because I really thought that I could be like the 23 players in the Euros, like the person that just stay on the bench, that she knows that she's not going to play but stay with the team because I know that I'm important for the team, like a person, like a player. So I wait for that moment. But having the conversation with my coach and he was like, you are important for the team. You are like an amazing player, an amazing person. But right now you are not ready to play. And I need everyone ready to do some minutes. that I completely respect because I knew I didn't play any minutes before the Euros but still the feeling that you didn't do what was in your mind like be ready for the Euros and and have that goal see realized it's hit you a little bit especially in inside you because you hope until the end and then something change and you can't control because it's not in your control like you just wait that someone else decide for you but i think that is i i'm fine with myself because i need everything that i could of course if i still think it's still hurting a little bit because like i said i'm getting old so i don't have so many tournaments that i can play I need to wait the Brazil, the World Cup, the next one to play in a big tournament.

27:13But it's OK. I realise that it's fine for me. How proud did you feel of how far they got in the competition? How good a count of themselves that they are shown? I mean, they were one of the spiciest teams in the competition. So many people felt like it was the first time they'd really see Italy come into their own. How proud did you feel to be a part of that journey, even if you weren't able to be on the pitch? I was and I am so proud. I think that everyone gives the 200 % of themselves. I was going on the stadium to watch the game even if I was not in the team. Not just me but also the other players that were not in the team.

27:57we just see each other outside the stadium, just prepare all the singing, the song, like everything. We just went in, we were supporting them and like you said, no one was expecting us to do what we did. And when I say we, it's because I feel it part of that group. Like, it doesn't matter that I was out for injured, like everyone was like looking out for me, was like ready to support me and I was too ready to support them. I think that no one was expecting us to do what we did so it's a big surprise but it's also something that the other national team need to look after because we are growing even if in Italy is not so much compared to England but I think that in the national team we are doing a very big job the staff is doing an amazing job for us.

28:56We're playing for our colour that is blue, like Everton, but we just feel very united. We say nobody expected it. I had you guys as my dark horse for the tournament. She called it. indicated so thank you and what a tournament as well for christiana giarelli like how did you feel watching her have that moment kree the thing with kree is like you never know what she's taking out the head um and all the time is it's a surprise like she is an amazing player and an amazing person, of course. But she just, like, you know the striker that doesn't think at all. She just does what she has inside. And this is her strength.

29:55Like, she can do whatever she wants because she doesn't think in the pitch. It's like, okay, I'm looking at the ball, I look at the goal, I just shoot. And it's a goal. Like, an amazing goal. but I think also like Sofia I need to Sofia Cantore she's one I'm telling you now in two years she will be one of the biggest players in the world because Cantore even if she's a little bit stupid and I love her I love her so much but she's an amazing player I feel like we're going to have to clip that one up in two years time yeah when she scores a I don't know a world cup winning goal or stuff like that like um I mean in terms of Jarelli there I mean like going back to what you were saying previously about you know thinking about um you know retiring from football and then you've got someone like Jarelli who's obviously a lot more mature than you a lot more you know she's 30 35 years old yes mature experienced yes um does she kind of inspire you to stay in the game longer because you look at the level that she's operating at yeah the the thing with Chris um she's um she's an amazing person and she know how to speak with you so even if she doesn't know you so much she's ready just to support you and just give you suggestion that it it help you like okay I'm look at myself what can I do to be better because she never give up that is her thing she she will never give up even if it's like 10 nil she will be exactly in the same person and she will be like we can do it like we can do 11 10 so it's something that I don't know how she she have this energy inside her but I'm really happy that she's like our captain in the national team and she's just an amazing person because she's just there for you to help you.

32:04As this is just before New Year this is going to be coming out just ahead of New Year's I wonder how I mean 2025 was a hard year for you you worked really really hard and I just wonder what advice you would maybe give yourself at the beginning of that journey now that you've gone through it all both physically and mentally what would you tell yourself? To be resilient, to ask for help if I need it or if anyone need it, to give help also to people that is uh is not in a good position uh but also to enjoy everything that you do just not on the pitch but outside also enjoy life and discover yourself every day because you change every day that's such a lovely philosophy

33:05have you become kind of the the mother at Everton I feel like there's a real kind of like no no no definitely mother but I feel like that the kind of things you're talking about there are stuff that you know the younger players coming through the game you know their heads in it there's so much pressure there's so many more eyes on the game I feel like um that's the kind of advice that they'd really benefit from do you feel like the younger players kind of come to you for you know a bit of wisdom. Yeah, I feel like that. Maybe grandma is better than ma, but yeah. No, I feel like the young player, I'm that player that, of course, I'm 29.

