Morten Thorsby is not just a Norwegian central midfielder born in 1996, beloved by his fans — those of Sampdoria, one of Genoa's football clubs. His commitment and the kilometres covered on the pitch have made him a leader on the field. Thorsby is a footballer who has decided to get involved off the pitch as well, for a specific cause: the environment. Convinced that, with its "firepower", football can do far more than it has done so far. Speaking out, engaging people, pushing everyone to change entrenched habits and unhealthy lifestyles: that is the aim of the Norwegian athlete, one of the driving forces behind the We play green project, which seeks to reach millions of fans around the world with sustainability's key messages.

In 2019, when he was called up to play for Sampdoria, you decided to travel from Norway to Liguria in an electric car. How did your interest in environmental issues come about?
It all started when, at 17, I left Norway to go and play in the Netherlands, at Heerenveen. I lived on my own for the first time, away from family and friends, and I was able to devote a great deal of time to reading, discovering how humanity had destroyed its relationship with nature. My first reaction was anger: I asked myself why, over the previous 50 years, no one had made any significant decisions to reverse the trend. But then I realised that, also thanks to the public profile that comes with being a footballer, I had to start doing something myself. And that is how I found my path.

What were your first initiatives?
I talked about these issues with my Heerenveen teammates and the club. We started cycling from the dressing room to the training ground, whereas before we used to drive just one kilometre. Then we introduced initiatives to make the stadium more sustainable, covering it with solar panels.

As far as your work commitments allow, you try to fly as little as possible. What other "green" habits have you now made your own?
After getting my teammates on board, I asked myself what I could do in my day-to-day life. So I always try to choose the train over the plane wherever possible; I sort my waste very carefully and I have cut down on meat consumption. I also try to talk about these issues constantly, in Italy and every time I go back to Norway. Conversations I have with politicians too, because you need the right politicians to find solutions to complex problems.

Speaking of which, environmental issues have effectively become a political matter as well. In the past, many great sporting champions have taken political stances: I think of sprinter Tommie Smith at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, boxer Muhammad Ali, or the Italian national tennis team at the 1976 Davis Cup in Chile. Among the greats of the football world, apart from Maradona, no one has ever taken a firm stand on these issues. Have you ever wondered why?
For a long time, football and politics were seen as two worlds that were never meant to cross. But the landscape is changing now, and I think the pandemic emergency helped with that too, showing us that some problems affect everyone and touch the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown alike. Football is not a world unto itself — it is part of society: we all live on this planet together, and so athletes bear a great responsibility too. As far as football specifically is concerned, the old mentality has to change, because the world's most followed sport has the power to convey important values.

There are sporadic examples of the football world engaging with environmental issues. Take the Forest Green Rovers, the world's "greenest" club, which competes in the fourth tier of English football, or the use of playing kits made from recycled plastic by several teams. But couldn't the football world do far more?
Absolutely. The football world is still lagging behind on this front, and that represents a major problem. A leap forward is needed here, just as has recently happened, for example, on other important issues such as racism and women's rights. In those cases football set an example — now it must do the same on environmental issues. We have a great responsibility and the opportunity to spread these messages to a vast audience.

Is that also why you decided to promote the We play green Foundation?
Yes. Our vision is to restore the balance between humanity and nature. We want to reach the 3.5 billion fans around the world by creating, with the help of clubs and players, greater environmental awareness. We are building a community of teams and athletes interested in the subject, to work on concrete projects: the first of these will be the Sustainability League — a kind of Champions League made up of clubs that have launched significant environmental initiatives, so that they can inspire other organisations to follow their example.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution: which of the various environmental emergencies we are facing concerns you most?
These three emergencies are effects of a wider crisis caused by an unsustainable way of living — a crisis that can only be resolved through systemic solutions, by changing the habits of the past 50 years that are destroying nature. Climate change is certainly the most significant emergency in economic terms at the moment, but pollution and biodiversity loss will also have devastating financial impacts in the near future.

People call you "the Greta Thunberg of Serie A". Do you like that description?
Greta is an idol for young people and beyond — she is doing incredibly important things, but her message, so powerful as it is, inevitably reaches only certain people and not everyone. I, in a lighter way, aim to inspire people to change their choices. The football world has such a vast audience that it can reach even those whom Greta cannot. That is why we can no longer stand still and stay silent.