Cristante: Merit ‘fundamental’ for Italy call-up | OneFootball

Bryan Cristante is ‘proud’ to return to the Italy national team for the first time in a year and insists merit is ‘fundamental’ to get an international call-up.

Cristante spoke at a press conference from Coverciano on Thursday as the Azzurri prepare to face Estonia and Israel in the World Cup qualifiers. Football Italia was among the accredited media.

Cristante: Duty to ‘do well’ with Italy national team

FLORENCE, ITALY – OCTOBER 5: Bryan Cristante of AS Roma in action during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and AS Roma at Artemio Franchi on October 5, 2025 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

“I’ve found a desire to do well, with great intensity. Everyone is available. It’s easy to work well; we push each other to do well. When you come to the national team, you have a duty to do well and being well together is fundamental,” Cristante said.

“I’ve played in any role; I’m available for the coach. I’m a central midfielder and I’ve always felt at ease in every system.

“We are in a good position for midfielders. Many young players are getting playing time. European football is getting more intense, so midfielders must do well in both phases. There are more challenges, and you need to run more.”

There is controversy around Italy’s second game in October against Israel, but hopefully, tension will be eased after a ceasefire deal was announced this morning.

“It’s great news, we are happy with it as it’s what we all wanted,” said Cristante.

“We hope the stadium is full in Udine because we need our fans supporting us.

“We want to go to the World Cup with all our hearts, but we focus on Estonia only,” Cristante continued.

“We focus on one game at a time, then we’ll see if we need the playoffs or if we win the group.

“The atmosphere will be tough; no game can be underestimated. There are no easy games. International games are always tricky. We have just one result available.

“I’m proud; the national team is always a target, and you need to go through the club to reach it. It’s always a source of pride to return to Coverciano.

“I think merit is fundamental. The national team is the target to reach, and I’m convinced that you need experience and a certain number of games to play for the national team. Merit is important. Of course, there are some young players too, who need European experience, but the basis must come from experienced players.”

Cristante: Roma have ‘good stability’

New Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso meets with Roma player Bryan Cristante (@officialasroma)

Cristante also replied to some questions about Roma as the Giallorossi are the joint-table leaders alongside Napoli.

“We’ve been struggling to qualify for the Champions League in recent years, playing against clubs that have historically been more accustomed to winning titles, but we’ll do our best.

“I think we are close. Stability is good; we miss some details up front and some choices in attack, but we are on the right track.

“There aren’t many indispensable players. I always think about working hard and showing what I can do. Decisions are up to the coach. What I want is to make myself available, which I’ll continue until the end of my career, focusing on the pitch.”