33:45So not so young, but not so old. But a lot of teammates don't realise that I'm so experienced. So sometimes they're like, oh, but you're 21. and I'm like, oh, thank you. But no, when they realize they they're like, okay, but she can help me. That is the thing that I'm trying to give balance between, okay, be like experienced, mature and this kind of stuff, but also like never start to make fun like have enjoy the session the changing room like I sing in the changing room just to chill everyone up because it's like okay maybe it's a hard time and we need just to relax so and just start to make joke with everyone or when is half time and we are like nil nil I'm the one that speak up and go to the player and said you know what you can do this and this and this so it's like to find the balance between be smart but also don't be too serious kind of everything you do is to get you on the pitch and then sometimes you like you say you forget about all of the other things in your life that you need to be able to enjoy and maybe it's just interesting to hear you say that it's something you've learned to actually enjoy everything else that happens in your life yeah it's absolutely it through like you just want to perform so everything that you do outside the pitch is like just to remember you remind you that you have to perform the Saturday or the Sunday but like I said you need to find the right balance between okay I need to do that but I need also to live alive because be honest this work would be like I don't know until 30 see Christiana Girelli until 40 after 40 what you are doing I don't know so you need to find what you enjoy also because of course like football is my passion and my work right now but when I will stop what Yaya likes what Yaya want to do like she want to stay in the in the football world or she want to change completely I don't know yet and that is like something that I realized in this year and I'm like I need to discover what I want to do what are your hopes for 2026 like your personal ambitions on the pitch and then also off the pitch with a mixture of new year's resolutions as we're moments away from 2026 good question i usually don't want to like think about anything because i'm like all the time it's like oh i want to do this i want to do that and then never happened so that is a problem So I would be very basic.

36:54I would say just play some minutes and then something very realistic, enjoy the wedding that I have this summer with the friends. And that for me is fine for 2026. I quite like that. Sometimes we go too big with resolutions and actually if they're more tangible and you can achieve them you feel much more kind of like you've had a good year absolutely i'm agree with you i like that's a lesson there for our listeners don't go too big with the resolutions 100 % achievable um and taking it one step further just obviously like when you were mentioning their sort of life outside of football i mean if you know as and when your career does eventually um come to an end and we do see that that retirement post that will obviously cause a shock throughout the WSL and definitely on this pod as well as fan favourites of yours.

37:49What would you want to do outside of football once that happens? Is there any thoughts about what a career might look like for you? I don't know. I really don't know. In my head, I can be a chef. Okay, love this. But with my own restaurant and not working in the restaurant. that is the perfect vibe but then speaking with one of my best friend arianna caruso she's italian me feel the international team too uh we want to open this restaurant together so me and nat for the night uh caro and her partner just during the day like a bar pub kind of so we'd be in italy yeah we don't know we don't know probably not in italy we are international remember that's true well yeah but you need a location has to be somewhere it's just a very big dream so i don't know right now what to do what would you call it what would restaurant be called?

39:00Yayas. No, I can't just mind. We are four. It's so easy, though. That's such a good name. It's not your fault. That is true, actually. I'd go to Yayas, 100%. It sounds good. Yeah. Biorno's Bar is quite a nice one, though. Oh, so that sounds good. Yeah, Biorno's Bar by day, maybe Yayas by night, that kind of vibe. but you know you know that's my surname and not surname there are two animals i did not know that what animal this stuff no one knows like very few people know so galli in english in english is chicken okay and beyond in english is bear I mean there's your name the chicken and bear the chicken and the bear yeah yeah the chicken the bear there you go thank you so much for joining us for the very very last time in 2025 and what a way to finish I mean Rach what an interview to to end off the the year I've been so keen to get her on the pod for so long and I'm so glad we did and like at the timing as well it's lovely to have this as our last podcast and I just thought the way she reflected on her injury journey you know I think people think of Yaya as such a bubbly happy character and I thought was really quite eye-opening and to kind of see how she went through that journey and learned so much from it was was pretty amazing so it was really interesting for me so I hope the listeners loved it.

40:34I think it's just that that mental resilience that she has and she takes everything with just a splash of humour and I absolutely love that about her and I think yeah 100 % like the advice that she had for younger of Players was lovely, like telling us a little bit about her ambitions for 2026 and definitely about her plans for this lovely new gastro pub that we'll all be visiting in a couple of years time. Well, yeah, we've got to get our marketing set up for that, actually, Chloe. We need to crack up. One hundred percent. Let's get on. We'll be back on Tuesday to look ahead to the return of the WSL and much, much more.

41:03In the meantime, you can find us on Instagram and x slash Twitter. I am at Morgie underscore 89. Rach is at Girls on the Ball and we are at Upfront underscore pod. You can also find us on YouTube at Upfront Pod. And from all of us here, we wish you the absolute most amazing 2026. And thank you so much for being a part of our journey in 2025. See you next year.

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