There is a moment, about halfway through a long conversation about an extraordinary journey from New Jersey to Seville, when Pellegrino Matarazzo stops mid-sentence. “I keep using that word: ‘special’. I’m realising now that my English is terrible,” Real Sociedad’s coach says.
So much so that when it finally comes to an end, after he has moved from management and mathematics to music – to OK Computer and Nino D’Angelo, tapes in the old Chevy and all-night sessions on guitar and baglama – he has a suggestion. Laughing now, about to bid farewell, he says: “Feel free to replace any words I used over 10 times. So: ‘special’…”
